In response to the unprecedented damage to homes caused by winter storm Uri, Austin Water has transferred $1 million to the city’s Housing and Planning Department to help Austinites repair ruptured water lines. The city already had a program to help low-income families needing home repairs called Go Repair, but the new program is being designed […]
City of Austin Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department
This city department provides housing and community development services for Austinites. To that end, they administer programs, provide grant services, and work with non-profit and agencies to provide housing for eligible residents. The department also provides small business development services.
Posted inHousing
City’s RENT 2.0 program ramps up
After its launch earlier this summer, the second round of the city’s rental assistance program is gaining steam. The Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants, or RENT, program provides direct rental assistance to residents financially hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic. The first iteration of the RENT program disbursed $1.2 million to almost 1,700 families earlier […]
Posted inPlanning
ZAP tweaks proposed merger of housing and planning departments
The Zoning and Platting Commission on Tuesday discussed the potential merger between the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development and the Planning and Zoning departments. After multiple commissioners expressed concerns about the measure, they voted unanimously to include three recommendations to the proposal, which appears in City Manager Spencer Cronk’s Fiscal Year 2020-21 budget. News of […]
Posted inHousing
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 […]
Posted inHousing
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 […]
Posted inHousing
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 […]
Posted inCity Hall
Housing, Planning & Zoning departments to merge
Under a plan proposed by Assistant City Manager Rodney Gonzales Thursday, the city’s Planning and Zoning Department would be merged with the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department in the 2020-21 fiscal year, which starts in October. The new department’s proposed name is the Housing and Planning Department. Rosie Truelove, who directs NHCD, would be […]
Posted inHousing
City looks to hike fees on downtown developers opting out of affordability requirements
The city has proposed increasing the fees paid by downtown developers looking to add density to their construction projects but opting not to include affordable units in the buildings. At last week’s Downtown Commission meeting, a presentation on the plan to recalibrate the city’s downtown density bonus program revealed that consultants have recommended increasing the […]
Posted inHousing
City has tough decisions on affordable housing bond
The city’s affordable housing challenges were thrown into sharp relief during a presentation Tuesday morning by the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department to members of City Council. The presentation was before Council’s Housing and Planning Committee, but the chair, Council Member Greg Casar, had invited all of his colleagues to attend due to the […]
Posted inCourts
Arbitrator rules against city contractor in home repair case
An independent arbitrator has ruled in favor of a homeowner who accused a contractor hired by the city of not doing the necessary work to repair her home and ultimately leaving her house in worse shape than it was originally. Suzanne Janel is one of a number of homeowners who has publicly expressed dissatisfaction with […]
Posted inCity Hall
Home repair problems continue to surface
After our story last week highlighting problems in the city’s Neighborhood Housing and Community Development home loan repair program, the Austin Monitor received information from another homeowner who says the contractor hired to refurbish his home in 2014 did a bad job but was still paid for the work. Dave Hernandez, who lives on Holly […]
Posted inCity Hall
Homeowners share stories of home repair anguish
Austin city auditors found the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department home rehabilitation loan program left a significant number of homeowners unhappy with the work contractors did and frequently missed its own goals over a three-year period, fiscal years 2015-2017. Andrew Keegan was the audit manager and Henry Katumwa was the auditor-in-charge of the audit. […]