President's Corner

By CHRISTY RODRIGUEZ, 2022 HAA President

IF I COULD ADD ANOTHER “A’ TO THE “HAA” ACRONYM, IT WOULD STAND FOR “ADVOCACY.”

In this month’s ABODE, we are focusing on political outreach, with news and information from the Houston Apartment Association’s Government Affairs team. Grab this issue and dig deep into one of the most important functions of our association.

Onerous government regulations affect us all – our employees, our residents, our communities – the list is endless due to the unforeseen ramifications of bad legislation.

Our government needs to hear from us, and HAA, TAA and NAA are working hard to make our voices heard. Locally, the HAA staff and volunteers reach out and advocate for our industry to city councils, mayors, judges, law enforcement, management districts and staffs. They can hear from our side of the multifamily industry and realize the real costs to real people of their legislative efforts.

HAA’s outreach to justices of the peace is of the utmost importance, helping judges protect owners and other apartment residents by evicting bad actors and handling misdemeanors, small civil disputes, landlord/tenant disputes and more.

So, what can you do to help? HAA and I need YOU! Join us by contributing to and attending our HAA Political Action Committee events. The HAA PAC is the multifamily industry’s voice in government, and we need your participation and dollars to keep that voice strong. By working together through the PAC, we can support political leadership and candidates who understand our mission and work with us to secure the success of a very important part of the local housing industry. The multifamily industry houses millions of people in the Houston area, and the HAA PAC is its advocate, with assistance from YOU. Visit the QR code below or visit www.haaonline.org/haapac to become an advocate for apartment housing in Houston and the surrounding area.

And don’t forget to get out and vote on or before Tuesday, November 8! If you have not registered to vote, you can do so until 30 days before the election.

Do you need more resources? Visit these: www.votetexas.gov – The Secretary of State’s office has a website full of valuable voter information. You can even check whether you are registered to vote on the site. www.harrisvotes.org – The Harris County Clerk’s office has a website with information on where to vote in Harris County. You can also print a copy of your voter registration card.

Last, but not least, please consider our HAA PAC endorsed candidates when you vote, the list is available on Page 46. HAA hopes to be working with these and all newly elected officials for the good of the multifamily industry and its residents into the future.