Texas Housing Facts
Affordable Housing needs are growing every day. Studies show that housing costs continue to rise while incomes grow at a much slower pace. With almost half of Texans spending more than 30% of their household income on housing costs, the need for Affordable Housing is more important now than ever before. However, current policies do not go far enough to fill the gap of affordable units needed. For example, in Texas, there are just 30 units available per 100 Extremely Low Income (ELI) renters (according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition 2018 Gap Report). Extremely Low Income is defined as households with income at or below the Poverty Guideline or 30% of AMI, whichever is higher. This statistic, however, doesn’t include the population of Very Low Income and Low Income Households defined as households earning 31% – 80% of Area Median Income.
Affordable Housing Initiatives in Major Texas Metros
Austin
In 2012, the City of Austin adopted their Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan which provides a framework for its community goals by 2039, the 200th anniversary of the city’s founding. A building block of this plan is housing and neighborhood policies. Aligning with this plan and CodeNext, Austin’s Strategic Housing Blueprint lays down the city’s plan to provide affordable housing in every city council district.
Dallas
In 2017, the Dallas City Council Housing Committee established goals to address housing affordability throughout the city, promote fair housing, and overcome historical patterns of segregation and concentrations of poverty. The culmination of this work is Dallas’ Comprehensive Housing Policy.
Ft. Worth
The City of Fort Worth Planning and Development Department publishes their guide for making decisions about the city’s growth and development. Included in their Comprehensive Plan is the city’s housing assessment with goals and objectives and policies and strategies. In addition, Fort Worth Housing Solutions releases quarterly news letters and published a 2018 Assessment of Fair Housing for the city.
Houston
The City of Houston faced one the most devastating natural disasters in 2017, Hurricane Harvey. Their rebuilding efforts have been most salient and will continue for years to come. Their Housing and Community Development Department (HCDD) provides leadership and financing to make homes affordable and facilitate neighborhood revitalization.
In addition, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University is a think tank that focuses on urban issues through informed research, data and policy analysis. The Institute published a report on how to build a resilient and equitable housing system from the remnants of a natural disaster.
San Antonio
In 2017, the City of San Antonio – Mayor’s Housing Policy Task Force published their roadmap to address the affordability gap by creating a housing system where sustainable, affordable, quality housing is provided by the private sector and market-driven. See their Housing Policy Framework.
How Affordable Housing Helps Texans
Housing Studies
Affordability Challenges and the Composition of Middle-Income Renters
As programs that address the housing needs of middle-income renters become increasingly common in an environment of limited resources, it is crucial to understand the characteristics of the households these programs are intended to serve.