Houston is often cited as a national success story for reducing homelessness, having cut the number of people living without shelter by more than 60 percent since 2011. But housing leaders say the city’s ongoing challenge is not just getting people housed, but making sure they can stay there.
By: Nathaniel Greene, Community & Culture Reporter
Houston is often cited as a national success story for reducing homelessness, having cut the number of people living without shelter by more than 60 percent since 2011. But housing leaders say the city’s ongoing challenge is not just getting people housed, but making sure they can stay there.
That message was front and center at a recent Houston Community Media (HCoM) briefing, where housing experts, researchers, and service providers examined how land policy, permanent affordability, rental assistance, homelessness response, and emergency resources must function together to prevent displacement in a tightening housing market.
Alexis Loving, president and CEO of SEARCH Homeless Services, cautioned against viewing homelessness as a problem with a clear endpoint.
“Housing is not a finish line,” Loving said.
She emphasized that housing placements alone do not end homelessness and that long-term success depends on wraparound services, stability, and sustained support.
For Christa Stoneham, president and CEO of the Houston Land Bank, the path to affordability begins long before construction—it begins with land.
The Houston Land Bank was created to cut through bureaucratic barriers and activate underused public land for community benefit. Rather than acting as a builder or developer, the Land Bank transfers land at deeply discounted prices to local builders so savings can be passed on to income-eligible homebuyers.
“My job is to transform Houston one site at a time,” Stoneham said.
She pointed to redevelopment projects involving long-abandoned or contaminated sites, including a former trash incinerator in the East End and the former Yellow Cab headquarters near Northside. These projects, she said, show how public land can be turned into long-term community assets through partnerships and grant funding.
Stoneham stressed that affordability alone is not enough.
“We don’t just want to build back—we want to build smarter,” she said, noting the need for housing that can withstand flooding, extreme heat, and severe storms.
While the Land Bank helps activate land, Ashley Allen, executive director of the Houston Community Land Trust, focused on what happens after homes are built.
Allen explained that community land trusts preserve affordability by separating land ownership from homeownership and placing land under collective community control—a model rooted in civil rights–era efforts to prevent displacement.
“The community land trust model allows for long-term and permanent affordability,” Allen said.
Unlike traditional affordable housing programs, which often lose affordability when homes are resold at market rates, land trusts restrict resale prices and stabilize property taxes so public investment is preserved. In Houston, the Community Land Trust serves a wide range of working households, including teachers, retirees, and recent graduates.
“We don’t have a problem building in Houston,” Allen said. “We have a problem sustaining affordability.”
For renters, Housing Choice Vouchers remain one of the most important tools for housing stability, according to Anna Rhodes, an associate professor of sociology at Rice University and researcher with the Kinder Institute of Urban Research.
Rhodes explained that vouchers are the federal government’s largest rental assistance program, yet chronic underfunding leaves most eligible households without help.
“We are only serving about one in four eligible households,” Rhodes said.
In Houston, both the Houston Housing Authority and Harris County Housing Authority currently have closed waitlists. Rhodes also highlighted barriers voucher holders face, including landlord discrimination. Texas does not have source-of-income protections, meaning landlords can legally refuse renters because they use vouchers.
“In Texas, landlords can legally refuse to rent to someone because they use a voucher,” she said.
Loving returned to a theme echoed throughout the briefing: housing placements alone do not guarantee stability.
“It’s not just about a unit—it’s about stability, care, and support,” she said.
Many people served by SEARCH have experienced long-term homelessness, trauma, or health challenges. Moving into housing can be destabilizing at first, requiring help with income, health care, routines, and rebuilding community connections.
Loving also challenged the assumption that unsuccessful placements reflect a lack of effort.
“None of us are independent,” she said. “We all rely on community.”
For many Houstonians facing housing instability, the first point of contact is 211.
Aarti Goswami, assistant vice president of community outreach for United Way Greater Houston, described 211 as a free, confidential, 24/7 helpline connecting residents to housing assistance, food programs, utility help, transportation, and mental health services.
“211 is the front door to accessing community resources,” Goswami said.
United Way Greater Houston operates one of the largest 211 systems in the country, handling more than one million connections annually. Demand has remained elevated since the pandemic, particularly for rent and utility assistance.
“Every time you call 211, you speak to a real live person,” Goswami said.
Across the briefing, speakers emphasized that Houston’s housing challenges cannot be solved by a single program or policy. Affordable land, permanent affordability models, rental assistance, homelessness services, and emergency support must function together—especially as public funding tightens and demand continues to grow.
Residents needing help with housing, rent, utilities, food, transportation, or emergency services can dial 211 or visit 211texas.org.
