Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

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October 4, 2022
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Legislators must not limit mixed-income housing

2014-11-25_Legislative_Session_Stephaie
Stephanie Tacy

Texas State Representative Valoree Swanson filed H.B. 1792, under which the bill would profoundly complicate the development of low-income housing in Texas.

Under this bill, a development has 90 days to identify itself as a “low-income government-subsidized housing” to any neighborhood organization within five miles of the proposed site. It must also submit “an independent study of the development’s anticipated effects” to the local area — and this is just to have its application approved.

This bill goes after the distribution of Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) by adding unnecessary obstacles to the application process that plays on residents’ prejudices and fears that low-income housing would bring crime. Despite the fact that studies show that introducing low-income housing can actually lower crime.  


Don’t let it fool you. The provisions proposed under H.B. 1792 might be sprinkled with buzzwords such as “community participation,” but it’s not designed to provide extra security measures. Instead, it deliberately allows communities to maintain their income and racially-based segregation because it allows the residents to control who is and isn’t allowed to live in their area.

Texas has a long, unpleasant history of segregated housing, and the City of Houston has been under federal investigation for violating the Civil Rights Act for its stark segregation. Neighborhoods significantly populated with minorities and people of color have been repeatedly denied resources to improve their own communities and are excluded from mixing in higher-income areas. Knowing this, it should come as no surprise Rep. Swanson’s district covers the wealthy northern Houston area as she continues the deplorable legacy for housing segregation with H.B. 1792.

Addressing an issue such as housing segregation doesn’t have an easy solution, but mixed-income housing does provide relief to these deep divides. Mixed-income housing disperses low-income households into higher-income areas through either subsidized housing vouchers, zoning laws or through public housing developments. This would allow individuals of diverse backgrounds an opportunity to interact and essentially reduce high concentrations of poverty or wealth in a specific area.

However, mixed-income housing is much easier said than done. Even in Austin, districts have had trouble convincing residents to integrate low-income housing into their area. But there has been local efforts made such as the construction of M Station, an environmentally sustainable and  mixed-income housing development.

At the end of the day, housing segregation can’t be fixed by policy change alone. Only communities themselves can make the change. This isn’t an argument about funding low-income housing, rather Houston’s policies and H.B. 1792 are about limiting their location. This is essentially government-funded segregation and can only be combated through increasing diversity, such as mixed-income housing options.

Fernandez is a rhetoric and writing Spanish senior from Allen. Follow her on twitter @blancoalyssa

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Legislators must not limit mixed-income housing