Confusion reigns at Houston’s historic Cuney Homes, where residents are hearing conflicting messages about the long-awaited $50 million renovation and relocation plan.
At a recent community meeting, some residents said they were clear on the next steps. Others left with more questions than answers.
What is certain is that the Houston Housing Authority (HHA) received a $50 million Choice Neighborhood Grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to renovate Cuney Homes, Houston’s first public housing project, built in 1938. However, how those renovations will be implemented and when residents will be relocated during the six-year project remains unclear.
Urban Strategies, Inc. (USI), which has an office on the Cuney Homes grounds, has become a first stop for residents seeking answers. However, USI is not handling renovations or relocations. Its job is to provide wrap-around services for residents, and it can only give out the Choice Neighborhood phone number for those seeking more information.
Renovations needed
Most residents agree that renovations are desperately needed.
“I was born and raised here,” one resident told a local news station. “I’ve watched these apartments go from being something to nothing. So, it definitely needs a renovation.”
According to HHA, renovations will occur in five phases through 2032, starting with demolition on the east side to make way for new family and senior housing. Some residents said they were told the project would begin this month, with relocation to follow immediately. Others said they haven’t heard a thing.
Confusion
Multiple news outlets reported that Cuney Homes residents could begin moving as soon as November. Yet many tenants still don’t know where they’ll go or when.
A statement from HHA said, “All temporary housing will remain in the Third Ward for people who want to remain nearby. People will be able to choose elsewhere. Those who wish to return, once the renovation is completed, will be able to live in modern and energy-efficient homes.”
The agency also stated that residents could choose other Houston-area affordable housing projects before returning. However, some of those options no longer exist.
Some say they’ve been told they’ll receive vouchers; others say they won’t.
“Instead of being honest with the people, what I hear in the meeting is they want to wean all the single parents out,” said Janice Makey, a 14-year resident. “They say, ‘Oh, we’ve got a place in Humble or Spring that works with single parents.’ Who wants to go way out there? I’m 67 years old. This is all I know—Third Ward and South Park.”
Change in the plan
Longtime residents say much of the confusion stems from changes to the original renovation plan—one developed with heavy input from residents alongside HHA staffers Sasha Marshall Smith and Krista “Folade” Madzimoyo.
According to residents, Smith and Madzimoyo earned the community’s trust through consistency, effective communication, and tangible programs, such as a food pantry and youth activities.
Makey recalled, “They were going to build some flats for people like me who are disabled, and some townhouses with stores underneath—like a washateria. I don’t even see the plans anymore. All they do is throw up some yellow paper on the wall and tell you about the jobs you need.”
The earlier plan called for building row houses to house residents while renovations were underway temporarily, then rotating families back in.
“That plan just went ka-poosh,” said Makey.
Last year, HHA purchased land for housing intended for Cuney Homes residents, but that land was later sold. Another complex meant to support the transition was halted after federal investigators found it was being built on toxic ash.
“They were doing a lot of good things,” said Makey. “I used to not even come out and mingle. But after Irenda Jefferson [an eight-year Cuney Homes resident] brought me in about the meetings and food pantry, I started coming out. Now, without Sasha and them here, I don’t come out, because all they do is lie to us.”
The current reality
Many residents say they’re being kept in the dark.
“They say they gave us a case manager that’s supposed to keep in touch with us. I ain’t seen nobody,” said Makey.
“They’ve been over here a little over a year. I’ve seen a caseworker one time,” Jefferson added. “I don’t know anything about a Phase One, Two or Three. Nobody has spoken to me. I wasn’t told that we have to move, that we have to pack up. There’s a lot I wasn’t told.”
However, one elderly woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she has been fully informed and satisfied with the process.
“I was just at a meeting last night,” she said. “They let us know they’ll be paying for us to move out and paying for us to come back. So, I’m good with that because I don’t have to come out of pocket.”
Still, Jefferson remains doubtful.
“To be honest, I don’t feel like we have the money anymore.”
Makey echoed that frustration.
“Where is the money at? Where are the people? I haven’t seen anybody come do nothing but take a picture or two, and not of the buildings, but of the flowers,” Makey said.
The good, bad, and ugly of Cuney Homes
Residents acknowledge the complex’s struggles with violence and poor maintenance.
“I’ve been living with rats and bats the whole eight years I’ve been here,” said Jefferson. “And they don’t do anything about it.”
But others insist there’s still community pride.
“I got some pretty good neighbors,” said Edrick Rhodes. “We all look after one another.”
Jefferson and Makey credited elected officials, including Councilmember Dr. Carolyn Evans Shabazz (District D), State Rep. Jolanda Jones, and the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, for their support over the years.
“To me, it’s not as bad as people proclaim,” Makey said. “It could be worse. Thank God you have a roof over your head. But management is supposed to take care of the building. They’re not doing their part.”
Cuney Homes is located in Houston’s District D, a section of town known for its mix of historical education, business, and community institutions. District D is also home to pockets of prosperity residing right next to places suffering from abject poverty.
What comes next
According to HHA, more than 70% of residents want to return after renovations. Those who don’t may qualify for vouchers to relocate elsewhere.
Some, like the unnamed elderly woman, plan to return. Others are ready to move on.
“Once I leave, I’m gone,” said Rhodes.
“Luckily, I’m getting ready to move,” said Jefferson. “Change needs to happen—and it needs to happen today.”
Makey is torn.
“I like my independence. I like my apartment. But when you don’t know where you’re going or when, or how, it gets frustrating,” said Makey. “I’m not going to allow them to knock on my door on Friday and say I need to be gone Monday. It’s not going to happen.”
Another resident summed up the uneasy mood: “They say if we want to come back here, we can come back here. But I don’t trust that.”
