Convenience Big Store: Over 40% of Houston ZIP codes lack mental health providers

March 28, 2026

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A map showing mental health provider availability in Houston, with red showing a lack of providers.

Photo by: Katherine Oung/Houston Chronicle

More than 40% of Houston ZIP codes lack mental health providers. Find out where.

You've heard of "food deserts," right? It's a term used to describe neighborhoods with limited access to nutritious and affordable food.

In the same vein there are also "mental health deserts," where access to mental health providers is lacking.

A study by University of Houston researchers has mapped out these areas where few or no providers were practicing within a ZIP code. What the study found was that more than 40% of Houston ZIP codes have no mental health providers, and the neighborhoods that lack access to those services typically have higher poverty rates and a greater share of minority residents.

Evan MacDonald and Katherine Oung have mapped out these areas and explored the data.

2

The WNBA is returning to Houston as Fertittas complete a deal for the Connecticut Sun.

The deal, which had been discussed since December, will be for $300 million, ESPN and the Connecticut Insider reported. The team will play its final season in Connecticut in 2026 before moving to Houston.

3

Trump signs order to pay TSA workers.

Trump signed the order to pay TSA employees after Congress could not strike a deal on DHS funding, the Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, United Airlines customers with premier statuses have been going through security in Terminal C at IAH, the airline confirmed.

4

Texas-based Perry's Steakhouse ordered to pay $21M for illegal tip pooling.

The restaurant disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal, Perry's Restaurants chief operations officer Rick Henderson said in a statement to the Houston Chronicle.

5

HISD's famed arts magnet HSPVA enters a new era. Will its equity mission endure?

Many HSPVA community members say they broadly trust HSPVA Friends to oversee the campus, given their decades-long support. Still, for alumni and advocates, the shift raises a central question: whether a school founded to expand opportunity will continue to do so under a new model, or become harder for students of color to access.

6

Trump's tariffs have cost Texas businesses $26 billion, report says.

A year after President Donald Trump announced sweeping "Liberation Day" tariffs, small businesses in Texas have reported slowing sales, rising prices and persistent uncertainty.

7

Suspect in infamous Lovers Lane murders preyed on Houston for years, DA says.

Floyd William Parrott, a felon with multiple convictions for impersonating a police officer in the 1980s and 1990s, was never among the people questioned, District Attorney Sean Teare said Friday during a news conference.

⚾ Sports

Houston Astros starting pitcher Mike Burrows (50) reacts after giving up a two-run home run to Los Angeles Angels Josh Lowe during the second inning of a MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Houston.

Photo by: Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle

Astros: A double and a homer to left by the Angels were enough to beat Mike Burrows, making his team debut.
Rockets: It wasn't a perfect game, but the team will take what they can get in a 119-110 win over Memphis.
Longhorns: Texas has played at Dickies Arena already this season and beaten Kentucky as well. The Longhorns are in Fort Worth to take on the Wildcats in the women's Sweet 16.
Houston Open: Gary Woodland, who recently discussed his PTSD after brain surgery, found plenty of support from fans as he took the lead.

🗣️ Opinion

Coogs lose, Yordan Alvarez denied by the roof and Congress smacks IAH after interplanetary rock misses all have a spot in this week's Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down offering by the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board.
"I sympathize with the TSA agents — they are just pawns in this perverse funding battle going on. They all eventually get their money. I will not," writes air traveler Dick Williams in a letter to the editor.

In case you hadn't noticed, it's bluebonnet season in Texas.

Sure, you can do what I did and plant some in the yard, but that's not as eye-catching as a field of bluebonnets.

You might be wondering where these lakes of lupines might be. We've mapped it out for you.