Former Houston Mayor Passes on Tips to Cities that Want to Follow in Her Footsteps
In 2020, 40% of Houstonian households struggled to make rent and mortgage payments. Nearly 5 million people in the city were at risk of becoming newly homeless, in addition to those who already were. While income inequality was rising throughout the city, housing costs remained roughly the same for the richest as they were for the poorest. Something had to give.
This time, the city gave . Organizations worked together with a focus on providing permanent housing first. The city used its Covid relief funds not for temporary tiny house villages or hotel rooms but to pay rent on regular apartments housing formerly homeless people. It worked, and it’s still working .
Seeing their success, other cities are now interested in replicating the Houston model. Spokane, Washington, recently invited former Houston Mayor Annise Parker to give a talk to city and county leaders to point them in the right direction. This was the latest attempt Spokane officials have made to attempt to copy what Houston has done, but not the first. Two years ago, several community leaders traveled to Houston to try and learn from its successes.