The Core Blog

In keeping with long struggles to secure civil rights and liberties for all people in the United States, efforts to gain equal access to educational opportunities have been led by Black, Indigenous, and people of color for centuries. From the Reconstruction era following the Civil War, to the Civil Rights Movement in the twentieth century, to the Movement for Black Lives in our present moment, historically underserved communities — led by those most directly impacted

We surveyed homeless liaisons across Texas to hear what is working and where they need help. Under federal law, every school district in the nation is required to have a homeless liaison. Homeless liaisons serve students experiencing homelessness by supplying resources and connecting them with help. While only 10 percent of Texas’ school districts receive federal grants to support their homeless liaisons, districts and staff are jumping into action to help students experiencing homelessness; and

We are living in an essential moment. A worldwide pandemic. A nation in mourning for the loss of life wrought by COVID-19. Now with the loss of another Black American who died at the hands of the police, we mourn anew all our brothers and sisters who have died as a result of police violence. Last year at this time, Texas Appleseed was launching our “Justice Is” campaign, focused on engaging Texans in a conversation

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented disaster in scope and scale. America’s disaster response and recovery system is designed to deal with localized disasters and assumes that people have the resources to recover quickly. COVID-19 is a nationwide disaster that has been ongoing for months, with an economic impact that has stripped millions of Americans of the resources to pay rent and buy food. Many Texans are all too familiar with major disasters and FEMA

With the ongoing public health emergency, COVID-19, Texas Appleseed is working to ensure that we are doing all we can for young people experiencing homelessness. As the closure of schools and businesses continues, many young people are without a place to go or consistent income. To identify what issues young people are facing and potential solutions, Texas Appleseed is regularly convening with a group of Central Texas service providers, policymakers, and national advocates to check

Many Americans have received federal stimulus funds or have money coming their way to offer a small help to weather the current economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. People with bank account information associated with a 2018 or 2019 tax return saw funds deposited as early as April 9. For others, checks will likely be mailed over a period of a few months, starting in late April or early May, and beginning with the

Texas Appleseed sent a letter to Texas Insurance Commissioner Kent Sullivan, asking the Department to make sure Texans are charged fair prices for auto insurance during and after the pandemic. With much of the state under shelter-in-place orders, mobility of Texans is down 40% to 55% since the escalation of the pandemic in late February. This reduced mobility has translated into fewer claims for auto insurers. Over the past week, a growing number of auto

As COVID-19 spreads across the nation and Texas, local jails are becoming hotspots in the pandemic, putting people’s lives in danger and further straining local health systems. Public health experts and physicians have repeatedly warned that if COVID-19 enters a correctional facility, it will spread much more rapidly and be difficult to contain. Widespread outbreaks have already been reported in jails in other states including New York and Illinois. An outbreak in a jail doesn’t

COVID-19 will have devastating impact on low-income communities and communities of color unless there is a robust policy response. We know that these vulnerable communities have a higher proportion of medically fragile people who are at greater risk of complications and death from the coronavirus. Many of the people in these communities live paycheck to paycheck and work in jobs that do not have paid sick leave or paid family leave. Without the reliability of

The Austin City Council and Mayor Adler did the right thing by limiting the scope of city ordinances that criminally punish sitting, lying down and camping. Protecting the dignity and humanity of every person should be a guiding principle in Austin, and their actions made progress towards that goal. Cities across Texas should look at similar limitations they have in place, and whether they are criminalizing homelessness itself. While the changes in the ordinances may

On the second anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Harvey on the Texas coast, Texas Appleseed and our allies in the Houston Organizing Movement for Equity (HOME) coalition and the Coalition for Environment, Equity, and Resilience (CEER) have come together to support a just recovery and flood protection and mitigation for all Harris County neighborhoods. All of our neighborhoods deserve the same level of safety and infrastructure, from protection from flooding to air quality, from

Though I’m well past my teen years and am a mom now, I am still scarred by my experience with the juvenile justice system and the Houston juvenile curfew ordinance. Everything that I do — from how I raise my children to how I simply move through the world — is influenced by how I felt targeted by the police in my youth simply for being black and young. At first glance, the curfew ordinance