“Two Truths…and a Lie?: Pure Justice’s Fair Housing Feedback”

When I hear people say “home is where the heart is,” I always feel a bit conflicted. On one hand, I acknowledge folks say it to emphasize that a home’s comfort is moreso rooted in emotional or personal connections rather than specific locations or materials. That’s important to know and feel. On the other hand, I’ve often heard this phrase used to dismiss people’s legitimate housing needs that may be precarious, unmet, or dire. Sometimes we’ve got to  remind ourselves that two things can be true at once. Yes, home is where the heart is and it should also be a residence that all people feel secure in. Financially. Physically. Mentally. 

Unfortunately, this is not the case for many people in our area and communities, especially those who are forced into survival situations. At the point in which the Houston Metro area has an 85% deficit in affordable housing options and more than 10% of Houston renters couldn’t make the previous month’s rent - as highlighted by Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research -  it’s clear that people are being pushed to make daily sacrifices and still struggle to make ends meet. Black and brown individuals also disproportionately face these issues at the height of their severity, too. According to the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston & Harris County’s Point-in-Time survey, on a given night in 2023, Black individuals made up over half (55%) of the metro area’s homeless population despite only making up 20% of the general population across Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery Counties. It isn’t supposed to be like this and it doesn’t have to be. 

We at Pure Justice recognize April as National Fair Housing Month to commemorate the passing of the Fair Housing Act (FHA), a historic piece of legislation signed into law in April 1968 that formally outlawed housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, disability, national origin, sex, and familial status. However, keeping Texas’ utter lack of safe affordable housing options and our members’ lived experiences in mind, we know that oppression is continuing and that folks slip through the cracks every day. We recently came together to confront decision makers with our realities and advocate for changes to make housing truly fair for all Texans. 

To comply with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, Texas housing agencies must conduct a self-evaluation of both policies meant to ensure fair housing and obstacles to equitable housing throughout the state. This report, Texas’ Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, provides recommendations and guidance about tackling housing inequities to crucial state actors. The state’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), Department of Agriculture (TDA), Department of State Health Services (DSHS), and the General Land Office (GLO) are all informed by this document for the next 5 years. From public housing developments to hurricane disaster relief, this analysis evaluates many of the most pressing services affecting those living on the margins. Its intended purpose is to ask “What barriers to fair housing are people experiencing in Texas?” They asked over the course of four hundred and eighty four pages, and through collective action, we answered. 

A draft of the 2024 Analysis of Impediments (AI) was subject to a public comment period from its release on April 3rd until May 3rd, 2024. As is sometimes the case with governmental planning documents, individuals could read the draft and submit comments with feedback about the AI’s content. The state agencies must read all comments and include a summary of them in the final strategic report – it isn’t like shouting into a void. 

After a couple of information and writing sessions held by Texas Housers about the matter and way, way more than a couple hours reading through the draft AI, I developed materials for Pure Justice’s own event about. Whether it comes to deciphering a sprawling document or just talking about our shared housing struggles, there’s strength in numbers and compassion in community. So, on May 1st, 2024, we hosted our Fair Housing Public Comment Workshop where I had the opportunity to relay the AI’s content, we brainstormed equitable housing solutions and took time to put our concerns down on paper. Not only did we work together to produce a collective Pure Justice Comment that called out housing agencies’ failures to affirm fair housing for those with criminal records, mitigate evictions, and create safe senior housing, but we also gained a better understanding through listening and learning. Two things are true at once again, see?

On Friday, May 3rd, we successfully submitted our 25 page group comment! I’m personally very eager to see what administrators say to our thoughtful recommendations about institutionalizing tenants’ rights and developing actual enforcement tools to ensure property owners follow federal rules. Or maybe they’ll have more to say about our document’s evidence of TDHCA’s substandard building contracts or mention of the GLO’s ineffective and discriminatory hurricane aid disbursement. We’ll have to wait several weeks to see, and I’ll keep everyone updated as we hear more. In the meantime, we’ve got to continue holding space for multiple truths. Yes, it’s true that home is where the heart is, and it’s true that Pure Justice is committed to making sure all hearts can come home. 

You can check out our final collective Pure Justice comment here, access our workshop guide here, and view a pdf version of our comment review one-pager by clicking here. 

You can also read the 2024 Draft AI by clicking here, too. 

By. Salena Braye-Bulls

Special thanks to Sasha, Joy, Julia, Ben, Sydney, Mr. Holley, Ms. Fontenot, Ms. Wyatt, Georgia, Alex and my dear mother. 

Citations: 

1. Kent, Roy. “National report: Houston metro is second-worst for providing affordable housing options.” Urban Edge. Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Mar. 19, 2024.https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/report-houston-second-worst-affordable-housing-options
2. Villareal, Catherine. “Press Release: Coalition for the Homeless' 2023 Count Results Show Decrease in Unsheltered Homelessness.” The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston & Harris County. May 3, 2023. https://www.homelesshouston.org/2023-pit-results

Image: (https://pixabay.com/photos/real-estate-homeownership-homebuying-6688945/)