More options in career and technical education can bolster Houston’s workforce
School districts throughout the Houston area offer students a plethora of career and technical education (CTE) programs, but a lack of alignment between such initiatives and the living-wage job market can significantly impact career trajectories and future earnings.
Research shows benefits of guaranteed income as launch of Harris County pilot program nears
With applications for the new local guaranteed income program Uplift Harris now closed, the pilot is preparing to launch.
Seeking Solutions: Connect Community bolsters success of new immigrants in southwest Houston
Since its founding in 2016, Connect Community and its partners have put $126 million toward community development and holistic revitalization in the Gulfton and Sharpstown neighborhoods in southwest Houston.
Homeless coalition’s new CEO: Diversion, prevention key to reducing Houston’s unhoused population
With nearly 25 years of experience at social service agencies in Houston, Kelly Young is no stranger to the needs of the most vulnerable people in our area.
Seeking solutions: Pro-Vision Inc. strives to end intergenerational poverty in Houston’s Sunnyside
After nine years in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, cornerback Roynell Young determined his playing days were over at the end of the 1988-89 season.
With eviction rates high in Houston, tenants face a legal representation vacuum
The burden that the COVID-19 pandemic placed on renters helped lead to the founding of the Eviction Defense Coalition in March 2020. The member institutions, which operate in Harris County and Houston, continue to work in partnership while also arriving at similar but separate conclusions about the state of evictions in Houston.
The Houston Independent School District bolstered its wraparound services with the opening of seven Sunrise Centers, which assist with a variety of noninstructional needs, including after-school care, clothing, enrichment activities, food, health care, school supplies and other resources.
After 40 years of encouraging play, SPARK wants to eliminate Houston’s park deserts
In 1983, Houston’s Green Ribbon Commission reported that the city needed an additional 5,000 acres of greenspace to compete with the parks and recreation facilities in other U.S. cities. To meet this challenge, the report suggested creating community parks on public school grounds, which led to the SPARK School Park Program.
Census director Santos emphasizes community engagement as key to an inclusive count
Seeking unique perspectives and insights can equip the U.S. Census Bureau to reach historically undercounted populations, Director Robert L. Santos said at the Kinder Institute Forum on Wednesday at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
When students change schools, how often is the cost of housing to blame?
Tens of thousands of students in the Houston area change schools during the school year or over the summer, which poses a variety of problems for academic achievement, according to the Kinder Institute’s Houston Education Research Consortium. In some cases, students are not moving schools for academic reasons, but because of housing needs — their families are facing eviction or in search of more affordable rent.
Urban farmers seeking healthier communities in Houston’s East End and beyond
Finca Tres Robles, an urban farm in Houston’s East End established by the Small Places organization in 2014, is in a state of transition. It initially combined agriculture, community engagement and sustainability. As it moves into its second iteration, it will continue that work with hopes of expanding its reach.
National report highlights the roles of education and research in undoing the cycle of poverty
Over 1 in 3 children born around 1980 in the U.S. who grew up in households with incomes near or below the poverty line remained in low-income households when they were in their 30s. This is intergenerational poverty, and it carries profound impacts on the ability of individuals, families and communities to prosper.
Former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett reflects on Hurricane Ike 15 years later
Hurricane Ike made landfall on Galveston in the early hours of Sept. 13, 2008, as a Category 2 storm with 110 mph winds. It produced a catastrophic storm surge throughout Galveston County, especially the Bolivar Peninsula and in Chambers County. While Houston was mostly spared from flooding, about 100,000 structures in Harris County were damaged by wind, according to the Harris County Flood Control District. Over 2 million CenterPoint customers lost power, with some areas going several weeks until electricity was restored. The widespread outages marked the first time a curfew was issued by the city of Houston.
Ending chronic homelessness remains a ‘moonshot’ opportunity for Houston
A number of public policy solutions could help Houston make further strides to reduce homelessness, but experts say what is truly needed is a recommitment from local leaders — and additional resources — to bring an end to chronic homelessness.
Third Ward EV shuttle offers a way to close the first-and-last-mile gap in transit
Third Ward residents have recently gained increased access to grocery stores, health care, public transit and other necessities, thanks to an electric vehicle shuttle service that transports residents at no cost. It is part of a 12-week pilot program that could help close a critical transportation gap in Houston communities facing transit disadvantages and low vehicle ownership.
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