But the normalcy of the seventies has reduced all skid rows to vestiges of what they once were, and in Houston, the district has shrunk to almost nothing. There are no streets lined with flophouses, and there is
“No checking account, bad credit; they don’t know how to pay bills; they go to check-cashing places and liquor stores for loans. They’re unbankable. A middle-class person who wants to start a business goes to family and friends, because those are the people who believe in you. ...
The amounts of these loans ranged from a few thousand dollars to half a million. According to the Anderson Foundation’s indenture, which had been drawn up by Fulbright, Crooker, the trustees were even permitted to make loans to themselves while they served on the board of trustees. In ...