Houser Academy

The Houser Academy was launched in 2020 with the goal of growing a statewide network of advocates who are already doing the work to expand rights for low-income households in Texas. This is achieved through connections, conversations, and courses on the basics of organizing, all culminating in a capstone project at the end of the year.

The design of the Houser Academy is to gather people from all walks of life from all over our state to bring unique perspectives to accomplishing the same goal: empowering low-income households in their communities. Historically, for the academy, this has manifested in a number of ways. Whether it was empowering public housing residents in San Antonio, low-income people looking for opportunity to purchase a home in Lubbock, getting engaged in local policy in Houston and many other places, Texas Housers’ objective is to fuel these ideas further along into reality.

While the academy is not a public endeavor, we wanted to make sure that anyone interested in learning more about getting engaged in advocacy in their communities can do so. This is why we’ve uploaded many of the courses in the Houser Academy online. We want to spread this knowledge to as many people who want it to effect change in their community.

Public Courses (click to view)

Housing Policy

The Legislative and Policy Landscape

Navigating Public Agencies

Renters’ Rights

Exercising Your Rights

Expanding Tenants’ Rights

Organizing and Advocacy

Organizing and Advocacy Campaigns

The Essentials of Organizing and Advocacy

Public Messaging

Effective Communications

Intersectionality in Housing

Neighborhood Development 

Civil Rights