Beyonće and Kelly Rowland to help build housing for Houston’s homeless

Beyonće and Kelly Rowland are showing love to their hometown by giving back.

The megastars have joined forces to endorse plans to create a permanent housing complex for homeless individuals at the Bread of Life gymnasium in Houston’s midtown area. According to the Houston Chronicle, officials in Harris County have approved the construction of 31 permanent housing units named after the former Destiny’s Child bandmates.

The initiative will cost the city $8.4 million. Out of the total funds, $7.2 million will come from the American Rescue Plan and will go toward developing the housing. The remaining will come from outside sources, including Rice University.

During the press conference in late June, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo mentioned an “even bigger launch” regarding the housing units would be announced in September when Knowles returns to her hometown for her Renaissance World Tour on Saturday, Sept. 23, and Sunday, Sept. 24, at NRG Stadium.

“Harris County and the city of Houston, jointly with the coalition for the homeless, have reduced homeless in the middle of the pandemic by 20 percent, and we’ve been able to hold that reduction,” Hidalgo said. “We just did the homeless count again, so it’s initiatives like this one I certainly will be supportive of it no matter whose behind it, but it’s especially interesting, I think, because there are these names of Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland, who, of course, have been supportive of the community for a very long time.”

The outlet stated that the Knowles-Rowland House will offer several other support services. Community members will receive case managers, peer specialists, service specialists, transportation services, and resources to support mental, physical and behavioral health.

Rudy Rasmus, a local pastor and executive director of Bread of Life, expressed that this is just another contribution that the artists, including their group member, Michelle Williams, have made over the years. The women used the proceeds from their single, “No, No, No,” to spearhead the city’s construction of a youth center.

“This will be our fifth housing development downtown in Precinct 1 over these last 17 years, and we’re just really grateful to continue to help end homelessness in our county,” Rasmus told the Chronicle.

Construction for the new development is set to begin in October.

Martie Bowser is a journalist and public relations professional in Charlotte, NC. She enjoys amplifying the voices of POC and women that fill a void within their community. Her favorite things to cover include “person of interest” pieces, small business highlights, pop culture commentary, entertainment features, and everything about Beyoncé. Her bylines can be found in Blavity, Black Excellence, Signature Bride, Black Wall Street Times, and HipHop Weekly. Martie can be reached via email at martiebowser@detourxp.com.