County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, in honor of his good friend and mentor, the late U.S. Rep. George “Mickey” Leland, is asking on all people and organizations of goodwill to discover a manner this vacation season and past to struggle starvation and champion different causes that impression people and households in want.
“Mickey Leland championed the causes of poor and helpless folks worldwide,” mentioned Ellis. “He fought for reasonably priced housing, common entry to well being care, civil rights at residence, and human rights overseas. He in the end misplaced his life in a tragic accident whereas working to finish starvation in Africa.
“I don’t doubt that, if he had been alive right now, Mickey could be collaborating in some program to feed the much less lucky in Houston or some distant nook of the world.”
Ellis says although Leland could also be gone, his legacy lives on via work being achieved in Harris County, particularly via Precinct One’s workplace.
One instance of this work, based on Ellis, is the hope being delivered via “transformative investments in starvation and housing.”
Inexpensive housing
“Over the subsequent a number of years, our housing investments will quantity to over $200 million to boost the well being, security, and resilience of current properties; deal with the shortage of reasonably priced, steady housing; and scale back evictions, foreclosures, and housing instability,” shared Ellis.
“This yr, Harris County has made vital investments towards reasonably priced housing. Commissioners Court docket has dedicated $80 million in reasonably priced rental housing tasks to assist add over 1,400 long-term reasonably priced housing models. Commissioners Court docket additionally allotted $10 million towards residence restore via new single-family reconstruction and restore applications,” he said.
Moreover, in Precinct One, the County invested over $7.2 million towards the Knowles-Rowland Home Undertaking, creating 31 new everlasting supportive housing models for folks experiencing homelessness, and $9 million towards New Hope Housing Ennis for reasonably priced properties for seniors.
“Mickey Leland gave his life working to finish starvation world wide, and in that spirit, I’m immensely happy with our work to finish starvation right here at residence. I’m significantly happy with how we’ve used sources from the Biden-Harris Administration and the Harris County Wholesome Meals Financing Initiative, which elevated the provision of recent and nutritious meals in underserved communities by way of funding progressive options via group companions,” shared Ellis, who gave accolades to Frequent Market, City Harvest, Small Locations, and the Houston Meals Financial institution who’ve already served over 15,000 households.
Ellis mentioned that although lots of good work has been achieved to battle homelessness and starvation, state and native numbers present way more must be achieved:
· 1.8 million Texas kids reside in households with restricted entry to meals.
· Almost 15% of Texas households would not have constant entry to sufficient nutritious meals to help a wholesome life.
· Greater than 3.4 million Texans obtain SNAP advantages.
· 50% of Harris County households commit almost a 3rd of their earnings solely to housing as a result of there are usually not sufficient reasonably priced properties within the area.
· Solely 36% of the county’s Black households, 51% of Latinos, and 62% of Asians owned a house in 2020 in comparison with 68% for White homeownership.
· 25% of households spend greater than half of their earnings on housing.
“Sometimes, Mickey spent this time of yr difficult his associates and all who would hearken to be as charitable as attainable and reminding them that meals availability is a luxurious to not be taken as a right in a world the place poverty overwhelms prosperity. This vacation season, let’s make a spot on the dinner desk for these much less lucky than ourselves. I can consider no higher tribute to Mickey Leland’s legacy,” mentioned Ellis.
