Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland Back $8.4M Housing Complex for Houston Homeless Population

Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland invested in an $8.4 million housing project in Houston, per BET. The complex will house 31 units for people experiencing homelessness. The Knowles-Rowland House nears completion and should open this year.

Residents will get housing plus help. Case managers, mental health counselors, and substance abuse specialists will work on-site. Life skills training is planned. Food assistance comes through a partnership with Temenos Community Development Corporation.

Sixteen units feature an accessible design for residents with mobility or sensory challenges. Bread of Life sponsors the project — a Houston nonprofit tied to St. John's Downtown Church.

The site once housed the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth. That building went up in 1999 using proceeds from Destiny's Child's first single. Kids played basketball there and gathered for programs. Hurricane Harvey flooded it in 2017, and a fire tore through it in 2021. The building sat empty after that.

Beyoncé grew up in Houston, spending most of her childhood in the Third Ward. Kelly Rowland was born in Atlanta but credits Houston with shaping who she became.

"It was a city that grew me up. I always say Atlanta-born me. Houston raised me. Houston raised me with Southern values. Houston raised me to be proud of my Blackness as well," Kelly Rowland said in an interview with AFROTECH.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines chronic homelessness as living without shelter for at least one year straight or experiencing at least four episodes over three years totaling twelve months. This facility serves that population.

Tina Knowles, Beyoncé's mother, reposted a video showing an apartment unit and announced the facility will open in Downtown Houston. Both singers attended the church behind the original building for years.

The project breathes new life into a damaged structure. Once completed, the Knowles-Rowland House will provide residents with tools to rebuild their lives and regain independence.