The latest housing news from The Texas Tribune.
Born of segregation and redlining, the near West Side has long been mostly Latino, mostly low-income. Redevelopment pressures are closing in, and neighbors are working to keep it affordable for some of the city’s poorest residents. Full Story
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For some local relief programs, a lack of staffing, political support and effective community outreach got in the way of spending federal funds to prevent evictions, a new report found. More than $30 million went unspent and had to be returned. Full Story
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The capital city’s mayoral race is something of a test case in how the state’s rising housing costs might influence local races in major cities. Full Story
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Under Texas law, homeowners can claim a homestead exemption only on their primary residence. The GOP Senate candidate registered to vote in Georgia last year. Full Story
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Amid rising housing costs and relentless inflation, an increasing number of Texans are struggling to pay their rent and stay in their homes. Full Story
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Harris County’s mandatory program to buy homes in six neighborhoods that have found themselves under flood waters over and over is quickly tearing apart the community fabric of Allen Field. Full Story
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Texas had more houses on the market in July than any time since late 2020 as home sales declined in the state’s major metros. Sellers have had to cut prices to entice buyers. Full Story
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Four corporate landlords, including Dallas-based Invitation Homes, tried to evict thousands of tenants during a federal ban on evictions, according to an investigation by a congressional subcommittee. Full Story
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Heat-related emergency calls have spiked amid historic heat. Cooling centers are available in major cities but often close in the late afternoon — during the hottest parts of the day. Full Story
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Landlords in Texas don’t have to accept renters who receive federal housing assistance, but a Denton County community is taking it a big step further: making most of the town off limits to Section 8 tenants. Full Story
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A Montana native and a former Fulbright fellow, Lucy will cover housing and homelessness in Texas in the second year of her two-year fellowship. Full Story
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Austin joins at least 28 U.S. cities, like Los Angeles, Chicago and Pittsburgh, that have tried out some form of “guaranteed income” — financial assistance targeted at needy households. Full Story
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Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin all ranked among the top 10 cities for new eviction filings in early April, among the 31 cities tracked by Eviction Lab. Full Story
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It’s unclear whether landlords face any penalties from state agencies for improperly evicting tenants while receiving rent relief dollars intended to help those tenants stay housed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Story
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Twenty-five states, including California and New York, preceded Texas in getting federally backed programs up and running to help homeowners suffering financial hardship because of COVID-19. Full Story
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Renters are seeing their housing costs jump as population increases, strict zoning regulations and rising home sales push up rent prices. Full Story
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Texas’ housing crunch has spread outside of the state’s major metropolitan areas and into more rural parts of Texas. Smaller cities and towns saw steep increases in home prices as COVID-19 spread. Full Story
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Evictions in major Texas cities have reached levels not seen since the pandemic began. But tenant protections and financial assistance for struggling renters are beginning to fade. Full Story
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Housing advocates worry some Texans won’t get the help they need as the state enters the cold winter months. Full Story
![[Neighborhood scenes - Justice Court Pct. 5 Place 1 under Honorable Russ Ridgway] Clarewood Gardens Apartments of the Chimney Rock neighborhood in southwest Houston. Aug. 21, 2020.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/cqlcz8vc9Ox_TpFvfCFmEvEKTK0=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0e5bdc9b3997bbcc3ea29d12b1bf43b3/Houston%20Evictions%20PYH%20TT%2010.jpg)
The state’s $1.9 billion rental assistance program, which launched during the pandemic, has helped more than 165,000 Texans. But people have “slipped through the cracks,” advocates say. Full Story
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