Housing

Partnership with Houston Housing Authority offers an opportunity to rethink ‘opportunity’

In late 2023, the Houston Housing Authority received a $5 million federal grant to help move some of its families to so-called “opportunity neighborhoods,” areas with low poverty, high-quality schools and other amenities.

How a Houston Yellow Cab brownfield became a green light for affordable housing in Near Northside

Before ride-hailing services like Lyft and Uber emerged in Houston, outposts like the Yellow Cab headquarters, just north of downtown, dispatched taxis to people in need of quick transportation.

Houston’s new homes: Smaller, more expensive and farther away

In 2023, Harris County saw a record number of new homes sold — nearly 10,000 — highlighting the region’s growing housing supply amid a broader affordability crisis.

Kinder Institute Luncheon 2024

The 2024 Kinder Institute Luncheon will honor Dr. Marc. L. Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist. Findings from the 43rd Kinder Houston Area Survey will also be shared.

Doing the math: What it would cost to close Houston’s low-income housing gap

America’s housing shortage and housing costs have emerged as talking points in the race for the White House, with Vice President Kamala Harris addressing these problems in her opening remarks during the presidential debate with Donald Trump in September. Fixing them, however, will require federal, state and local action — and, of course, a lot of money.

Neighborhood Opportunity Mapping

Researchers assisted the Houston Housing Authority in data collection and analysis to identify opportunity neighborhoods (areas with high-performing schools, low crime rates, access to jobs, and other characteristics).

Repairing a Houston home can lift a neighborhood, but help is needed amid limited funds

Regardless of natural disasters, homes fall into needing repair — be it because of the age of a dwelling, ability of its residents to perform maintenance, or even disuse. According to a Kinder Institute for Urban Research report, 60% of residents in the Houston area have needed a home repair in the past year.

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.

Houston’s rising homeowner insurance rates aren’t helping a widening affordability gap

Homeowners looking for a break from rising costs will probably not get any as recent disasters are pushing insurance rates higher.

Housing Repair Needs Reported by Residents of Houston and Harris County

The Kinder Institute surveyed Houston and Harris County residents in targeted neighborhoods about the condition of their homes and neighborhoods.

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.

Mobility, Opportunity Neighborhoods, and Family Impacts

This study, conducted in collaboration with the Houston Housing Authority, explores families' experiences with housing voucher programs, including HHA's new mobility program.

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.

Webinar: 2024 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston

This webinar will focus on findings from the 2024 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report. A panel discussion with local experts will follow. 

The 2024 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston

The 2024 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report explores the implications of increasing homeownership costs in the region.