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 […]
Foundation Communities
Austin-based nonprofit focused on affordable housing issues and construction.
Posted inPublic Health
Federal cuts slash more than $2M from Foundation Communities’ health navigator program
The Foundation Communities nonprofit is facing a substantial financial setback after the Trump administration announced a 90 percent reduction in funding for health insurance navigator grants. The cuts, revealed last Friday, eliminate nearly all funding for 56 programs nationwide that help Americans enroll in affordable health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. Foundation Communities’ […]
Posted inPublic Health
Doggett urges Texans to get health coverage before Jan. 15 and to watch out for flex cards
Two things remain true every November: the unfortunate fact that Texas is the most uninsured state in the nation – almost 20 percent – and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s long-running campaign to change that. On Wednesday, at Foundation Communities’ Prosper South location, Doggett made his annual pitch for Texans to get covered by Jan. 15 […]
Posted inHousing
Community Foundation unveils $15M fund for affordable, permanent supportive housing
Developers of affordable housing and permanent supportive housing units for unhoused people could soon receive financial assistance from a new Austin Community Foundation fund intended to fill gaps in the financing for those subsidized projects. Last week, the foundation announced it had raised $15 million for its Housing Accelerator Loan Fund, which will provide low-interest […]
Posted inHousing
Foundation Communities seeks emergency funds and eyes coming apartment surge
Affordable housing nonprofit Foundation Communities has put out the call to raise an additional $50,000 to help cover emergency needs for low-income residents at risk of losing their homes. The group, which provides a number of support services to help people stay in their homes, experienced a rush of requests over the holiday season and […]
Posted inHousing
Doggett celebrates federal funding to benefit Foundation Communities
At a Tuesday press conference, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett and Foundation Communities celebrated $3.5 million in federal funds that will go toward three of the local housing nonprofit’s programs serving low- and middle-income families in Austin. “Before affordability was a top concern for folks across our community, Foundation Communities was doing something about it,” Doggett […]
Posted inHousing
Affordable housing advocates want voters to decide $300M bond proposal
Community groups concerned with affordability issues in the Austin housing market are pushing City Council to approve language for a bond proposal in November that could raise $300 million to build more homes and fund programs related to housing opportunities. A political action committee called Affordable Housing Bond PAC was organized this month to help […]
Posted inHousing
County, nonprofits prepare to administer supportive housing resolution
The Travis County Commissioners Court met for a work session Thursday to review the ongoing, federally funded affordable housing initiatives in the Austin area. Multiple nonprofits are preparing to build supportive housing in Travis County using federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, earmarked for use by commissioners last year. The nine groups – the Other […]
Posted inHousing
City anticipating three new hotels for homeless housing
The city expects to have about 190 new hotel rooms available by the end of June to provide permanent supportive housing to homeless people who are found to need long-term assistance to avoid winding up on the streets again. Approximately 60 additional affordable units will be operated by a nonprofit partner. During a presentation at […]
Posted inHousing
The battle for 3000 Funston Street
What does a house interrupted look like? On a small piece of land in West Austin, you can see the answer: Wooden boards form a rectangle in the center of the lot meant to case a foundation, but it’s a container without anything to contain. The inspector who would have signed off on pouring the […]
Posted inDevelopment
Tax break proposal prompts call for changes to county’s public-private partnerships
The Travis County Commissioners Court may consider changes to the county’s affordable housing program to encourage apartment developers to provide more meaningful rent reductions in exchange for property tax abatements. Commissioner Brigid Shea suggested future changes as commissioners deliberated two public-private housing partnerships at their June 29 meeting. Both proposals were postponed to Tuesday’s meeting. […]
Posted inDevelopment
Developers, planners key to housing the city’s homeless population
City and nonprofit leaders tasked with helping the city’s growing homeless population see a need for short-term temporary housing and longer-term planning strategies that will make it easier to build homes and provide services for those in need. The ongoing push to update Austin’s building code, the permitting and planning processes and the difficulties caused […]