David McClendon

Ranking of cities by eviction in 2022 highlighting Harris County, TX

A scary new era for evictions in Harris County

By David McClendon / March 7, 2023 / Comments Off on A scary new era for evictions in Harris County

As we approach the three-year anniversary of the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re entering a scary new era for evictions in Harris County. Evictions aren’t just back to normal, they’re higher than ever before. At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a sharp drop in eviction filings. Across the country, eviction filings fell…

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harris county justice of the peace boundaries, redrawn by january advisors

Redrawing Houston’s Eviction Courts: Any Map is Better Than What We Have Now

By David McClendon / November 11, 2022 / Comments Off on Redrawing Houston’s Eviction Courts: Any Map is Better Than What We Have Now

Every Monday morning, Judge Israel Garcia, Jr., who serves as Harris County Justice of the Peace for Precinct 5, stares down a punishing docket of eviction, debt collection, and traffic cases for the week. His courtroom has a line out the door of parents and children, desperate to resolve a dispute with their landlord or…

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map of galveston island

Galveston has a housing crisis on multiple fronts

By David McClendon / October 27, 2021 / Comments Off on Galveston has a housing crisis on multiple fronts

For the past two years, the city of Galveston, Texas has been my home. Located about an hour southeast of Houston, Galveston is an island community that has the perfect blend of beachtown kitsch and rich historical character. It’s also been a great place to ride out the pandemic – I even took up surfing!…

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care coordination model nbhp c2 january advisors

Houston-based care coordination pilot program improves health outcomes

By David McClendon / September 17, 2021 / Comments Off on Houston-based care coordination pilot program improves health outcomes

Health care providers and social service nonprofits have a hard time working together. Doctors often do not know about social service programs that might benefit their patients, and nonprofits find it difficult to keep health care providers up to date about their services. When they try to work together, communicating about a patient’s health history…

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featured image for january advisors tarrant county eviction moratorium article

First Results of the CDC Eviction Moratorium in Tarrant County

By David McClendon / April 1, 2021 / Comments Off on First Results of the CDC Eviction Moratorium in Tarrant County

The CDC eviction moratorium is the latest in a patchwork of policy solutions designed to prevent evictions. Since the pandemic began, there have been an unprecedented number of new housing policies across the country at all levels of government. But an eviction moratorium does not mean that evictions have stopped. This article analyzes the impact…

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Photo of yes to the census 2020 mural in gulfton neighborhood

Using Data to Find Walls for Census 2020 Murals

By David McClendon / August 3, 2020 / Comments Off on Using Data to Find Walls for Census 2020 Murals

Public art can bring a neighborhood together. Murals especially can help create a stronger sense of place. They can also be used to raise awareness about important social issues facing a community. If you’ve ventured outside onto the streets of Houston lately, you might have seen a few new bright yellow murals urging residents to…

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Top 5 Takeaways About the Vote Your Way Campaign

By David McClendon / December 20, 2019 / Comments Off on Top 5 Takeaways About the Vote Your Way Campaign

In the November 2019 election, voters in Harris County, Texas could vote at any polling location, not just the polling place assigned to their precinct. This change was designed to make it easier for more people to participate in the electoral process. In order to promote the program, the Harris County Clerk brought in our friends…

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Serving Veterans After Hurricane Harvey: Five Key Findings

By David McClendon / December 2, 2019 / Comments Off on Serving Veterans After Hurricane Harvey: Five Key Findings

Last week, we released a new study, Serving Veterans After Hurricane Harvey, with our partners at Combined Arms examining the impact of Hurricane Harvey on the Gulf Coast veteran population. Texas is home to nearly 1.5 million veterans and many felt the direct impact of the storm. Yet, two years later, we still needed to answer…

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Census 2020 Texas school districts featured image

How School Districts Can Help With Census 2020

By David McClendon / August 13, 2019 / Comments Off on How School Districts Can Help With Census 2020

Census 2020 is critically important for determining how much money state and local governments receive from the federal government. That is a major reason why states and cities around the country have been worried about the citizenship question and the lack of census funding, which threaten an accurate count. For every person missed, states end…

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human trafficking by legislative district

How to Fight Human Trafficking with Data

By David McClendon / April 25, 2019 / Comments Off on How to Fight Human Trafficking with Data

We recently did a webinar with Jamey Caruthers, senior staff attorney at Children At Risk, about how to use data to fight human trafficking. Human trafficking is a huge problem in Texas, especially in Houston, and Children At Risk is leading the charge in helping to write and pass laws that increase penalties for perpetrators while…

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