Just over 3,200 people in Austin and Travis County slept in tents, shelters or cars on one night in January. That’s about 800 more people, or a 36% increase, compared to 2023, the last time a homeless count was done. Cities and towns that want to qualify for certain grants are required by the federal […]
Housing
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City eyes strategy shifts to address affordable housing shortfalls
City staff members are evaluating the idea of investing more in housing as well as other strategies to address shortfalls in key areas of the Strategic Housing Blueprint, including deeply affordable housing and permanent supportive housing. A memo released this week looks at progress related to the 2023 Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint Scorecard and shows […]
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Facing displacement, Acacia Cliffs apartment tenants mobilize at City Hall
Plans to redevelop an apartment complex in Northwest Austin are off to a rocky start, drawing a crowd to City Hall last week with demands for more concessions to displaced tenants. Acacia Cliffs residents and their neighbors took to the podium on Thursday to request time for more robust negotiations with owner Price Realty Corporation, […]
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Austin churches answer prayers for affordable housing – by building it themselves
Standing at a pulpit on a Sunday morning in March, the Rev. Daryl Horton of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in East Austin prayed for a swift approval of building permits. An ask that, as anyone familiar with municipal bureaucracy knows, requires nothing short of a God-given miracle. “Y’all keep praying for the city as those […]
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Eviction crisis spreads as affordability pressures worsen
A record-breaking 13,210 evictions were filed in Travis County in 2024, according to a memo released last week from BASTA (Building and Strengthening Tenant Action), a project of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. The memo, a snapshot with key evictions-related findings from 2024, found that the typical eviction case lasted around 20 days, and the median […]
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SXSW panelists examine causes, effects of the city’s lack of Black homeowners
A South by Southwest panel discussion earlier this week didn’t gloss over the challenges Black communities in Austin face if they’re not already owners of highly valuable residential real estate. During the panel Advancing Black Homeownership Through Housing Equity, Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford used the panel’s location in Austin to frame how […]
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Icon Homes prepping smaller home printing tech to meet Austin’s infill push
Austin-based 3D-printed home manufacturer Icon Homes has plans to use new building technology created specifically to take advantage of the city’s push for smaller infill homes. After speaking at a South by Southwest panel last week focused on the push to “future-proof” sustainably built new homes against severe weather and changing needs, Jared Kuhn, Icon’s […]
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Housing panelists examine what’s worked in Austin, and across Texas
At a South by Southwest panel discussion last week on housing policies in Texas, City Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison shared possible new components of the “agrihood” housing-plus-agriculture approach she championed last year. While sharing her views on steps the city has taken in recent years to address affordability concerns around housing, Harper-Madison talked about the […]
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SXSW panel looks at national housing shortage – and how Austin is responding
Cities across the nation are facing the same housing crunch that Austin has spent recent years trying to correct, with a new report from Realtor.com showing a gap of 3.8 million houses and apartment units across the country. Those findings served as the jumping-off point for Monday’s South by Southwest panel discussion that included Mayor […]
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HUD cuts could endanger portion of more than $15M in federal housing funds
The city could see significant disruptions to its affordable housing and homelessness programs as a result of proposed federal budget cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to a memo released last week. The memo, issued by intergovernmental relations officer Carrie Rogers, advises that reductions in HUD staffing and funding could affect […]
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Planning Commission hears complaints, offers amendments on new STR ordinance in marathon hearing
Over the course of more than three hours, the Planning Commission heard often rancorous public comments on a new ordinance that would regulate short-term rentals, then voted to recommend 11 of their own amendments to the ordinance at its regular meeting on Feb. 11. The proposed ordinance would attempt to bring short-term rentals, or STRs, […]
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Council vote could help secure tax credits for seven projects with affordable units
On Thursday, City Council will consider resolutions of support for seven affordable housing developments seeking funding through the state’s 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. If approved, items 16-22 on the agenda will be included in developers’ applications to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, which oversees the competitive program that […]