Houston's New Mayor, John Whitmire, On Affordable Housing
On January 1, 2024, John Whitmire assumed office as Houston's newly inaugurated mayor. Reflecting on Whitmire's insights on affordable housing during our Mayoral Forum on September 9, 2023, we hope to witness transformative changes in the year ahead. As we embark on this new chapter, the community eagerly awaits the positive impact and initiatives Mayor Whitmire will bring to address the crucial issue of affordable housing in Houston.
See below, Whitmire’s response to important questions on affordable housing:
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Since its formation in 2016, the Houston Housing Collaborative has advocated for creation and implementation of a comprehensive housing plan for Houston. This would enable our city to plan strategically for long-term housing needs, consider options to help finance affordable housing, and promote inclusive and sustainable communities. Each of the nation’s cities larger than Houston have comprehensive housing plans. In addition, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio have adopted comprehensive housing plans including offering financial tools for development.
Would you support creating a housing plan for the City of Houston during your first term to address long-term housing issues?
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I’m deeply concerned by the increasing cost of housing in our city. Houston has thrived historically because of our affordability - working people move to Houston because they know the American dream is still possible here.
Today, Houston has the highest housing cost burden in the Gulf Coast region, with residents spending nearly 40% of their income on housing every month. That means fewer dollars every month for childcare, for gas and groceries, for savings, and for money to enjoy life in our communities.
I strongly believe that a comprehensive housing plan to address this growing crisis is essential. This plan should bring all stakeholders to the table - builders and developers, bankers and financiers, public and private leaders, and officials - but also renters and homeowners and the workers who build our homes.
This is a complex problem, and one that requires all our collective efforts to solve. But plans aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on if they don’t have buy-in. If we’re going to tackle this together, we need to create a plan that we’re all committed to.
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Housing preservation is overlooked in Houston. Rebuilding Together Houston estimates over 57,000 low-income homeowners in the City of Houston need home repairs. Many of the older homes in Third Ward need significant repairs. We see many seniors and families living in homes that are hazardous to their health, including some living in homes that will not protect them in the next hurricane or major flood.
What would you do to prioritize neighborhood protection as a means to improve overall quality of life in our city?
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One of the biggest challenges we have in city government is balancing affordability and neighborhood character. I believe that our Housing and Community Development Department must implement a vision of neighborhood protection that respects and protects our communities while also encouraging building for the future.
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Would you be willing to direct more City budget dollars to the preservation of existing housing?
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I’m deeply concerned by the increasing cost of housing in our city. Houston has thrived historically because of our affordability - working people move to Houston because they know the American dream is still possible here.
Today, Houston has the highest housing cost burden in the Gulf Coast region, with residents spending nearly 40% of their income on housing every month. That means fewer dollars every month for childcare, for gas and groceries, for savings, and for money to enjoy life in our communities.
I strongly believe that a comprehensive housing plan to address this growing crisis is essential. This plan should bring all stakeholders to the table - builders and developers, bankers and financiers, public and private leaders, and officials - but also renters and homeowners and the workers who build our homes.
This is a complex problem, and one that requires all our collective efforts to solve. But plans aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on if they don’t have buy-in. If we’re going to tackle this together, we need to create a plan that we’re all committed to.
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Houston has been the second highest evicting city in the nation since 2020. Also, many of Houston’s landlords are individual owners of a few houses and are not large or corporate property owners.
To help tenants stay in their homes, do you support providing funding for legal assistance to households facing eviction?
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Over the past three years, Houston has seen some of the highest rates of eviction filings nationwide. Tens of thousands of working families were at risk of losing their homes. But thanks to President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act, Houston and Harris County were able to partner to launch one an effective rental assistance and legal aid programs in the county, which helped over 80,000 families stay in their homes during the pandemic.
Now that federal COVID stimulus funding has ended, we need to look to the future. Rising costs continue to put pressure on renters, leading many to end up in our courts facing eviction. I believe that we must expand legal assistance for renters who can’t afford representation. This is not just good for renters, but also for Houston’s taxpayers - many cities that have introduced legal aid programs have seen overall savings, with fewer residents using expensive social services.
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How will you balance the interests of tenants with those of small property owners who often do not have the resources to evict bad tenants?
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As a Senator, I’ve spoken with small property owners who deal with challenging tenants, and as an attorney, I’m very aware of how difficult the legal process can sometimes be to navigate.
I believe by bringing everyone to the table––including housing and legal professionals, and renters and property owners––a legal assistance policy that strikes a fair balance for all stakeholders, protecting access to justice for both small property owners and low-income renters, can be found.
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Valuable Houston housing programs that promote affordable housing such as the Houston Community Land Trust and the Houston Land Bank have been in jeopardy of city funding cuts recently.
Do you support these housing tools and resources?
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We must use all of the tools available to us to expand access to homeownership. As Mayor, I intend to review our affordable housing toolkit in depth and assess the value and effectiveness of each current program.
I strongly support the goals of the Houston Community Land Trust and Houston Land Bank to expand opportunities for Houston families in often neglected neighborhoods to purchase homes, particularly in communities that have historically experienced discrimination.
As mayor, I intend to take on historical injustices and expand opportunity to every neighborhood in Houston - we can’t do that without supporting efforts that get at root causes driving housing costs up and preventing many from purchasing homes.
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If so, how would you ensure support for these resources until they can become self-sustaining?
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I strongly believe that we should never start anything we don’t intend to finish. And that requires real planning and coordination among stakeholders, both local, state, and federal. We must have a comprehensive housing plan with real buy in from those stakeholders to expand access to affordable housing sustainably.
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Affordable multi-family developments have been proposed in certain Houston areas where they faced backlash. Sometimes this results from lack of outreach by developers, but it may be a result of misguided notions from community residents about affordable housing that leads to NIMBY(Not in My Backyard) responses. These locations may offer residents access to better schools and other opportunities than where they had lived, which can improve their overall quality of life.
How would your administration work with affordable housing developers and the communities?
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Affordable housing development is incredibly challenging and requires a deep partnership between stakeholders to meet the needs of the community. The city must commit real resources and political capital to ensure that the pace of development meets the needs of all Houstonians. In order to do that, though, developers must also do the work to ensure the community has real input on new projects.
Houstonians have come together plenty of times before to find a middle ground - I believe that’s always the best way to address the crises we face.
