County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, in honor of his friend and mentor, the late U.S. Rep. George “Mickey” Leland, is calling on all individuals and organizations of goodwill to find a way this holiday season and beyond to fight hunger and champion other causes that impact individuals and families in need.
“Mickey Leland championed the causes of poor and helpless people worldwide,” said Ellis. “He fought for affordable housing, universal access to health care, civil rights at home, and human rights abroad. He ultimately lost his life in a tragic accident while working to end hunger in Africa.
“I do not doubt that, if he were alive today, Mickey would be participating in some program to feed the less fortunate in Houston or some remote corner of the world.”
Ellis says though Leland may be gone, his legacy lives on through work being done in Harris County, especially through Precinct One’s office.
One example of this work, according to Ellis, is the hope being delivered through “transformative investments in hunger and housing.”
Affordable housing
“Over the next several years, our housing investments will amount to over $200 million to enhance the health, safety, and resilience of existing homes; tackle the scarcity of affordable, stable housing; and reduce evictions, foreclosures, and housing instability,” shared Ellis.
“This year, Harris County has made significant investments toward affordable housing. Commissioners Court has committed $80 million in affordable rental housing projects to help add over 1,400 long-term affordable housing units. Commissioners Court also allocated $10 million toward home repair through new single-family reconstruction and repair programs,” he stated.
Additionally, in Precinct One, the County invested over $7.2 million toward the Knowles-Rowland House Project, creating 31 new permanent supportive housing units for people experiencing homelessness, and $9 million toward New Hope Housing Ennis for affordable homes for seniors.
Fighting hunger with community partners
“Mickey Leland gave his life working to end hunger around the world, and in that spirit, I’m immensely proud of our work to end hunger here at home. I’m particularly proud of how we’ve used resources from the Biden-Harris Administration and the Harris County Healthy Food Financing Initiative, which increased the availability of fresh and nutritious food in underserved communities via funding innovative solutions through community partners,” shared Ellis, who gave accolades to Common Market, Urban Harvest, Small Places, and the Houston Food Bank who have already served over 15,000 households.
Ellis said that though a lot of good work has been done to battle homelessness and hunger, state and local numbers show much more needs to be done:
· 1.8 million Texas children live in households with limited access to food.
· Nearly 15% of Texas households do not have consistent access to enough nutritious food to support a healthy life.
· More than 3.4 million Texans receive SNAP benefits.
· 50% of Harris County families devote nearly a third of their income solely to housing because there are not enough affordable homes in the region.
· Only 36% of the county’s Black households, 51% of Latinos, and 62% of Asians owned a home in 2020 compared to 68% for White homeownership.
· 25% of families spend more than half of their income on housing.
“Typically, Mickey spent this time of year challenging his friends and all who would listen to be as charitable as possible and reminding them that food availability is a luxury not to be taken for granted in a world where poverty overwhelms prosperity. This holiday season, let’s make a place at the dinner table for those less fortunate than ourselves. I can think of no better tribute to Mickey Leland’s legacy,” said Ellis.
