"Fair Housing" in Harris County

Fast Facts

• Eviction case filings in Harris County rose from about 35,000 in 2021 to 81,513 at the end of 2023 - they’ve more than doubled in about 2 years. 
  
• Rent has risen 22% recently; average market rent climbed from  $1,315 in January 2019 to $1,609 in January of 2024. 
  
• 43% of Harris County jobs pay less than $40,000 a year before tax, but a family of two parents and one child needs at least $81,526 on average to stay afloat. 
  
• 1 in 5 people in Harris County are burdened by their rent payments, meaning that they spend more than 30% of their monthly income on housing. Black, Latino and Native American families are most affected. 
  
• Over half -  55% - of formal housing complaints in Harris County are filed on the basis of disability discrimination. 
  
• Public foundation corporations are an effective tool used to incentivize local property developers to designate and reserve affordable housing for low to moderate income households.
  
• Within the next 5 years, Harris County plans to provide shelter for 1,100 homeless individuals while also moving 650 households currently experiencing homelessness into permanent housing with stabilization services and financial assistance. 
  

Critical Consensus: Fair Housing Challenges in Harris County

Opinions in Harris County are as diverse as the local culture, but there are a couple of things that truly seem to unite folks. While there’s definitely consensus about Shipley’s superiority over Krispy Kreme and Centerpoint Energy’s inferiority as an emergency resource provider, people are also on the same page about rising housing costs. Yes, the Houston metro area is comparatively cheaper than the United States’ other largest cities like New York or Los Angeles, but there is still a critical lack of affordable, safe, fair housing options. In preparing plans that’ll guide the area’s housing policy and development for the next five years, Harris County’s Department of Housing and Community Development found that 87% of survey respondents were anxious about losing their housing and being displaced due to rent increases. This valid and familiar anxiety is not dramatic - it reflects people’s experiences navigating an expensive, complicated and inequitable housing system.  

It feels harder than ever for households to stay afloat right now, and Harris County’s own report about housing equity confirms and conveys how people really haven’t been able to catch a break. Between wage stagnation, rampant inflation and a 22% increase in average rent (totaling $1,609 as of January 2024) over the past five years, many people are barely making ends meet. One in five people in Harris County are burdened by the cost of their rent, meaning that they spend over a third of their monthly income on housing. Unfortunately and paradoxically, Black, Latino and Native American households are most likely to be cost-burdened while also being least likely to be approved for assistance that alleviates this burden. Even with countless side hustles and extra shifts, people are struggling to close major financial gaps. Considering that eviction cases in Harris County more than doubled, skyrocketing from 35,000 in 2021 to 81,513 in 2023, it is clear that our communities and families are reaching a breaking point. We as stakeholders - community members, builders, local administrators - are watching Harris County’s affordable housing problem snowball into a full-blow housing crisis. We also have the power to stop it. 

In keeping with our other recent housing policy work, we at Pure Justice submitted formal comments regarding Harris County’s drafted five-year plan documents. Since county officials must review and consider all comments, we took the opportunity to call attention to prescient issues and make recommendations. We suggested increased tenant protections and support resources for those facing eviction to minimize household disruptions for families. We reminded Harris County about ongoing de facto housing discrimination that those with arrest records face and urged administrators to measurably affirm their fair housing rights in accordance with HUD’s new guidance. We addressed the need for greater diversity within actual public housing developments; we desperately need more floorplans for large families, seniors, and disabled folks. Our comment didn’t exclusively feature call-outs, though. We encouraged Harris County to use different sorts of policy tools to incentivize private developers to designate and reserve space for systems-impacted community members. By allowing ourselves to re-imagine safety for everyone, we can envision affordable housing solutions that can work for anyone. Even though our personal definitions of affordable may differ, I think we can all agree that now’s the time for local officials to meaningfully ensure fair housing opportunities. 

Referenced Documents: 
Harris County, TX’s PY2024-2028 Consolidated Plan
Harris County, TX’s PY2024-2028 Fair Housing Assessment
Link to Pure Justice’s Comments on Harris County’s Drafts of PY 2024-2028 Consolidated Action Plan, PY 2024-2028 Fair Housing Assessment & PY 2024 Annual Action Plan:  2024 Pure Justice Harris County Public Housing Comment

Written By: Salena Braye-Bulls

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