Texas House committee debates caps and increases on late fees for tenants, voucher holders
As the Texas Legislature swings into high gear, we’ll be covering committee hearings and votes on key bills related to housing.Continue Reading
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Video: At forum, Houston co-director calls out systemic housing inequalities
On a wide-ranging panel discussion on housing affordability and opportunity, Texas Housers Houston co-director Chrishelle Palay outlined the real issue facing tooContinue Reading
Sign the petition to demand an end to chronic flooding in Hidalgo County colonias
I have the privilege of working alongside community members and grassroots leaders with A Resource In Serving Equality (ARISE) and La UniónContinue Reading
2017 state tax credit applications show slight shift away from higher-income areas
Recent changes to the way Texas scores applications for housing tax credits appear to have had a slight but notableContinue Reading
Report: Texas faces massive, growing deficit of housing affordable to extremely low income families
A new report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) reveals that the housing cost burden for extremely low income families in Texas, andContinue Reading
Grassroots leaders train to stop flooding in border colonias
The Land Use Colonia Housing Action (LUCHA) initiative has made some big strides in the past year. At Texas HousersContinue Reading
From the Houston Chronicle: Why Houston remains segregated
This piece ran in the Gray Matters section of the Houston Chronicle on February 16. Texas Housers Houston co-director Chrishelle PalayContinue Reading
Houston area representative, pledging to ‘Stop Low-Income Government Housing,’ files bill
Elected on a pledge to “Stop Low-Income Government Housing” (see campaign ad above), Real Estate Broker and State Representative ValoreeContinue Reading
Guest viewpoint: HUD must do no harm to health equity by furthering fair housing
This is a guest post from Dr. Bakeyah Nelson, a public health practitioner and founder of Community Health Collaborative Consulting inContinue Reading
Houston mayor Sylvester Turner rejects compliance with federal order to end segregation of government-subsidized housing
Government-subsidized housing in Houston is among the most racially and economically segregated in the country thanks in large part toContinue Reading
Lincoln Property Company, country’s second largest apartment manager, hit with racial discrimination lawsuit
The Dallas-based Inclusive Communities Project (ICP) has filed suit in federal district court against one of Texas’ largest property managementContinue Reading
Texas Senate committee report addresses key fair housing issues
The Intergovernmental Relations Committee (IGR) is one of the most influential in the Texas Senate, dealing with the administration ofContinue Reading
Listen: Previewing housing issues at the Texas Legislature
The Texas Legislature kicked off its 2017 session on January 10, with plenty of housing-related bills already filed, proposed orContinue Reading
Colonia residents launch drainage campaign in Hidalgo County
Colonia leaders organized with La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) and A Resource In Serving Equality (ARISE), and proudly supportedContinue Reading
IRS indicates fair housing issues with Texas political influence on tax credits
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued a bulletin that reprimands a thinly-veiled “Agency” in “State X” for its reliance on local supportContinue Reading
TDHCA details consequences of potential state budget cuts
The Texas Legislature opens next month under specific instructions to use a 4 percent reduction in general revenue as the starting point inContinue Reading
Video: 10 ways to invest in the forgotten America and rebuild rural communities post-election
I gave this speech at the Housing Assistance Council Rural Housing Conference in Washington, D.C. on November 30. Watch the fullContinue Reading
Texas’ 2017 tax credit allocation plan presents fair housing issues
On November 10, after months of roundtables, discussions and compromises, the board of the Texas Department of Housing andContinue Reading
A post-election question: “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?”
I gave this speech before a group of community leaders and academics in Austin on November 15, reflecting on recentContinue Reading
Join the Housing Working Group for the 2017 Texas Legislative Session
Each legislative session, Texas Housers hosts a bi-weekly Housing Working Group for advocates, providers, non-profit staff and others engaged in housing issues atContinue Reading
The 2016 Texas Houser Awards
On a dreary afternoon the day after a divisive election, the stories of three outstanding community organizations lifted the spirits of housing advocatesContinue Reading
Announcing the 2016 Texas Houser Awards
On November 9, Texas Low Income Housing Information Service will honor three outstanding community groups at the 2016 Texas Houser Awards. TheContinue Reading
We’re hiring! Apply to be a community organizer in Houston
Do you have the energy, drive, initiative and discipline to collaborate with low income residents of color, support grassroots activism and inspireContinue Reading
Sunnyside Shines: Community fair launches comprehensive plan for reinvestment in Houston
A community fair on September 24 brought neighbors together to discuss and officially launch the Sunnyside Neighborhood Plan, a comprehensive strategy forContinue Reading
Smithsonian design museum opens exhibit featuring innovative Texas disaster recovery program
The title of the new exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City sums up theContinue Reading
Fair housing case produces lasting changes for Texas and nation
This piece originally ran on Shelterforce Magazine’s Rooflines blog. The Inclusive Communities project has now filed a motion and briefContinue Reading
Video: Visualizing Houston’s housing segregation
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched a fair housing investigation after the CityContinue Reading
Lack of drainage in Rio Grande Valley colonias creates breeding ground for Zika virus
This piece originally ran as a column in the McAllen newspaper, The Monitor, on September 12, 2016. Pictured above: Lot flooding after a regularContinue Reading
First-ever colonia disaster recovery conference prepares residents for emergencies
Natural disasters hit low income households the hardest, especially in the colonias of the Rio Grande Valley. Learning to prepareContinue Reading
Houston co-director talks fair housing and comprehensive reinvestment on public radio
Fair housing is all about providing choice – the right to choose a living situation free from discrimination. But whenContinue Reading