A Little Louder

Latest Episodes:

Episode 29: The Trouble With PFCs Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

Hello Housers,

We are back for a new season of A Little Louder!

This week, John and Christina are joined by University of Texas Law professor Heather Way to learn about how Public Facility Corporations (PFCs) can purport themselves as affordable housing, but have been used as a loophole for big tax breaks while leaving low-income renters in the dust. We also discuss a new addition to the Housers family.

Links:
Heather Way's report - Public Facility Corporations and the Section 303.042(f) Tax Break for Apartment Developments

Episode 28: The COVID-19 housing crisis Apr 03, 2020

Show notes

The news cycle under COVID-19 has operated at a breakneck pace. For many, it's been difficult to track what the rules are and what the government is doing to help those who are in need. Thankfully, at least in regard to housing, we can provide a little clarity for those who may need it.

John and Christina are joined on this week's episode of A Little Louder by Shamus Roller, Executive Director of the National Housing Law Project to help sort through what moratoriums on evictions mean and what in that $2 trillion stimulus goes to housing. We are also joined by our community navigator Ericka Bowman, as she tells us what low-income families in Houston and Galveston are experiencing with the coronavirus limiting everyday necessities like transportation, groceries, and work opportunities.

We are still recording remotely, practicing what Christina calls "physical distancing but social connection." Please continue to stay safe, fellow Housers!

You can follow Shamus on Twitter at @ShamusRoller and the National Housing Law Project at @NHLP.

Episode 27: Addressing 'The Gap' for Low-Income Renters Mar 20, 2020

Show notes

John and Christina were joined this week by Andrew Aurand, Vice President for Research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, to discuss their 2020 edition of the Gap Report. This deep study into the shortage for rental units for extremely low-income renters exposes some harsh realities for us here in the Lone Star State, including that Texas is far below the national average in affordable and available homes for extremely low-income renters. Aurand also offered what solutions are needed to help shorten this gap, including exercising local, state, and federal power to help our most vulnerable community members.

Our two panelists exchanged their thoughts on the matter all while social distancing in their respective homes. Stay safe, fellow Housers!

You can follow Andrew on Twitter at @AGAurand and the National Low Income Housing Commission at @NLIHC.

Episode 26: Don't eat the toxic fish Mar 06, 2020

Show notes

For decades, federal, state and local officials knew that the fish in Donna Lake in the Rio Grande Valley carried a dangerous level of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). And for decades, residents in the surrounding community fished in the lake and often ate or sold the fish. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted the lake Superfund status in 1993 after a study found that the fish in the lake were toxic and linked to birth defects in infants. Still little was done until recently, when the EPA and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality began remediation and clean up in January. Texas Housers talks to Josué Ramirez who helped lead a local campaign in the Valley to amplify the voices and concerns of residents and demand action that was long overdue.

Episode 25: A Voice for San Antonio Renters Feb 21, 2020

Show notes

Nearly half of the city of San Antonio's residents are renters. With the cost of housing rising and wages mostly stagnant, too many renters with low incomes are often at risk of enduring shoddy housing conditions or displacement because of a shortage of places they can afford and few legal protections. "We're sometimes at the mercy of the landlord," one tenant said. A city council member has proposed creating a commission of renters to advise the city on tenant issues and housing policy in order to provide a forum for tenants to voice their concerns and be represented in their city's decision-making processes. Texas Housers talks to council member Roberto Treviño, tenant and organizer Kayla Miranda, and Cynthia Merla Spielman, a landlord and founding member of the Tier One Neighborhood Coalition.

Episode 24: Free Our People Feb 07, 2020

Show notes

In Texas, and across the country disability rights activists have demanded, worked for, and won improved transportation services, the right to choose where to live, and access to housing that suits their needs. But there are still many more strides to take toward more inclusive, accessible communities. In episode 24, Texas Housers talks to disability rights advocate and organizer Stephanie Thomas, with ADAPT of Texas. Thomas discusses how the fight for equitable public transportation in Texas led to a greater struggle for civil rights, community inclusion, and decent, accessible housing.

Learn more about ADAPT at http://adaptoftexas.org/ and disability organizing at http://freeourpeople.net/disabilityorganizing101andbeyond/.

Episode 23: The mandate to affirmatively further fair housing Jan 24, 2020

Show notes

In its new proposed rule, HUD is redefining a key provision of the 1968 Fair Housing Act and loosening requirements on local jurisdictions receiving federal grants. This would allow more than 1,200 localities charged with addressing patterns of racial segregation to further entrench the legacy of government-sponsored discrimination. We talk to fair housing expert, civil rights attorney, and former HUD official Betsy Julian about how the mandate to affirmatively further fair housing has historically been ignored and how advocates have risen up to make sure the vision of an integrated, inclusive America is not forgotten.

Episode 22: Creosote in Greater Fifth Ward Jan 10, 2020

Show notes

The Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens areas of Houston are historic Black neighborhoods where families have proudly planted roots for generations. Unfortunately for many community members there, industry also took root nearby and brought toxic creosote with it. Recently, the State of Texas conducted a study and, at last, determined what many in these neighborhoods had long felt was true: a cancer cluster exists in the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens community.

In this episode, we speak with many of the people who have been working to fight for acknowledgment of the health impacts of toxic industry, including Rodrigo Cantú of Lone Star Legal Aid, Sandra Small of Impact 5th Greater Ward, environmental scientist Dr. Jacqueline Smith, and our own research associate in Houston, Sophie Dulberg.

Episode 21: The stink of unequal sewage Dec 09, 2019

Show notes

Housing inequality can often manifest in ways that many do not think of and some take for granted. For example, the simple task of washing your hands or using the restroom are far more complex for low-income families in situations with sewage backups.

On this episode of A Little Louder, we spoke with our advocacy co-director Lauren Loney about the recent consent decree filed by City of Houston, EPA, and the TCEQ addressing Clean Water Act violations in the City’s waste water infrastructure, as well as our own public comments and pushback on the slow walk to environmental justice. Kristen Schlemmer from Bayou City Waterkeeper also joins the podcast to talk about what she's learned with these sewage backups, and the groundswell to address these issues.

Transcription of Episode 21

Episode 20: A Look at RAD Conversion Nov 22, 2019

Show notes

In 2012, Congress authorized some public housing agencies to convert units from their original federally-funded public housing to project-based Section 8 contracts. Since then, more than 100,000 public housing units have been shifted from public control into private control. In Episode 20 of A Little Louder, we talk to a resident about how the long process of RAD conversion at a Fort Worth apartment complex has worked for her and discuss the context of RAD conversion and what the shift from public housing to privatized housing means for our housing safety net. Other interviews include Texas Housers Northwest Texas co-director Caleb Roberts and Legal Aid of Northwest Texas paralegal Guillermo Gomez.

Transcript of Episode 20

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