Why Wait?

Animal lovers can make an impact right now by donating to Houston SPCA

No need to wait until the clock strikes midnight and 2024 arrives to make an impact in the lives of so many animals in need, right here in Houston.

Animals like Arnie, a beautiful Belgian Malinois who was rescued by Houston SPCA Animal Cruelty Investigators after surveillance video caught his owner hitting him with a weight and repeatedly kicking him. Arnie, now renamed Bones, is currently in a happy home with his fur siblings, living his best life.

That’s what gifting to the most comprehensive animal rescue and protection organization on the Gulf Coast can do.

And through December 31, every donation will be matched up to $45,000 thanks to a group of leadership donors.

So making an impact this holiday season is twice as nice for some of the most vulnerable animals in our city — before you even say farewell to 2023.

Here are two ways you can spread the joy of giving:

Monthly giving

Your monthly donation can help Houston SPCA equip and support its staff and facility every day.

By supporting Houston SPCA, you enable the staff to respond to the 14,000 cruelty reports and rescue calls they receive each year and provide direct care to animals who have been neglected and abused.

Their goal is to ensure that every animal in the Houston area is freed from abuse and neglect, but they rely on a strong and growing community of donors to achieve this.

Set up monthly giving here.

Planned giving

If you love animals and want to ensure that your love for them continues even after you're gone, you can take steps today to make a planned gift to the Houston SPCA.

This will not only be a powerful statement about your love for animals, but will also help countless animals through the organization's lifesaving programs.

Create your legacy today with planned giving.

Photo courtesy of Houston SPCA

Arnie, now named Bones, is now living his best life thanks to the Houston SPCA.

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Is Houston worth it?

Houston is one of America's most overpriced cities, study finds

Houston Downtown modern business city with skyscraper city scape with park view from Buffalo Bayou center of Houston city, Texas, United States of America, US at sunset time

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In what may come as a surprise to some local residents, a new study ranks Houston among the 10 most overpriced cities in America.

The study, conducted by Highland Cabinetry, compares cities across key metrics, including cost of living, real estate prices, income, safety, traffic, pollution, and unemployment. After crunching the data, researchers assigned a score to each city, with 100 being the worst score.

Houston ranks eighth in the study with a score of 87.1.

“Real estate is more affordable here at $3,467 per square foot, but the city struggles with heavy pollution and underwhelming income levels,” the study says of Houston. “Safety here beats Detroit and Chicago, but it’s still lower than in NYC or Los Angeles.”

Newark, New Jersey, comes in at No. 1, followed by New York City and Los Angeles. Rankings weren’t available for Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, or San Antonio.

“Cost of living alone doesn’t define the value of a city. What our data shows is that several high-cost urban areas come with serious trade-offs, whether it’s long commutes, safety issues, or environmental stress,” according to Highland Cabinetry. “For many residents, the price tag isn’t the only consideration; it’s what that money gets you. And in many cases, the return on investment just isn’t there.”

Here's the full list:

Newark, New Jersey
New York, New York
Los Angeles, California
Detroit, Michigan
Wilmington, Delaware
Washington, D.C.
Chicago, Illinois
Houston, Texas
San Francisco, California
Miami, Florida

study cost of living reports