General Resources

General Resources

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Texas Housers is a policy-oriented advocacy group that works with low-income communities in their efforts to achieve the American dream of a decent, affordable home in a quality neighborhood. Our organization does not directly provide housing or assistance, we are not a housing authority, housing development company, or service provider. 

This page provides links and information about affordable housing properties and other organizations and agencies that provide direct assistance or services and may be able to help. The resources on this page come from a variety of sources, including public agencies, nonprofits, and private businesses. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement.

Texas Housers also maintains the Texas Tenant Advisor, which is a searchable database that provides general information about renting homes.

If you represent an organization that provides a health or human service to the public, consider adding your organization to the 211 listing to help people better access your services. You can add your information by following the instructions found here.

If you have been evicted and are looking for resources, visit our After Eviction page. If you need help understanding the eviction process, you can view this resource from our Texas Tenant Advisor.

If you are searching for affordable housing:

Many apartments only have affordable rents because they receive funding from federal or state governments. This section includes links to federal and state agencies that fund affordable housing. Some properties receive funding through multiple funding sources and may appear on multiple lists.

This link will take you to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs’ Vacancy Clearinghouse, where you can search by city, county, or zip code to find properties in your area with reduced rent units set aside for low-income households. To speak directly with staff that can provide information about local reduced rent units, call 800-525-0657. 

This link will take you to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Multifamily Housing Property Search, where you can search by city or zipcode to find HUD-funded multifamily properties with affordable rents in your area.

This link will take you to the US Department of Agriculture’s multifamily housing rentals search page, where you can click your area on an interactive map to find affordable properties for rent. This resource tends to feature more properties in rural areas.

Here is a list of Housing Authorities and their contact information in Texas. Housing Authorities administer federal housing programs such as public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers (rental assistance). These programs frequently have waitlists. The Texas Housing Association maintains a Waiting List Status page with information on local wait lists, though some are out-of-date or unavailable.

If you are looking for assistance with housing costs or other local housing resources:

HUD maintains the Find Shelter Tool for information about local housing, shelter, health care, and clothing resources for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

Texas Health and Human Services runs 211, a service that can help connect you with a variety of local resources based on your zip code. You can also access 211 anywhere in Texas by calling 2-1-1 or 877-541-7905. 

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs maintains the Help for Texans site to help connect Texans to local housing assistance such as rental assistance, home repair, weatherization, and homebuyer education. To speak directly with staff that can provide information about local resources, call 800-525-0657.

USAGov is an official guide to federal government information and services that maintains a specific page for housing assistance and help with utility bills.

The Texas Center for Justice and Equity maintains a County Resources page for local reentry and justice resources for adults. Texas nonprofit Bridges to Life maintains a list of Re-Entry Resources by Area for formerly incarcerated individuals looking for housing or other assistance.

You can find HUD-approved housing counseling agencies that provide homebuyer education and counseling and foreclosure prevention here.

If you are in Greater San Antonio, the City of San Antonio has established the San Antonio Community Resource Center (SACRC) to centralize access to all kinds of help. If you are looking for housing, financial assistance for housing, help paying for utilities, temporary housing, and much more, it can be found on their new database.

If you need legal help: 

Nonprofit-managed Texas Law Help maintains this tool to find legal aid resources that serve individuals in your area, based on your county. The State Bar of Texas also provides a Referral Guide that lists organizations, the services they provide, and their contact information by county.

Typically, you will be served by one of three legal aid organizations in Texas: Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, or Lone Star Legal Aid. Some additional information can be found on the Texas Judicial Branch website here.

If you are experiencing discrimination based on disability, Disability Rights TX’s website has their direct contact information for things like evictions, accommodations, possible discrimination, and understanding your housing rights.

If you are looking for help with federal and state benefits:

Social Security provides a source of income when you retire or if you cannot work due to disability. Social Security retirement benefits provide a monthly check that replaces part of your income when you reduce your hours or stop working altogether. Supplemental Security Income provides monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults with little or no income or resources. Social Security Disability Insurance provides monthly payments to people who have a disability that stops or limits their ability to work. More information, including FAQs and contact information, can be here on the Social Security Administration’s website.

Your Texas Benefits (Español) is Texas Health and Human Services’ one-stop-shop application and account portal for a host of state and federal benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); and various healthcare programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). If you need help using the Your Texas Benefits website, call 2-1-1 or 877-541-7905 (select your language and then Option 2). 

If you qualify for the SNAP or TANF programs, you will get a Lone Star Card to access your benefits. If you would like to access downloadable paper copies of forms, those can be found here. If you would like to contact an office directly to learn more about your potential benefits, you can find a local office here.

Texas Health and Human Services also administers the Texas Simplified Application Project (TSAP), which provides food benefits to Texas households where all household members are either older adults (age 60 and older) or people with disabilities.

Texas Health and Human Services administers healthcare programs for seniors, children and adults with disabilities, women, foster care youth, and families with children. Helpful programs include:

If you are seeking resources following a natural disaster:

The Legal Aid Disaster Resource Center maintains a website with resources for disaster survivors including common legal issues, bankruptcy, disability rights, and information on benefits and assistance.

The Disaster Distress Helpline is a 24/7, 365-day-a–year, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for anyone experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disaster . This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories. Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after a disaster. Call or text 1-800-985-5990 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. This is to support people who are directly impacted, responders, and anyone connected to a disaster that is experiencing stress or trauma.

Helpful infographics and flyers for tenants:

  • How to Get Rid of Mold: A helpful summary of CDC recommendations for cleaning mold following a flood. 
  • Conditions that Affect Health and Safety/Condiciones que afectan la salud y la seguridad: A guide created by BASTA to help complete a written request for repairs to submit to your landlord or property manager.
  • Repair Request Template: A template created by Keep Harris Housed that can be used to complete a written request for repairs.
  • Payment Plan Templates: Templates created by Keep Harris Housed that can be used to set a payment plan agreement between a tenant and landlord to repay back rent and prevent eviction.

If you are experiencing privacy issues with landlords entering your home:

Below are some more specific details about your privacy rights that should help answer your questions.

https://texastenant.org/privacy-rights/

For press inquiries see our Contact us page. We appreciate your patience as we respond to each message.