A new report from the Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research is shedding light on a growing crisis in Houston: nearly 40% of households are struggling with food insecurity.<\/p>\n
That means for many families across the city, putting food on the table is not guaranteed.<\/p>\n
According to the Kinder Institute, 2 in 5 Houston area households are food insecure, a number significantly higher than the national average.<\/p>\n
In some neighborhoods, including areas near Greenspoint and George Bush Intercontinental Airport that number jumps to nearly 80%.<\/p>\n
The report also highlights disparities:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Black households: 53% food insecure<\/p>\n
\u2022 Hispanic households: 47%<\/p>\n
\u2022 Households earning under $35,000: nearly 60%<\/p>\n
Experts say the issue goes beyond just having enough food.<\/p>\n
\u201cTalk about insecurity is not only people having not enough access to food, but having limited access to quality and nutritious food,\u201d said Luz Maria Garcini, Director of Community and Public Health at the Kinder Institute. \u201cSo, it\u2019s not that people are going hungry, it\u2019s that they cannot afford the right foods, the right nutritious foods.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experts point to a combination of factors fueling the crisis, including:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Rising grocery prices<\/p>\n
\u2022 The increasing cost of living<\/p>\n
\u2022 Wages that are not keeping up<\/p>\n
\u2022 Barriers like transportation and access to affordable food<\/p>\n
In many cases, even families with steady incomes are struggling.<\/p>\n
At the Wesley Community Center in Houston\u2019s Near Northside, families say the rising cost of living is hitting hard.<\/p>\n
Beatrice Cortez, who lives on a fixed income, shops at the center twice a month.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh girl, it means a lot. Look at that. We got chicken. It means a lot, girl, because that money has to stretch.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says she wasn\u2019t surprised to learn how many families are struggling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be surprised. The way everything is going up girl it\u2019s a shame.\u201d<\/p>\n
Organizations like the Wesley Center are working to bridge the gap.<\/p>\n
The center is currently helping more than 300 families each week, providing access to fresh and healthy foods for those in need.<\/p>\n
For many families, it\u2019s not just about cost \u2014 it\u2019s about access. Some people walk to the pantry because they don\u2019t have reliable transportation.<\/p>\n
Cassandra Carmona says the food she receives makes a major difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God, well over $100. Well over $100.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says the groceries she picks up would cost more than $100 at the store \u2014 and help feed her family for several days.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will feed maybe five to six\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Wesley Center also operates a garden, where volunteers grow fruits and vegetables that are then distributed to families.<\/p>\n
Still, demand continues to grow.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo much need right now in the community, folks are just struggling to make ends meet. They\u2019re doing all that they can,\u201d said Samantha Sherman, Chief Programs Officer at the Wesley Center.<\/p>\n
Experts say food insecurity in Houston is not just about food \u2014 it\u2019s about access, affordability, and awareness.<\/p>\n
Without long-term solutions, they warn, the number of families struggling could continue to rise.<\/p>\n
As costs continue to climb, more Houston families are being forced to make difficult choices \u2014 stretching paychecks, cutting back, and turning to community resources just to get by.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new report from the Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research is shedding light on a growing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229387,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[18830,2038,49,6870,6246,9167,953,56,58,57,64971,88715],"class_list":{"0":"post-229386","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-cost-of-living","9":"tag-families","10":"tag-food","11":"tag-food-bank","12":"tag-food-insecurity","13":"tag-greenspoint","14":"tag-grocery","15":"tag-houston","16":"tag-houston-headlines","17":"tag-houston-news","18":"tag-kinder-institute","19":"tag-wesley-center"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229386\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}