A hub has opened in Houston’s historic Third Ward to combat health and housing disparities.
Urban Public Health and Housing
On Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2025, Texas Southern University unveiled a new Institute, Urban Public Health and Housing, which resides in the W.R. Banks Child Development Center, according to a news release. The 6,000-square-foot hub will address public health, affordable housing, and community wellness. It was also a focus area for the late Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who secured a $2 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration for the initiative, the Houston Chronicle reports. She wanted Third Ward to be the “example to impoverished communities around the nation.”
“It’s a reinvestment in the future of urban public health, housing, and community empowerment,” said Michelle John, Texas Southern’s vice president for research and innovation, according to the outlet.
The hub will offer conference and workforce training rooms, wellness and clinical spaces, and a tech-enabled center open to the community. It will also serve as a site for “research, training, and engagement.”
Jometra Hawkins-Sneed, executive director of the African American Health Coalition, commented to the Houston Chronicle:
“This new space is our next chapter of partnership, where we’ll train leaders, conduct groundbreaking research, and implement programs that uplift our communities.”
Plans for Collaboration
Furthermore, Urban Public Health and Housing has also unveiled its strategy to transform the community. This will include partnering with grassroots organizations and housing advocates as well as the Texas Medical Center, providing programs and hands-on training to the next crop of healthcare workers, collaborative research, a space for community engagement, and year-round mentorship for K-12 students with the assistance of undergraduate students.
“The Institute for Urban Public Health and Housing embodies Texas Southern University ’s mission to serve as a catalyst for change,” John said in the press release. “By linking research, education, and direct community engagement, Texas Southern University is ensuring that our scholarship translates into real-world solutions for Houston’s most pressing challenges.”
