John Brannen

A Houston initiative helped 2,000 people of color become homeowners — but there’s more work to do

After renting for the majority of her adult life, Tonia Macklin recently became a homeowner for the first time. The native of southeast Houston achieved this goal with the assistance of the Harris County Homeownership Collaborative’s Own the HOU initiative, a multiorganization effort that seeks to bridge the homeownership gap for people of color.

How Houston is trying to make philanthropy work smarter in disaster recovery

A national report last year by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy indicated an imbalance between how philanthropic disaster funds are spent.

Master-planned community in northeast Houston puts affordable housing within reach

Last year, Nura Jemal, her husband and two sons lived in a two-bedroom apartment in southwest Houston. But with a third son on the way, they began to reconsider their living arrangement.

How Houston, the world’s energy capital, is embracing the transition to cleaner sources

Eighty-seven percent of all respondents in the 43rd Kinder Houston Area Survey felt that Houston should take a leading role in forging a new energy future.

Beryl, derecho, power outages amplify Houstonians’ concerns about climate, resilience

Climate change and its impacts weighed heavily on the minds of residents in the 43rd Kinder Houston Area Survey. Those concerns have been repeatedly validated in recent months.

Why Houston’s progress on homelessness is in jeopardy

Homelessness is an ongoing challenge for the Greater Houston area, but one it handles better than most of its peers. That may soon change if new sources of funding are not secured by 2025.

Q&A: Protecting Houston’s prosperity from disasters requires quick coordination — and cash

The Houston area is no stranger to natural disasters, but the May 16 derecho was an uncharacteristic weather event for the region.

How can Houstonians keep up — and keep their jobs — in the rapidly evolving AI landscape?

About 6 out of 10 residents expect the rise of artificial intelligence to have a major impact on Houston’s workforce in the near future, according to the 43rd Kinder Houston Area Survey.

How the Kinder Institute and United Way are helping Houston nonprofits put their data to work

Houston-area nonprofit organizations need help in collecting and using data, according to the results of a 2022 survey of more than 100 groups. Many nonprofits collect substantial amounts of data, and were seeking guidance on how to use that information to better understand their programs, services and clients.

Houston area led nation in issuing building permits for housing in 2023

Preliminary data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau indicated that the Houston metropolitan statistical area led the nation in building permit activity for housing in 2023, with 50,444 single-family homes making up the majority of the 68,755 permits issued for residential units.

From battling pandemics to serving the uninsured, why Houston’s health care leadership is more important than ever before

Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, helped lead Houston through the COVID-19 pandemic by prioritizing the public’s accessibility to the COVID-19 vaccine, and he was the first hospital system CEO to introduce an employee COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Guidance counselors could help close gender gap in Texas high school STEM participation

In the labor force and in postsecondary education, women lag behind their male counterparts when it comes to careers and interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Leading education scholar points to research-practice partnerships as a remedy to inequality

With a broad mission of supporting research to improve the lives of young people, William T. Grant Foundation President Adam Gamoran understands his organization has a distinctive niche.

Mayors express uncertainty about inflation bill’s climate change efforts in national survey

When the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law on Aug. 16, 2022, the White House referred to it as “the most significant action Congress has taken on clean energy and climate change in the nation’s history.” But the majority of mayors said its impact has been marginal in a report conducted by the Boston University Initiative on Cities.

Tall building council looks upward to support a more walkable, sustainable Houston

In the 2023 Kinder Houston Area Survey, about 60% of respondents expressed a desire to live in a mixed-use development instead of a single-family home.