Olivarez: The biggest healthcare challenge in Hidalgo County? Substandard housing

MCALLEN, Texas – Public health official Eduardo ‘Eddie’ Olivarez says the biggest impediment to a healthy population in Hidalgo County is substandard housing in unincorporated areas.

Hidalgo County’s chief administrative officer for health and human services made an impassioned plea for tougher minimum housing standards at a recent AltaCair Foundation event.

The “cluster meeting,” featuring dozens of healthcare professionals and academics, focused on ways to improve the quality of life of colonia residents.

Olivarez said two environmental issues would help – public transportation and better housing.

“We need a public transit system that’s functional, we are desperate for that,” Olivarez said.

But he spoke at much greater length about housing.

“We need a minimum housing standard. You’re saying what does that have to do with health care? If you don’t have a minimal housing standard, the county does not have building codes. We have no building codes. And the State of Texas Constitution does not allow that,” Olivarez said.

Inside city limits, stricter rules are in place, Olivarez said.

“You got to have a frame house… elevated off the ground. In the county, there are no rules,” Olivarez said.

“So, how are we going to improve the quote, unquote, colonias in our community? By developing a minimum housing standard. We cannot get healthcare any better without that, and I’m not talking about a big, fancy, subdivision, or a big house. Just four walls, composition roof, adequate sewer, either septic system or main sewer line, adequate water supply. But the main thing is the composition of the home, four walls, a roof.”

Olivarez said when there are severe storms, his team has to go and rescue families living in a house made of pallets and a tarp. Poor quality walls allow mosquitos to enter a home, leading to Dengue Fever, he said.

“If we get the rules in place for a minimum housing standard, our health care, our health future, will be astronomically increased because you’re not living in those sub-poverty conditions,” Olivarez said.

Olivarez said the Legislature should allow counties above a certain population, say 500,000, to set minimum housing standards. He said he has tried for years to get such legislation passed but to no avail.

Former state Rep. Veronica Gonzales, now a senior vice president at UT-Rio Grande Valley, agreed with Olivarez that developers have always been able to thwart legislation aimed at setting tougher minimum housing standards.

Here is an audio recording of Olivarez’s remarks about minimum housing standards at the AltaCair event:

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