Unconventional Journalist9 Apr 2025

Breaking Cycles: Holding the Affordable Housing System Accountable

The systemic nature of affordable housing is such that developers get tax breaks and little to no accountability for when their tenants live in terrible housing conditions. Even submitting a complaint to hold landlords accountable for unlivable housing conditions is completely opaque and difficult to navigate.

The first part of this series kicked off with Faye, a tenant navigating housing after Hurricane Beryl her role in the tenant movement, ⁠listen here⁠.

Then Julia, southeast regional director at Texas Housers, educated us on what happens to renters after a climate disaster, ⁠listen here⁠.

To wrap it up, Sidney, a research analyst with Texas Housers, educates us on the systemic nature of affordable housing and how the accountability process is not accessible to tenants or the working class.

Out of the interview came these resources if you need them:

The state housing agency's ⁠Vacancy Clearinghouse⁠ can be used to search for tax credit properties or identify if your property is a tax credit property
The Harris County Appraisal District's parcel viewer can be used to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠find your property and the name of the owner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (you can also see if your property has a tax exemption — the "Valuation" section will show $0)
The ⁠complaint process⁠ for the state housing agency (TDHCA) for properties funded with tax credits (LIHTC)
You can find additional information about ⁠upcoming state housing agency events ⁠and ⁠additional details on board meetings ⁠

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