A Little Louder

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Episode 19: Disaster recovery is leaving out renters Nov 08, 2019

Show notes

When a disaster hits, flooding and fires might not discriminate, but the systems and funding intended to rebuild our communities do, and in fact the plans public officials put in place often create worse versions of the policies and practices that happen all the time that put people of color and people with few resources at a disadvantage. Texas Housers researcher Amelia Adams discusses patterns that put renters at a disadvantage in hurricane recovery compared with homeowners. We also talk to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid attorney Rachel Zummo about a lawsuit filed by TRLA on behalf of renters who describe the inequitable system of recovery a fair housing issue. With many of the renters unable to recover being people of color, legal aid and the plaintiffs are calling on the state to directly address this inequality. We also talk to plaintiff Brenda Jones from Aransas Pass about her experience after Hurricane Harvey.

Transcript of Episode 19

Episode 18: The Power of Renters Oct 11, 2019

Show notes

More than one-third of households in Texas are renters, and in Austin, more than half of residents rent their homes. With those kinds of numbers, it's a wonder why the Texas Legislature has failed to strengthen tenant protections. As a result, too many Texans live in dangerous apartments that some landlords have failed to maintain or repair. A shortage of affordable housing leaves tenants to endure poor living conditions, and worse, too many Texans face eviction and displacement because of a lack of housing protection. For episode 18, Texas Housers talked to tenants in Austin who are demanding that landlords, city officials, and fellow Texans pay attention to the power of renters and support a movement that centers human dignity in all housing. Interviews with Austin tenants include Divina, Jeff and Jeanne. Additional interviews include Austin City Council Member Greg Casar and BASTA project director Shoshana Krieger.

Transcript of Episode 18

Episode 17: When Highways Threaten Our Legacy Sep 27, 2019

Show notes

In 1915, Independence Heights was the first town incorporated by African Americans in the state of Texas. For more than a decade, it was a self-sufficient town that could control its own destiny. When the City of Houston annexed the town in 1929, so began the threat of erasure of the historic neighborhood. Over the decades, Independence Heights was cut off from the rest of Houston by highways, which both segregated the area and destroyed some of its footprint. Today, another threat is imminent. TxDOT is proposing an expansion to Interstate 45. But Independence Heights will not stand for its value, legacy, and residents to be overlooked yet again. Texas Housers interviewed Tanya Debose, executive director of the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council, and the neighborhoods attorney Amy Dinn, Managing Attorney on the Environmental Justice Team at Lone Star Legal Aid, and historians Aimee VonBokel at Lone Star Legal Aid and Kyle Shelton of the Kinder Institute.

Read the complaint by Lone Star Legal Aid: https://lonestarlegal.blog/2019/06/07/txdots-historical-resources-report-omits-houstons-independence-heights/

Transcript of Episode 17

Episode 16: The House of Cards America Built Sep 13, 2019

Show notes

When the U.S. government designed postwar housing policy and subsidized massive developments and suburbs, it created a strong middle class. The American dream became synonymous with homeownership. But the U.S. government deliberately left out Black Americans, systematizing racist ideals into U.S. housing policy that has left too many people behind. Giorgio Angelini, director of the film Owned: A Tale of Two Americas, explores these themes and how the commodification of housing has distorted communities and the American ideals of opportunity and integration. Texas Housers sat down for an interview with Angelini after his film screening in Austin, Texas. Check out Owned here.

Transcript of Episode 16

Episode 15: Sonido del Agua Part 2 Aug 30, 2019

Show notes

If you want to change law and policy, you have to change people's minds. And to change people's minds, you have to change how they feel. Arts and music can evoke, inspire, and move people to action in ways that even the best lectures, policy briefs, and compelling facts and statistics can't. Episode 15 is about how a community came together to write and produce a conjunto music album called Sonido del Agua, rooted in their experiences with deluge, drainage, and fighting to get the infrastructure to protect them from the next flood. Find the full album here: https://soundcloud.com/bcworkshop

Transcript of Episode 15

Episode 14: Sonido del Agua Part I Aug 17, 2019

Show notes

This is a story about drainage infrastructure in the Rio Grande Valley. But really, it's about injustice, inequality, and a community's fight to get what they deserve: protection from dangerous flooding. Episode 14 of A Little Louder takes a deep dive into the multi-year drainage campaign that improved infrastructure for multiple colonias in the Rio Grande Valley. Texas Housers interviews community leaders Alberta Ramirez and Ana Maria Gonzalez, former Texas Houser Josué Ramirez, and LUPE organizing coordinator Martha Sanchez.

Transcript of Episode 14

Episode 13: Where do the 2020 presidential candidates stand on housing? Jun 28, 2019

Show notes

More than two dozen people have put their hat in the ring and declared their candidacy for the presidency. With so many candidates, there's a spectrum of domestic and international policy proposals. On this podcast, we take a look at what each candidate has said about their stances on affordable housing, homeownership, tenant protections, fair housing and addressing homelessness. (Note: This is our last episode of season 1 of A Little Louder)

Transcript for Episode 13

Episode 12: Juneteenth and Texas Freedom Colonies Jun 14, 2019

Show notes

Juneteenth is soon approaching in a few days, and in honor of the holiday, we spoke about the preservation of Black neighborhoods which date back more than a century ago.

Joining us on Episode 12 is Dr. Andrea Roberts of the Texas Freedom Colonies Project. She spoke with us about the often missed distinction between freedman's towns and freedom colonies, the history of these neighborhoods, what needs to be done to ensure they thrive, and much more.

To learn more in person about Texas Freedom Colonies, you can attend the “Aya” Symposium featuring a special training session, “Education – THE Foundation for Civil Rights in Texas Freedom Colonies” on June 19 at Prairie View A&M University, or you can visit the Texas Purple Hull Pea Festival in Shankleville, TX, a historic freedom colony, on June 29. http://shankleville.org/txphpfest/

Transcript of Episode 12

Episode 11: The Roundabout Way We Subsidize Affordable Housing May 31, 2019

Show notes

The Low Income Housing Tax Credit program is helping to produce most of the new affordable housing in our country. But why is the IRS involved with creating affordable housing? And who gets left behind when this housing subsidy is not targeting the lowest-income people? In episode 11, John and Christina talk to Texas Housers analyst J.T. Harechmak about how tax credits work and the implications of a program often driven by business interests.

Links to articles discussed: It's Nimby Time...Again by Texas Housers

Program to Spur Low-Income Housing Keeps Cities Segregated by the New York Times

Transcript for Episode 11

Episode 10: Inside HUD's plan that may threaten mixed-status families May 17, 2019

Show notes

In episode 10, Texas Housers breaks down HUD's new proposed rule to evict families from subsidized housing if a member of the family is an immigrant without legal status. Christina and John interview Mike Gerber and Michael Roth of the Housing Authority of the City of Austin about how the rule could affect their operations, and Elizabeth Almanza of American Gateways who explains how this proposal could have a chilling effect on immigrant communities.

Transcript of Episode 10

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