Yilun Cheng

Houston

Investigative reporter @HoustonChron | formerly @DispatchAlerts | @Report4America alum | words in @Slate @WashingtonPost | [email protected]

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Articles

How Trump cuts to FEMA, HUD could impact Houston this hurricane season

3 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, center, visits damaged apartment complex on 8500 block Pitner Road with Houston Mayor John Whitmire, to her right, and Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones, to her left, Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at Spring Branch in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographerWith hurricane season underway, Houston area officials said they are watching closely as federal budget cuts target key programs that have long supported the region's disaster recovery.
Should you get flood insurance? Here's what to know before hurricane season

4 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng |Claire Partain

FEMA's flood insurance rate maps delineate 100- and 500-year floodplains based on rainfall data, terrain features and models that predict how water moves. Owners of homes located within a 100-year floodplain are generally required to have flood insurance if they have a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender. Properties in a 500-year floodplain or areas outside designated flood zones are usually not required to carry flood insurance.
See your home's flood risk

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Caroline Ghisolfi |Yilun Cheng

MethodologyMapping floodplainsThe Chronicle sourced floodplain data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Floodplains appear in the data as a series of zones with different risk designations in the event of a flood. The data used in this story was first collected in a November 2019 FEMA study and was last revised or updated on April 15, 2024. Mapping historical floodingIn the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, FEMA studied the effects of the storm on 12 impacted counties in Texas.
Buying a home in a Houston floodplain? Here are 8 questions to ask.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

Texas has some of the country's strongest flood hazard disclosure regulations. Before selling a property, a homeowner must reveal whether the house has previously flooded, if any flood damage claims have been made, if the property is located within a 100-year or 500-year floodplain and if it sits in a floodway, flood pool or reservoir. Carefully reviewing the disclosure form is the first step toward understanding a property’s flood history.
Houston housing chief halts controversial tax breaks for ‘affordable’ apartments

2 months ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

The Houston Housing Authority’s new chief executive officer, Jamie Bryant, said he will stop accepting proposals for a controversial property tax break program as criticism mounts that some deals do little to benefit low-income renters. Created under an obscure Texas law, the Public Facility Corporation program allows apartment owners to claim 100% property tax breaks if they agree to reserve half their units as affordable. It was intended to spur affordable housing development.
Fewer Houston inmates flagged for deportation under Trump. But why?

2 months ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has long leaned on local law enforcement and access to county jails to deport people already living in the country without legal permission. An ICE detainer, or immigration hold, is essentially a request asking local jails to notify ICE before releasing someone suspected of immigration violations, and to hold the person for up to 48 hours longer so federal agents can take them into custody for possible deportation.
Insiders make millions from Houston's affordable housing system

Mar 27, 2025 | houstonchronicle.com | Rebecca Schuetz |Yilun Cheng |Matt Zdun

The public agency says it accomplished this monumental task by exempting apartment complexes from property taxes in exchange for making some units affordable. In Houston, there are over a hundred of these deals, all created under a state program called Public Facility Corporations. The program allows apartment developers to receive 100% property tax breaks in exchange for marking some units as "affordable."But are these good deals, and for whom?
A political ally of Galveston Sheriff Fullen may decide if he keeps his badge

Mar 19, 2025 | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

As a state district court weighs whether Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen will keep his badge, critics and experts question if the judge assigned to the case-who appears to be Fullen's political ally-should be the one to decide his fate.
Conroe's growth took off while other Houston suburbs slowed. Here's why.

Mar 10, 2025 | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

Over the past decade, Conroe's homebuilding boom has far outpaced every other major suburban municipality in the Houston area, according to permit records obtained by the Houston Chronicle. For generations, families moving to the Houston region have looked to its suburbs for a mix of affordability, space and a sense of community beyond the urban sprawl. But today these communities' paths are diverging.
How Houston's biggest suburbs are growing in unexpected ways

Mar 10, 2025 | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

Houston's suburbs have long been a magnet for families and home buyers looking for more space, lower costs and a community feel that the city itself does not always offer. As America's biggest metro areas like New York and Los Angeles lose residents, the Houston region continues to attract newcomers. But it's the surrounding suburbs that are absorbing most of Houston's growth, according to U.S. Census data.