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 […]
BASTA
Posted inHousing
Council approves ordinances to strengthen renters’ rights
City Council approved two ordinances Thursday enshrining the right of tenants to organize and to remedy lease violations prior to eviction. As rents in Austin continue to rise, tenant advocates say the ordinances are increasingly necessary to help prevent eviction and to allow tenants to collectively demand better living conditions and fair treatment from landlords. […]
Posted inHousing
Mobile home park residents challenge developer after receiving 60-day notice to vacate
Dewain Willmore calls his home in the Congress Mobile Home and RV Park a “sanctuary.” “Once you get off the street in here,” said Willmore, who has lived in the park for 21 years, “everything just slows down.” Over the past two decades, Willmore has become a leader in this close-knit community on South Congress […]
Posted inHousing
Travis County likely to close housing assistance program months early after ‘deluge’ of applications
Travis County last week reopened a program with millions of dollars in funding to help people make their rent and mortgage payments. Initially the county said it could accept applications through September, but staff members now say they will likely close the program this month because they’ve received so many applications. County Commissioner Brigid Shea […]
Posted inDevelopment
Facing displacement, tenants organize to fight for their rights
Mark Menn first saw the flyer stapled to the large pecan trees that shade his apartment building. “NOTICE OF FILING OF APPLICATION FOR REZONING,” it read. “‘Have you seen this?” Menn, a 30-year resident, asked his neighbors. Many had not. When residents called the phone number on the notice, a city staffer explained the situation: […]
Posted inHousing
Property group wants to help Rosemont residents, but won’t put anything in writing
At the Tuesday meeting of the Travis County Commissioners Court, Patrick Howard with the Housing Authority of Travis County announced that the board of directors of the Strategic Housing Finance Corporation unanimously voted against an agreement drafted for, and proposed by, tenants of the Rosemont apartment complex in South Austin. Though Howard verbally pledged to […]
Posted inDevelopment
Equity proponents push developers for better feedback in housing projects
As Austin continues to rapidly grow, developers and community advocates from across the city see a need for more engagement with marginalized communities when planning housing projects intended to reduce gentrification. The need for door knocking and face-to-face involvement was one of the central takeaways from a recent panel discussion organized by the Urban Land […]
Posted inHousing
Rent deferred. Full amount due. What landlords are telling tenants during the COVID-19 crisis.
It’s a hell of a time to try to open a restaurant. That’s what Steven Kresena was thinking last week as he watched Austin Mayor Steve Adler order all restaurants and bars closed to diners in an attempt to stall the spread of the coronavirus. Kresena had just inspected the tile in his new restaurant, […]