A Little Louder

Texas Housers highlights some noteworthy housing bills proposed in the 2019 legislative session. Some promote quality housing and tenant rights. Others not so much. We also discuss low-income housing tax credit corruption and shortages in affordable housing.

We take a deep dive into how segregation caused Black and Latino neighborhoods to be trapped near industry and pollution. We talk to residents fighting for environmental justice.

In episode 4, Texas Housers discusses the importance of housing mobility and how where you live can change the trajectory of your life. We interview Beth Legg, a fair housing planner, and Martha Sanchez, an organizer in the Rio Grande Valley.

In episode 3, Texas Housers discusses how disaster recovery can be vastly improved by a "precovery" plan – that is, planning for recovery, even before the natural disaster hits. A bill proposed in the Texas legislature could help communities do just that. Guests include: Houston resident Deetra Harris; Nick Mitchell-Bennett, executive director of the Community Development Corporation of Brownsville; and Professor Shannon Van Zandt of the Texas A&M Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center.

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.

In A Little Louder's first episode, we discuss Opportunity Zones, freedmen's settlement north of Houston struggling with attrition and lack of investment, and how Austin's Clarksville has changed from a culturally rooted freedmen's settlement with no roads or public lighting into a white, affluent neighborhood near downtown Austin.