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.

Number of low-rent units in large Texas markets
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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.

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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.

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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.

2018 Comprehensive Plan

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.

Action Plan for Disaster Recovery

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.

Housing Policy Framework

How Affordable Housing Helps Texans

Housing Studies

Pandemic Household Spending Strategies

The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard Study: Renters tapped a range of financial resources to make rent even in the face of income lost due to the pandemic.

New Report Reveals the Challenges of Preserving the Federally Assisted Housing Stock

The 2021 Picture of Preservation is a joint report by the Public and Affordable housing and Research Corporation and the National Low Income Housing Coalition focusing on the challenge of preserving the federally assisted housing stock in the face of the national affordability crisis and chronic underfunding for housing programs.

Study reveals impact of Rental Assistance Demonstration Program

This study was published by The Urban Institute Abstract Summary The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program launched nine years ago to test a new strategy intended to maintain public housing stock in light...

Employment-Affected Households Less Likely to Obtain Rental Assistance than Other Safety Net Benefits in 2020

Study shows Employment-Affected Households Less Likely to Obtain Rental Assistance than Other Safety Net Benefits in 2020

Pandemic-weary Parents Spend More Than Half Their Day Worried About Housing According to NHP Foundation Survey

Study from affordable housing provider queried families nationwide on Covid-related housing and financial woes; results point to vulnerability of existing affordable housing and urgent need for more.