Families, women, and the working poor are at risk — Houston housing experts warn

Houston women — mothers, caregivers, renters, homeowners, nurses, teachers — are holding entire households together in a housing market that keeps rising while paychecks don’t. And at an October 28 briefing, experts made it clear: the crisis is real, and the clock is ticking.

“Rent increased 9% in one year,” said Caroline Cheong of the Kinder Institute. That means more families spending over half their income just to keep a roof overhead. And homeownership? “The affordability gap… increased to about $130,000.” For many women — especially Black and Latina women already battling income inequality — that gap might as well be a wall.

Harris County is trying to build ladders. “We have invested $124 million” to help families stay housed, said county housing leader Nancy Rojas. From repairing aging homes to building affordable townhomes, the goal is stability, not displacement — and protecting generational wealth.

But for women on the edge — especially those fleeing violence, caregiving grandparents, and working single moms — housing isn’t just an economic issue. It’s a survival issue.

That’s especially true for women who fall into homelessness due to sickness or crisis.

“Homelessness is not caused by one thing,” said Carlie Brown. “Health instability can cause housing instability — and housing instability can cause health instability.”

And when systems fail, the consequences are brutal. “We routinely see people discharged in hospital gowns… directly onto the street.”

Houston has a blueprint to end homelessness — and it’s working.

“Partners of The Way Home have housed more than 35,000 people,” said Catherine Villarreal. But a federal proposal could strip funding and put 2,300 households back at risk.

For the women holding their families — and communities — together, the question isn’t academic.

Housing is not just policy. It’s protection, dignity, and the difference between rising and falling.

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