Housing Insecurity
Photo by Emily Bauman on Unsplash
Beyonce – mega entertainer, philanthropist, Houstonian — will soon have a permanent housing complex named for her and fellow singer Kelly Rowland.
The 31-unit Knowles-Rowland House for the unhoused will break ground the fall. The celebration of this project is planned when Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour makes its stop in Houston on Sept. 23 and 24.
Knowles and Rowland, both Houston natives, have supported multiple causes in their hometown over the course of their careers. The American Rescue Plan will fund the majority of the project.
Harris County officials look to acknowledge the two stars and their contributions their hometown by honoring them by putting their names on this $8.4 million project.
Since 2012, more than 28,000 people who have experienced homelessness in the greater Houston area have been housed. This has resulted in a more than a 60% decrease in overall homelessness in just over a decade. (CNN OpEd)
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the country, and it is leading the charge to help those experiencing homelessness in their city.
City officials have a program that moves the unhoused directly from the streets into apartments. They provide extensive support for those in this program and put the lease into the person’s own name.
This model is working and should be implemented across the country.
With many partners under the umbrella of Harris County and the Houston Coalition for the Homeless, the unhoused rate in Harris County has dropped almost 20% since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is in stark contrast to other cities who are facing burgeoning – and in some cases, staggering — increases in the unhoused population.
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