Texas Housers evaluates how cities and counties disburse COVID rent relief in latest report
Update 7/13: At time of publishing, Texas Housers did not have complete figures from Houston and Harris County that fitContinue Reading
Tag: covid-19
Nearing the Eviction Cliff: What We’re Observing in Harris County Courtrooms
Contributed by Erin Hahn and Ally Harris The CDC’s federal eviction moratorium, which was set to expire June 30, 2021,Continue Reading
Podcast Episode 35: Eviction Courtwatch During COVID-19
The CDC Eviction Moratorium should protect many individuals who appear before a Justice of the Peace due to non-payment ofContinue Reading
The Texas Rent Relief Program will not reach its target before eviction without these changes
The Texas Rent Relief program, which began rolling out in March has had nearly 72,000 applicants according to recent reporting.Continue Reading
Texas Supreme Court’s inaction could put thousands of renters at risk of eviction
Thousands of Texas tenants who can’t pay rent amid the COVID-19 crisis are at risk of eviction as the TexasContinue Reading
Fear of Foreclosure: How homeowners of color are struggling with the financial fallout of COVID-19 in Houston
People of color have historically faced systemic obstacles in access to homeownership, yet so many have still persevered to secureContinue Reading
Houston’s grace period eviction ordinance was too late for too many. Here is how to fix that.
Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis in March 2020, Texas Housers has advocated for a grace period ordinance inContinue Reading
Texas renters have few eviction protections under COVID-19. Justices of the Peace are rarely enforcing them.
Written by Julia Orduña and Ally Harris There have been over 23,000 eviction cases opened against tenants in Harris CountyContinue Reading
Here’s how you can apply for help from the Texas Rent Relief Program
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs has announced that they intend to make available $1.3 billion to eligibleContinue Reading
Texas Housers has created a simple checklist of principles for equitable rent relief
After nine months of working with cities and counties in Texas and observing partners across the country do the same,Continue Reading
The CDC Eviction Moratorium Needs Amendments, Not Just Extensions
Contributed by Julia Orduña and Ally Harris As we enter the new year, many Texans are coming to terms withContinue Reading
Get Involved: Texas Housers uses CourtWatch to track improper COVID related evictions
Texas Housers staff and volunteers have been tracking the experiences of Texas tenants brought before Texas Justice of the PeaceContinue Reading
Texas COVID relief and eviction diversion programs could fall short if these major issues aren’t fixed
Texas’s first statewide COVID-19 rental assistance program will kick off this January after months of government planning and public callsContinue Reading
Texas struggles to streamline CARES funds as local governments scrape for resources
In May 2020, Gov. Greg Abbott and state leaders penned a letter to city and county officials about plans forContinue Reading
Watch Texas Housers’ December COVID Response Call on link between Housing & Health
As our nation looks to turn over the calendar to 2021, we also approach a dangerous deadline. The CDC’s moratoriumContinue Reading
Texas Housers and interfaith community groups call on state leaders for eviction moratorium
As our nation marches toward a new year, we also edge toward a cliff with mass evictions on a scaleContinue Reading
Texas Housers November COVID Response Call focused on delivering rent relief to the public
As we grow closer to the end of the year, with a possibly expiring eviction moratorium from the CDC, itContinue Reading
Texas Housers statement on City of Houston’s diversion of CARES Act funds to police, garbage bins
The CARES Act was designed to provide rent relief and other aid for complications caused by COVID-19. There have beenContinue Reading
Texas Housers COVID Response Call and Keep Texans Housed website track where housing and the pandemic meet
Since news of the COVID-19 pandemic first broke in spring 2020, Texas Housers has made tracking the disease’s effects onContinue Reading
Breaking news: TX Supreme Court issues emergency order on CDC eviction moratorium to protect Texas tenants
By a vote of 6-2 today the Texas Supreme Court has issued an emergency order setting out much needed clearerContinue Reading
The CDC’s national eviction moratorium is long overdue, but won’t protect tenants without robust rental relief
On Sept 1, the Center for Disease Control and the Department of Health and Human Services announced that the federalContinue Reading
In alarming move toward mass displacement, Texas AG Ken Paxton says local governments cannot impose eviction moratoriums
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion today that local governmental entities operating under local emergency declarations cannot delay,Continue Reading
Calls on Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to allow a city council vote on temporary eviction moratorium
The Houston Chronicle reports that Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is refusing to put a moratorium on evictions before the HoustonContinue Reading
With Texas in crisis, local governments are suspending the Public Information Act indefinitely and refusing service
Contributed by Eli Barrish, Elizabeth Roehm, and Adam Pirtle Since the CARES Act passed in March 2020, billions of taxpayerContinue Reading
Texas rent relief programs are failing to target low-income residents under COVID-19
COVID-19 was first documented reaching Texas in March 2020, and residents have suffered disease, job and income loss, and fearContinue Reading
Harris County proceeds with evictions hearings behind closed doors as COVID-19 cases rise
On May 19, the State of Texas allowed its eviction protections for renters to expire, leaving only tenants who liveContinue Reading
Texas Housers is monitoring local government responses to COVID 19-induced housing crisis with new scorecard
The CARES Act — the federal stimulus signed into law on March 27, 2020 — authorized substantial fund transfers fromContinue Reading
These maps show San Antonio’s COVID-19 relief should address where the most vulnerable residents live
As the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic started to emerge this past spring, cities and states rushed to find reliefContinue Reading
Texas Housers forms COVID-19 Task Force to ensure an equitable and transparent disaster recovery
As we enter the month of June, Texans all over our state will look at their bank accounts, open theirContinue Reading
Coronavirus relief in Texas favors large cities and counties over rural areas at three-to-one rate
Cities and counties in Texas with populations under 500,000 will receive relief funds at a much lower per capita rateContinue Reading