Substandard colonias are an enduring result of housing segregation that we can fix
The challenge of substandard colonias are not unique to the border or even our era, but are actually an ageContinue Reading
The challenge of substandard colonias are not unique to the border or even our era, but are actually an ageContinue Reading
Season 2 of our podcast is live, and it starts with a deep dive into a multi-year drainage campaign inContinue Reading
For more than a decade, colonia leaders, organizers and Texas Housers have been pushing Hidalgo County to target program fundsContinue Reading
In episode 2, Demetria McCain of the Inclusive Communities Project talks about integration and people’s right to choose where to live. John and Christina discuss how private equity is changing homeownership and the real crisis at the border.
(Photo shows flooded yard in La Mesa colonia) Many Rio Grande Valley residents woke up with floodwater filling their homesContinue Reading
Photo: An informal housing settlement on the outskirts of Johannesburg, which looks similar to the informal housing settlements or colonias alongContinue Reading
Discrimination is not always obvious in the Rio Grande Valley. But now Hidalgo County residents have a chance to weigh in onContinue Reading
This piece originally ran as a column in The Monitor on June 25. For decades the State of Texas looked theContinue Reading
This article originally ran on Neta, a bilingual multimedia platform based in the Rio Grande Valley where I am aContinue Reading
As the Texas Legislature swings into high gear, we’ll be covering committee hearings and votes on key bills related to housing.Continue Reading
I have the privilege of working alongside community members and grassroots leaders with A Resource In Serving Equality (ARISE) and La UniónContinue Reading
This opinion column originally appeared in the Rio Grande Guardian on March 1, co-authored by IMartha Sanchez of LUPE and TexasContinue Reading
Our board member Dr. Shannon Van Zandt, a professor and interim head of Texas A&M University’s Landscape Architecture and UrbanContinue Reading
The Land Use Colonia Housing Action (LUCHA) initiative has made some big strides in the past year. At Texas HousersContinue Reading
Colonia leaders organized with La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) and A Resource In Serving Equality (ARISE), and proudly supportedContinue Reading
I gave this speech at the Housing Assistance Council Rural Housing Conference in Washington, D.C. on November 30. Watch the fullContinue Reading
The first local transmission of the Zika virus in the state of Texas, and just the second in the country,Continue Reading
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
Natural disasters hit low income households the hardest, especially in the colonias of the Rio Grande Valley. Learning to prepareContinue Reading
Environmental problems predominantly affect low income communities of color, especially in Texas. There is a growing movement of community collaboration,Continue Reading
Cris Rocha, a community organizer with La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), welcomed the group and Norma Aldape, a LUPE member andContinue Reading
Inequality is stark in the Rio Grande Valley, but for many, its causes remain hidden. In order to overcome the consequencesContinue Reading
[The following remarks were delivered on June 22, 2016 at a conference, Southwest Border Colonias: Housing and Sustainable Development inContinue Reading
Youth activists in the Rio Grande Valley have already won increased resources and attention to address the odor nuisance causedContinue Reading
Inequality is most starkly manifested in the differences between rich and poor neighborhoods. And nowhere is inequality greater than in theContinue Reading
As discussed in our staff conversation last week, there has been a shameful lack of government oversight around the toxic contamination ofContinue Reading
TxLIHIS staff members work on a wide range of issues across the state. To highlight some of that work, I’llContinue Reading
Above: Residents of Colonia Goolie Meadows enjoy the illumination provided by their new street lights. Last week marked another milestone inContinue Reading
On November 10, Hidalgo County Commissioners unanimously approved a plan to begin bringing street lights into the colonias. Our partners atContinue Reading
Ten years after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the Rio Grande Valley in southeast Texas is exactly the kind ofContinue Reading