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
Tag: Colonias
Podcast Episode 14: El Sonido del Agua Part I
Season 2 of our podcast is live, and it starts with a deep dive into a multi-year drainage campaign inContinue Reading
Colonia leaders debut advocacy tutorial video to expand access to public street lighting
For more than a decade, colonia leaders, organizers and Texas Housers have been pushing Hidalgo County to target program fundsContinue Reading
Integration Now: How inclusive communities promote options and opportunity
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.
Surprise rain brings expected flooding to Hidalgo County. It’s time drainage and county officials commit to solutions.
(Photo shows flooded yard in La Mesa colonia) Many Rio Grande Valley residents woke up with floodwater filling their homesContinue Reading
Texas Housers in South Africa: A global conversation on eviction and displacement
Photo: An informal housing settlement on the outskirts of Johannesburg, which looks similar to the informal housing settlements or colonias alongContinue Reading
Fair housing assessment in Rio Grande Valley offers chance for residents to fight segregated conditions
Discrimination is not always obvious in the Rio Grande Valley. But now Hidalgo County residents have a chance to weigh in onContinue Reading
Governor’s cut of colonia oversight program will cost state and endanger residents
This piece originally ran as a column in The Monitor on June 25. For decades the State of Texas looked theContinue Reading
One hundred years of poison: Why toxic fish still threaten Rio Grande Valley residents
This article originally ran on Neta, a bilingual multimedia platform based in the Rio Grande Valley where I am aContinue Reading
Rollback of colonia regulations at issue in two bills on border land sales
As the Texas Legislature swings into high gear, we’ll be covering committee hearings and votes on key bills related to housing.Continue 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
At long last, basic public services may be coming to some current and future South Texas colonias
This opinion column originally appeared in the Rio Grande Guardian on March 1, co-authored by IMartha Sanchez of LUPE and TexasContinue Reading
Video: Texas Housers board member Dr. Shannon Van Zandt on colonia social vulnerability and disaster recovery
Our board member Dr. Shannon Van Zandt, a professor and interim head of Texas A&M University’s Landscape Architecture and UrbanContinue 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
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
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
After first local Zika transmission, state and local officials must act to protect Rio Grande Valley
The first local transmission of the Zika virus in the state of Texas, and just the second in the country,Continue 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
EPA summit a chance to highlight environmental injustices in colonias
Environmental problems predominantly affect low income communities of color, especially in Texas. There is a growing movement of community collaboration,Continue Reading
Hands-on training for colonia leaders emphasizes role of government in solving problems
Cris Rocha, a community organizer with La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), welcomed the group and Norma Aldape, a LUPE member andContinue Reading
Video: Community discussion on history of inequality and injustice in the Rio Grande Valley
Inequality is stark in the Rio Grande Valley, but for many, its causes remain hidden. In order to overcome the consequencesContinue Reading
A call to confront segregation in colonias: Addressing development and civil rights
[The following remarks were delivered on June 22, 2016 at a conference, Southwest Border Colonias: Housing and Sustainable Development inContinue Reading
State to hold public hearing on colonia environmental injustice thanks to youth leaders
Youth activists in the Rio Grande Valley have already won increased resources and attention to address the odor nuisance causedContinue Reading
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May 20, 2016
Years of organizing lead to vital stormwater drainage project for Rio Grande Valley colonias
Inequality is most starkly manifested in the differences between rich and poor neighborhoods. And nowhere is inequality greater than in theContinue Reading
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May 4, 2016
Colonia youth take charge to protect neighbors from contamination
As discussed in our staff conversation last week, there has been a shameful lack of government oversight around the toxic contamination ofContinue Reading
Listen: Shining a light on environmental injustice in the colonias
TxLIHIS staff members work on a wide range of issues across the state. To highlight some of that work, I’llContinue Reading
Street light installation finally begins as colonia residents celebrate victory
Above: Residents of Colonia Goolie Meadows enjoy the illumination provided by their new street lights. Last week marked another milestone inContinue Reading
Colonia organizations win groundbreaking street lighting victory in Hidalgo County
On November 10, Hidalgo County Commissioners unanimously approved a plan to begin bringing street lights into the colonias. Our partners atContinue Reading
South Texas colonia conditions mean possible repeat of Katrina level disaster
Ten years after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the Rio Grande Valley in southeast Texas is exactly the kind ofContinue Reading