Midland-Area Housing Crunch Hurts Foster Care Oversight
Since moving to Odessa in September to work as a state Child Protective Services investigator, Juan Carlos Pacheco has bounced among three homes, struggling to find a place he could afford. At one point, he shared a one-bedroom apartment with six people.
“It was a situation kind of like a sardine can,” said Pacheco, 29, who now rents a room in the house of a family of four. His wife, 1-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son live in El Paso.
The oil boom that has brought jobs and prosperity to Midland and Odessa has driven up housing prices, making it difficult ...
Comments (18)
Dwayne Horner via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Imagine that the Tribune attacks prosperity.
David Meads via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The trib is like the daily beast. They are the mouthpiece for everything anti-American.
Mario Torres via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This is happening in Austin too! Municipal, school district and government pay is not keeping up with rapidly rising cost of living.
Adam Silva via Texas Tribune on Facebook
More of that "Texas miracle."
David Spratt
Susan,, wondering when the oil will go "bust" is a bit like wondering what will happen when the sun goes out or when Hawaii slams into another continent. Been producing oil out there for 100 years and probably have another 100 left at least.
We have to concentrate on getting these illegal aliens all the services they need, American Citizens will just have to wait their turn. Have you seen the sad eyes?
Keith Godwin via Texas Tribune on Facebook
how is addressing the changes and challenges caused by big business "anti-American"? It is actually very "pro-American" to point out the needs of a community and not get strung up for it.
Important article, important information - housing in that entire area (surrounding few counties) is in demand - but salaries by hourly locals cannot match incomes from Oil/Gas industries. No one is building "entry" level housing/apartments to fill the gap. Gas companies can pay the new demands. It is those that ignore or bad mouth information like this, that complain down the line "why didn't anyone do anything?!" because THEIR rents have doubled, trash is filling the highways, water bills have tripled, child care is hard to come by, etc.
James Dowmont via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Keith - the citizens are no longer "America". Only corporations are "America" and we should bend a knee to thank them for their generosity, at every chance we get. Anyone criticizing capitalism or daring to put the needs of our fellow citizens ahead of the needs of the almighty and most benevolent "makers" is a communist socialist liberal scumbag deserving of a severe beating.
At least, that's what I hear when I watch Fox News. They seem like honorable, intelligent folk.
Michelle Mahnke Quintana via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Then they need to raise the salaries of those workers.
Elva CarpeDiem via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This is a humanitarian crisis that Rick Perry should be addressing.
James Dowmont via Texas Tribune on Facebook
so he needs to send the National Guard in? that appears to be how Perry approaches a humanitarian crisis.
David Spratt
Keith,,, Why don't you go out there buy some lots and build some houses? looks like the perfect opportunity to me, there is a need and if someone had the Motivation to fill that need they could turn a buck. I was just there and there were houses being built. I was in Big Lake and housing being built there also. What is Government supposed to do about this? Build Government housing?
It would appear there are many just sitting on their rear ends whining while they could be making some money providing the very infrastructure they are complaining about not having. This is the new American way,, people have forgotten how to do for themselves. Why does not this guy in the story purchase a lot,, miles and miles of land for sale,,, hire a builder and build his own house? Why is he waiting on someone to do it for him?
I guess it is true Americans are dumbing down considerably. If I needed a job or wanted to make some money I would read this story and think to myself ,, Now there is some opportunity here. Others read the story and think why won't the government help those poor people who are having a hard time of it. This is the difference between those who are successful and those who just coast along with their hand out.
Nina Roth via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Frack until you fall in a sinkhole baby!
Luna Payne via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Odessa sucks
Tina Thomas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
They need to get onto these price gouging slum lords who rent out dumps for hundreds of more dollars than they are worth.
Scott Creasy via Texas Tribune on Facebook
"Making it difficult" means case workers cant afford to live there on 38k a year!
Chris Thornton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The oil boom has brought jobs and prosperity to Midland and Odessa, but it has also driven up housing prices -- same thing happened in North Dakota. Oil booms create jobs. People are needed to fill the jobs. People need housing. Housing shortage creates increased housing prices. Supply and demand. Economics 101.
Mike in Texas
My son is a welder in Odessa and he was living in a squalid trailer parked in the dirt outside city limits, because there was nothing available to rent. Even the crummy hotels are full of energy company employees.
When I showed up with a U-Haul to help him move to Lubbock I wanted to cry seeing how horrible his living conditions were. The trailer was a shamble parked in the dirt with tumble weeds, snakes and spiders everywhere. There were holes in the walls and the plumbing was broken. You drove past a cattle gate and weaved around the tumble weeds, no road, just driving in the dirt. His trailer was across a road from a truck repair shop that had oilfield trucks coming and going around the clock. Anywhere else, and this place would have been condemned by the city as uninhabitable. That piece of shit trailer was costing him $1,700 per month. My son was working to pay outrageous rent and decided he had enough. You know if there was a shortage of bottled water in Houston due to a hurricane, and if any retailer dared to jack the price up 10 cents, the district attorney and state attorney generals office would come after them for price gouging. Well its no different in the Permian basin; except it’s a slow moving economic hurricane and the landlords and local towns people are ripping off the workers and nobody cares. It just supply and demand. Where is the city and district attorney’s office? Where is the state on this? I am glad my son got out of there.
Barry J
RXH Inc
(877) 747-9987
3417 North Midland Dr Midland, Tx 79707