July 13, 2023

Texas’s recent heat wave underscored prisons’ vulnerability to extreme weather, with at least 9 people dying as a result. A 2022 study found that between 2001 and 2019, roughly 13 percent of deaths in Texas prisons during warm months could be attributed to extreme heat. But about two-thirds of Texas prisons lack air conditioning.

Maine’s state legislature passed a bill that will allocate $100 million to address the state’s housing shortage and homelessness crisis. Included in the budget is $70 million for housing subsidy programs, $15 million for utility assistance, $12 million in short-term emergency housing initiatives, and $5 million in shelter operating subsidies.

Texas lawmakers have passed a bill outlawing discrimination by homeowners associations that bans renters who receive federal housing choice vouchers, also known as Section 8. The move was prompted by a North Texas neighborhood that attempted to prevent Section 8 tenants, the majority of whom were Black, from renting in the area.

The number of community land trusts has been steadily increasing, from 225 in 2018 to 315 today. These trusts, which buy land and grant long-term leases to homeowners, ensure long-term affordability. However, funding remains a challenge. Some cities, like New York, are considering bills to increase resources for community land trusts to help preserve neighborhoods and create new homeowners.