A city bonus program to spur more affordable housing has already played a role in several income-restricted projects across Austin. Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department staff and affordable housing developers provided an update on the Affordability Unlocked program to City Council’s Housing and Planning Committee on Tuesday morning. Affordability Unlocked offers waivers or easements […]
Housing
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City unveils affordable housing and transit dashboard ahead of Project Connect
With a historic investment in public transit and affordable housing on the Nov. 3 ballot, the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department has launched an interactive map to track proximity of income-restricted housing stock to potential stations along the city’s transportation priority network. The tool, which was demonstrated to City Council’s Housing and Planning Committee […]
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The CDC has banned most evictions. Here’s what Central Texas renters need to know.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published an order last week that could protect renters who’ve lost wages or work hours from eviction until Jan. 1. Why did the order come from a public health agency? The CDC argues keeping people in their homes during a pandemic allows them to quarantine or isolate themselves […]
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Thousands are out of work, but home sales in Austin are doing fine — better than fine. What gives?
Blake Taylor wants to be rid of the house she hardly leaves. Taylor lives with lupus, an autoimmune disease, and is terrified of what it would mean if she caught Covid-19. She’s been extra careful. When she heads to HEB to buy food, she goes as soon as it opens, hoping fewer people will be […]
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Applications for rent assistance are opening (again) in Austin: Here’s what you need to know
The city of Austin will begin accepting applications for a second round of rent help for tenants affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Applications open here at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19. “The coronavirus endures, the economy struggles (and) renters are increasingly unable to pay their rent as worries mount about being evicted from their […]
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City prepares to launch second round of rental assistance in August
City Council’s Housing and Planning Committee heard an update Tuesday on the city’s next round of Covid-19 rental assistance, known as the RENT program. The Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department hopes to help even more households and cover a bigger proportion of back rent than in the program’s first go-around. The $17.7 million commitment […]
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Housing department seeks to move unused home repair funds toward homelessness
The city will likely redirect a $2.6 million unused Community Development Block Grant intended for home repairs to create more housing for the homeless in the next budget year. Last week the Community Development Commission voted 9-2 to approve the 2020-21 action plan drafted by the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department, which lays out […]
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City evaluates rental assistance program, prepares for round two
Back in May, the city’s Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants program disbursed $1.2 million in emergency rental assistance to 1,680 families across the city. This week, the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department, in conjunction with the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, revealed more about the people the program actually helped. In a July […]
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Travis County $10M mortgage and rental assistance program to go live June 29
After spending a month working through the details of a proposed rent and mortgage assistance program for Travis County residents impacted by the economic fallout from Covid-19, the Commissioners Court unanimously voted to allocate $10 million of the county’s $61 million in CARES Act funding at its June 16 meeting. The program is scheduled to […]
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Residents of North Austin mobile home park now own the land they live on
A parade of cars, horns honking, rolled slowly through a mobile home park in North Austin Saturday evening. The drivers, the majority of whom live in the neighborhood, had written words and phrases in Spanish on their windows: “Felicidades, “Sí se pudo” and “Es tu comunidad.” Congratulations. Yes, we could. It’s your community. Residents of […]
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Housing committee talks scaling rental assistance program
The city’s Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants, or RENT program, which was announced last month, will be distributing $1.26 million in direct payments to landlords by Friday, May 15. The one-time relief will cover rent payments for at least 1,000 low-income households, but City Council members on the Housing and Planning Committee are eager […]
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Travis County approves $10M for direct rental and mortgage assistance
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved the allocation of $10 million for direct rent, mortgage and utility assistance. The rental assistance will be available to Travis County residents. This one-time cash assistance was complemented by a $2.4 million budget transfer to the county’s emergency assistance program to make up for the pre-Covid […]