HOUSTON – The Houston Housing Authority has changed the way the agency reviews its 60,000 tenants after Channel 2 Investigates found a registered sex offender getting a housing allowance he is barred from receiving.
"As a result of you reaching out to us, we’ve taken a number of steps, including downloading the official state of Texas registry list and matching it against our tenants," said Tory Gunsolley, president and CEO of the Houston Housing Authority.
Channel 2 Investigates found convicted sex offenders with registered addresses matching a variety of different senior living communities. Thirty percent of the offenders were younger than age 40.
"You know, I think that has really been off of the radar," said Doug Reuschel, a senior care professional at Sundance Care Specialists. "I think people are more concerned with how big is the space and can their care needs be met."
Texas law mandates that landlords or management companies notify tenants when a sex offender moves in, but only in certain circumstances.
While nursing homes and assisted living facilities are required to notify residents, independent living complexes are not.
Apartment complexes for those who are 55 or older, which house tens of thousands of older Houstonians, are exempt from the notification requirement. The onus of checking out the new neighbors falls on new tenants and their families.
“My thoughts are, I get nervous. I’m nervous," said one retiree, who lives alone and asked not to be identified.
The woman lives next door to a registered sex offender, in an apartment building that caters to seniors, but was unaware that her neighbor had been convicted of sexually assaulting a girl, age 11, in 1996.
"I have grandchildren (who are) 10 and 5 years old, that come here," the woman said.
Registered sex offender information is available and free to the public. This is the easiest way to check if a sex offender lives near you:
