Harris County residents miss out on nearly $1 billion in unclaimed government assistance every year, according to an estimate by Connective, a Houston-based nonprofit that is trying to address the problem even as federal efforts could erode these resources.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s most significant anti-hunger program, could soon see a $230 billion funding reduction if current federal priorities move forward. This move could impact millions of Texans, including hundreds of thousands of Houston-area families.
This snapshot explores Houston-area residents' self-reported financial knowledge, use of banks and use of more modern financial technology applications.
In an April 2014 Houstonia Magazine article, “Where to Live Now: The 25 Hottest Neighborhoods of 2014,” the authors claimed that gentrification had “leapt beyond the Heights and into Lindale Park and Brooke Smith,” which meant that “Northside Village” was the “the next play for urban pioneers.”
Over 725,000 households in the Houston area earn an income above the federal poverty line but cannot cover the rising cost of all of their essential needs, such as housing, health care and food, according to data compiled by United Way.
Extreme weather, the shortage of affordable housing and the benefits of prekindergarten were of greatest interest to Urban Edge readers this year, especially as they pertain to the Houston region.
Harris County is continuing to grow, but not at the rate of neighboring counties, a trend established more than a decade ago that has more recently emerged among other big counties statewide.
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.
According to a report by First Street Foundation, 9% of census blocks in Harris County are listed as “climate abandonment areas,” where people are moving out due at least partially to climate change-related flood risk and not being replaced by incoming homebuyers.
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.
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.
After three years of researching, planning and implementing a commitment to its children, the city of Houston is the first in the U.S. to be recognized as a UNICEF Child Friendly City. With this milestone and the acknowledgement of children’s needs and voices, Houston is actively investing in its future — and it is an investment all cities should undertake.
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.
A new report from the Kinder Institute for Urban Research makes clear that Houston’s city parks are woefully underfunded. Of the 13 U.S. cities with populations over 1 million, Houston ranks last in city spending for its parks department.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency this month began designating certain communities at high risk for natural disasters as “disaster resilience zones,” and Harris County — with 14 — has more than any other county in the United States.