How to know if you’re spending too much on housing in Texas
We analyzed housing data in hundreds of Texas ZIP codes to create a searchable tool so readers can see how affordable their neighborhood is. Full Story
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![Construction workers build houses in the new Teravista neighborhood in Georgetown on May 18, 2016.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Report says gentrification threatens to displace Austin's low-income residents, communities of color
The city council is slated to discuss a new University of Texas at Austin study that identifies neighborhoods where redevelopment threatens to push out existing residents. Full Story
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![Homes on Garden Street in Austin on Feb. 24, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Nearly 10 percent of Texans displaced by Harvey still haven't gone home, survey says
Meanwhile, 15 percent of homes damaged or destroyed by the storm are still unlivable. Yet FEMA and Texas officials aren't keeping track of how many people remain displaced one year later. Full Story
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![A military helicopter flies over a destroyed house after Hurricane Harvey struck in Rockport, Texas, August 26, 2017.]()
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Debt, loss and faith: How three families are faring a year after Hurricane Harvey
The deadly storm was indiscriminate during its week of destruction. Texans living in the massive disaster area were thrust into a historic housing recovery effort rife with bureaucratic roadblocks, agonizing financial decisions and still-lingering anxieties. Full Story
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![The Eichberger family RV housed Kareen, Jon and two of their sons for nearly a year after their house was flooded by the rains of Tropical Storm Harvey. The RV is parked in the driveway of their damaged home, allowing Kareen and Jon to oversee ongoing repairs.]()
Credit: Stephanie Kuzydym for The Texas Tribune -
Austin officials backing away from controversial rewrite of land-use regulations
Amid a fierce battle over the city's attempts to improve traffic and combat housing unaffordability, Austin leaders are looking to drop CodeNEXT and start a new process. Full Story
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![Construction in downtown Austin's warehouse district on Tuesday, May 2, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Six figures for six feet: Some Harvey victims in Houston spend huge sums to elevate their homes
Across Houston, thousands of people are receiving letters saying their homes are so damaged that they must elevate them to meet current floodplain regulations. But the cost is out of reach for many families. Full Story
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![Dave Schwartz and Marni Axelrad at their home in Houston on Feb. 23, 2018. The house is being repaired and elevated due to significant damage from Hurricane Harvey, but Schwartz and Axelrad hope to move back in sometime in March.]()
Credit: Loren Elliott for The Texas Tribune -
Harvey victims say FEMA hotel program plagued by confusion
Two Texans displaced by Harvey who say they were kicked off the hotel assistance program are confused by FEMA's explanation — or lack of one. Full Story
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![Anita Miranda in her family's flood-damaged house in Houston, where they are living without power, running water or heat after Miranda said FEMA cut them off from its hotel assistance program for Hurricane Harvey victims.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Harvey was three months ago. These displaced families are still in limbo
Two families displaced by Harvey say they're not close to having their lives back to normal. Tens of thousands of others are also facing a long recovery before their biggest need — a permanent place to live — is settled. Full Story
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![Maria Keene in her home in Houston on Thursday, October 26, 2017. The home where Keene lived for 18 years was damaged by Harvey, forcing her to move to an apartment where she’s expected to stay for months as her home is rebuilt.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas county official after Harvey: The "Red Cross was not there"
According to emails obtained by ProPublica, officials in several counties were extremely critical of the Red Cross' response to Hurricane Harvey, saying the organization communicated poorly and didn't bring in supplies as expected. Full Story
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![A Red Cross volunteer looks over the railing in a shelter where rows of cots have been set up for those seeking refuge from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 26, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Can a web tool help Texans assess flood risk? A professor thinks so.
A university professor who studies natural hazards launched a flooding risk assessment tool for homes in Harris and Galveston counties. But after Hurricane Harvey, flooding risks are even harder to determine. Full Story
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![Samuel D. Brody, a Texas A&M-Galveston professor, researches what causes floods and how communities can help prevent them.]()
Credit: Texas A&M University at Galveston -
Houston housing officials draw ire for evicting elderly residents
Public housing leaders say a high-rise along Buffalo Bayou is unsafe because of flooding from Hurricane Harvey. But folks who live in 2100 Memorial say officials have mishandled the situation. Full Story
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![Sheila Anderson criticizes Houston Housing Authority officials on Sept. 21, 2017, after the entity issued eviction notices to elderly residents in a building flooded by Hurricane Harvey's rains.]()
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Despite "Texas miracle," affordable housing difficult for many urban dwellers
A new Harvard study found that Americans — especially poorer ones — are having a harder time find a suitable place to call home. Texas lawmakers, experts and development industry leaders say there are plenty of reasons why that's true here, too. Full Story
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![A home in West Dallas sits just a few blocks from where new developments are being built. The new construction is driving up the cost and property taxes of nearby homes. A new report from Harvard University says Americans in cities across the U.S. are having a harder time finding affordable places to rent or buy.]()
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Trump confidant cashed in on Texas housing crisis
When the housing market crashed, Tom Barrack was ready. He built a company that bought more than 30,000 homes across the country — including nearly 5,000 in Texas — and converted them to rentals. Full Story
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![Tom Barrack speaks at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 21, 2016.]()
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Short-term rental measure likely dead after conference committee action
A conference committee Saturday voted to strip an amendment that would have blocked cities from regulating short-term rentals like Airbnb, all but killing the measure with less than two days left in the legislative session. Full Story
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![State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, chairman of the Business & Commerce Committee, at a hearing on March 9, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate approves bill curbing regulation of short-term home rentals
Under Senate Bill 451 by state Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, Texas cities would be prevented from banning short-term rentals and their ability to write ordinances restricting the practice would be narrowed. Full Story
![State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, chairman of the Business & Commerce Committee, at a hearing on March 9, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Austin group aims to reframe debates around city's development
Evolve Austin, a nonprofit that advocates for denser development and more affordable housing, is aligning with some high-profile real estate and business groups to push for changes to how Austin regulates land use. Full Story
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Texas proposal would keep cities from restricting short-term home rentals
Senate Bill 451 would prevent Texas cities from banning or restricting short-term home rentals. Austin, San Antonio and Fort Worth are among the cities that have enacted such restrictions. Full Story
![Homes on Garden Street in Austin on Feb. 24, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Texas dispute with feds leaves coastal community in housing limbo
More than a year after Texas and the federal government settled a civil rights complaint from residents of the Corpus Christi neighborhood of Hillcrest, both sides are at an impasse, potentially leaving hundreds in the lurch. Full Story
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![A refinery at the end of a residential street in Corpus Christi's Hillcrest neighborhood on January 24, 2017.]()
Credit: Eddie Seal for The Texas Tribune -
Dallas-Area Lawmakers Question Housing Department
Dallas-area lawmakers came before the board of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs on Tuesday, warning members against granting tax credits to low-income housing developers who haven’t met all of the state’s requirements. Full Story
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![State Rep. Rafael Anchia (D-103) speaks with reporter on House floor. February 8th,2011]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
After Rocky Start, Texas' Weatherization Program Thrives
Despite the disdain of Texas' Republican leadership, the state's component of the Obama administration's Weatherization Assistance Program has been quite successful — surpassing its goal of weatherizing more than 38,000 homes. Full Story
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![Contractors hired by Austin Energy weatherize a South Austin home with funding from the federal stimulus program.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman