Item8-Final FY 25-29 Consolidated Plan - August 2025 — original pdf

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CITY OF AUSTIN 2024 – 2025 2025 – 2026 2026 – 2027 2027 – 2028 2028 – 2029 FY 25-29 CONSOLIDATED PLAN PREPARED BY Housing Department PO Box 1088 Austin, Texas 78767 1City of Austin, Texas Draft Fiscal Year 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan Prepared by: City of Austin Housing Department P.O. Box 1088 Austin, TX 78767 512-974-3100 www.austintexas.gov/housing 2Austin City Council Kirk Watson Mayor Paige Ellis, District 8 Mayor, Pro Tempore Council Members Natasha Harper-Madison, District 1 Vanessa Fuentes, District 2 José Velásquez, District 3 José "Chito" Vela, District 4 Ryan Alter, District 5 Mackenzie Kelly, District 6 Leslie Pool, District 7 Zohaib "Zo" Qadri, District 9 Alison Alter, District 10 3Table of Contents ES-05 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. 6 PR-05 Lead & Responsible Agencies ........................................................................................................... 15 PR-10 Consultation ..................................................................................................................................... 17 PR-15 Citizen Participation .......................................................................................................................... 72 NA-05 Overview .......................................................................................................................................... 93 NA-10 Housing Needs Assessment ............................................................................................................. 95 NA-15 Disproportionately Greater Need: Housing Problems ................................................................... 108 NA-20 Disproportionately Greater Need: Severe Housing Problems ....................................................... 116 NA-20 Disproportionately Greater Need; Housing Cost Burdens ............................................................. 122 NA-30 Disproportionately Greater Need: Discussion ............................................................................... 125 NA-35 Public Housing ................................................................................................................................ 128 NA-40 Homeless Nees Assessment ........................................................................................................... 134 NA-45 Non-Homeless Special Need Assessment ...................................................................................... 142 NA-50 Non-Housing Community Development Needs ............................................................................. 148 MA-05 Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 150 MA-10 Number of Housing Units .............................................................................................................. 152 MA-15 Housing Market Analysis: Cost of Housing ................................................................................... 156 MA-20 Housing Market Analysis: Condition of Housing ........................................................................... 162 MA-25 Public and Assisted Housing .......................................................................................................... 165 MA-30 Homeless Facilities and Services ................................................................................................... 169 MA-35 Special Needs Facilities and Services ............................................................................................ 171 MA-40 Barriers to Affordable Housing ..................................................................................................... 174 MA-45 Non-Housing Community Development Assets ............................................................................ 176 MA-50 Needs and Market Analysis Discussion ......................................................................................... 181 MA-60 Broadband Need of Housing Occupied by Low- and Moderate-Income Households .................. 193 MA-65 Hazard Mitigation ......................................................................................................................... 195 SP-05 Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 198 SP-10 Geographic Priorities ...................................................................................................................... 199 SP-25 Priority Needs ................................................................................................................................. 200 SP-30 Influence of Market Characteristics ................................................................................................ 205 SP-35 Anticipated Resources .................................................................................................................... 207 SP-40 Institutional Delivery Structure ....................................................................................................... 212 SP-45 Goals Summary ............................................................................................................................... 220 SP-50 Public Housing Accessibility and Involvement ................................................................................ 227 SP-55 Barriers to Affordable Housing ....................................................................................................... 230 SP-60 Homelessness Strategy ................................................................................................................... 236 SP-65 Lead-Based Paint Hazards ............................................................................................................... 237 SP-70 Anti-Poverty Strategy ...................................................................................................................... 238 SP-80 Monitoring ...................................................................................................................................... 244 AP-15 Expected Resources ........................................................................................................................ 245 AP-20 Annual Goals and Objectives .......................................................................................................... 251 AP-35 Projects ........................................................................................................................................... 257 AP-50 Geographic Distribution ................................................................................................................. 274 AP-55 Affordable Housing ......................................................................................................................... 275 AP-60 Public Housing ................................................................................................................................ 281 AP-65 Homeless and Other Special Needs Activities ................................................................................ 283 AP-70 HOPWA Goals ................................................................................................................................. 290 AP-75 Barriers to Affordable Housing ....................................................................................................... 291 AP-85 Other Actions .................................................................................................................................. 293 AP-90 Program Specific Requirements ..................................................................................................... 298 Attachment I: Citizen Participation A: Ci�zen Par�cipa�on Plan B: Community Engagement Summary At achment II: Grantee Unique Appendices A: Resale and Recapture Policy B: ESG Program Standards C: Monitoring Plan D: Reloca�on Policy E: HOME Maximum Sale Price F: Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice Progress Report G: Aus�n Climate Equity Plan Summary H: Funding and Produc�on Summary Table ES-05 Executive Summary - 24 CFR 91.200(c), 91.220(b) 1. Introduction The City of Austin submits this FY 2025‐29 Consolidated Plan and FY 2025 Action Plan as the first of five Action Plans within the Consolidated Plan. The following section provides a summary of the FY 2025‐29 Consolidated Plan and FY 2024‐25 Action Plan. It is anticipated that the Austin City Council (Council) will approve the plan on July 18, 2024. The final document is due to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) no later than August 16, 2024. In addition to federal funding from HUD, the City of Austin (City) appropriates local funds to the Housing Department for affordable housing and community development activities. HUD's guidance regarding the inclusion of non‐federal funding sources in a Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan is that non‐federal sources are to be included. For this reason, the Housing Department has included information about the City of Austin 2022 General Obligation Bond allocation of $350 million in this Plan. This Consolidated Plan and Action Plan are not intended to confer any legal rights or entitlements on any persons, groups, or entities, including those named as intended recipients of funds or as program beneficiaries. The terms of this Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan are subject to amendment and to the effect of applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. Statements of numerical goals or outcomes are for the purpose of measuring the success of programs and policies and do not impose a legal obligation on the City to achieve the intended results. Actual funding of particular programs and projects identified in this plan are subject to completion of various further actions, some of which involve discretionary determinations by the City or others. These include HUD approval of this plan; appropriations by the United States Congress and the Austin City Council; reviews and determinations under environmental and related laws; and results of bidding and contracting processes. In addition, it has been instructed by the City's HUD field office that it is important to note that the City HOME allocation for program year 2024-2025 is $3,073,266.19. It has been advised to the City that, at the time of submission of this Consolidated Plan to HUD, the IDIS interface does not allow for the inclusion of cents in the AP-15 section. Thus, the City has been instructed to drop off the centers of that figure in AP-15, leading the HOME allocation figure in AP-15 to be shown as $3,073,266. 2. Summary of the objectives and outcomes identified in the Plan Needs Assessment Overview The City’s FY 2025‐29 Consolidated Plan establishes funding priorities for the FY 2025 Action Plan in the following high priority need areas: Special Needs Assistance; Homeless Assistance; Renter Assistance; Homebuyer Assistance; Homeowner Assistance; Housing Development Assistance; Other Community Development Assistance. These funding priorities were established based on the housing and community development needs identified through public and stakeholder input, expert staff needs and market analysis, and City Council direction. All the proposed funding priorities will serve very low, low- and moderate income households in the City of Austin. See Exhibit 1 for a list of FY 2025-29 Consolidated Plan programs and descriptions. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan66In 2017, the Austin City Council adopted the Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint, a ten‐year plan to align resources, ensure a unified strategic direction, and facilitate community partnerships to help reach the City’s affordable housing goals. Through public engagement, the then Department of Neighborhood Housing & Community Development (NHCD), now Housing Department, heard from residents and community leaders who clearly voiced the desire to prevent families from being priced out of the Austin market, to invest in housing for those of greatest need, and to help residents reduce transportation costs and household expenses whenever possible. These recommendations ended up being organized into five categories, each focused on achieving the best outcomes, including: • • • • Prevent households from being priced out of Austin. Support legislation to allow flat dollar‐amount Homestead Exemptions, create a preservation property tax exemption for properties to minimize displacement of low‐income renters, expand the use of shared‐equity ownership and mechanisms to preserve and create ownership options for households at 80‐120% MFI, and invest in preservation strategies to combat gentrification. Foster equitable, integrated, and diverse communities. Promote strategic investments and create protections for low‐income renters by developing a strike fund to preserve multi‐family buildings to retain affordable housing units, implement Austin’s Fair Housing Action Plan, bolster enforcement of Fair Housing requirements, and undertake strategic land banking for affordable housing. Invest in housing for those most in need. Every effort should be made to protect our most vulnerable populations. The City should pursue General Obligation Bonds and General Fund appropriations for affordable housing, leverage low‐income housing tax credits, incentivize the private sector to fund affordable workforce housing, maximize the use of public properties for public housing, and expand housing for citizens with disabilities. Create new and affordable housing choices for all Austinites in all parts of town. We can facilitate the streamlining of City codes and permit processes, revise the S.M.A.R.T. Housing Program, relax regulations on affordable housing products (including cooperatives and Accessory Dwelling Units), and create a Multifamily Property Tax Exemption Program. • Help Austinites reduce their household costs. More can be done to help Austinites through projects that connect housing with transportation choices; educate and increase efforts to help households to reduce utility costs through weatherization of current residences; and ensure that future housing developments are in proximity to healthy grocery stores, health care services, and social support agencies. In 2022, voters approved a $350 million affordable housing bond. This substantial increase in resources has enabled the Housing Department to reprioritize and maximize the use of federal funds and further the Department’s mission to provide economic opportunities that enable all Austinites to thrive in our community. The realignment of resources is also reflective of feedback received from the community during the community needs assessment period, which is discussed further in the plan. 7FY 2025‐29 Consolidated Plan Priorities Program Program Description Special Needs Assistance Special Needs Assistance will assist low‐ to moderate‐income Austinites by providing mental health services for at‐risk youth, childcare services and services for seniors. Homeless Assistance Homeless Assistance provides services to the City's most vulnerable populations, including persons experiencing homelessness, persons living with HIV/AIDS, victims of domestic violence, persons experiencing mental illness, unaccompanied youth, persons with chronic substance abuse, and veterans. Renter Assistance Renter Assistance activities will provide assistance that can make rent more affordable, tenants’ rights services, and financial assistance for necessary rehabilitation to make rental units accessible. Homebuyer Assistance Homebuyer Assistance provides counseling to renters wishing to become homebuyers. This category includes the Down Payment Assistance Program, which offers loans to qualifying low‐ and moderate‐ income homebuyers to help them buy their first home. Homeowner Assistance Homeowner Assistance provides services to individuals that own their homes, but need assistance to make the home safe, functional and/or accessible. Housing Development Assistance Housing Development Assistance includes programs that offer assistance to nonprofit and for‐profit developers to build affordable housing for low‐ and moderate‐income households, and to acquire real property for affordable housing purposes. Other Community Development Assistance includes activities such Other Community Development Assistance as operating for Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs), as well as providing support for infrastructure and small business development. grants Exhibit 1 Consolidated Plan Priorities Table 83. Evaluation of past performance The City of Austin’s Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Reports (CAPER) indicate a mixed track record of setting and meeting goals throughout the execution of the programming under the FY 19‐24 Consolidated Plan. Highlights of success in meeting goals in recent years include the CDBG and HOME-funded Rental Housing Development Assistance (RHDA) program and the HOME-funded Down Payment Assistance (DPA) program. Areas of challenge in meeting goals in recent years include the CDBG-funded Architectural Barrier Removal - Renter program and ESG Homeless Person Overnight Shelter. The City will continue to review its goal-setting and program performance and will make adjustments and improvements to planning and programming accordingly. 4. Summary of Citizen Participation Process and Consultation Process Community Needs Assessment  the public and private The Housing Department developed an extensive community engagement and outreach strategy to promote the Community Needs Assessment period and to increase public participation. A dedicated Speak Up Austin webpage hosted a survey as well as background information on the Consolidated Plan process at www.SpeakUpAustin.org/MyCommunityNeeds. During the official time frame of the community needs assessment period, from February 6, 2024 to March 15, 2024, a total of 341 survey responses were received. The community needs assessment portion of the process included many consultations with community groups. as well as 2 official public hearings. During the community needs assessment period, 46 organizations participated in consultations, including stakeholder groups across sectors, City Commissions, non‐profit organizations, and others. The City of Austin‘s Citizen Participation Plan (CPP) requires that the City conduct two public hearings during one before the Austin City Council. The public hearings were conducted before the CDC on March 12, 2024 and before the Austin City Council on March 7, 2024. Seven community members made comments commission, one during participated non‐profit and open the in consultations surveys were available count. Community in the members could also participate in the survey through text messaging, email and postal mail. By the conclusion of the Consolidated Plan process, including both the community needs assessment and public comment period, the Speak Up Austin page had received over 5,900 views and 526 survey responses. Participants also left 430 comments in addition to survey responses. By the end of the Consolidated Plan process, the City had held over 50 consultations. neighborhood organization; all of which survey remained the Consolidated Plan. Paper total Community Development Commission (CDC) and one before one hearings the and these finalization of are the public hearings. Follow up organization, consultations the community needs letters were received assessment period: continued through from one well. The and or libraries, included the as in in the community needs assessment. Public notices were published A variety of outreach activities were conducted to let community members know how they could participate in English and Spanish language local newspapers, both in print and online. A press release was distributed to local media. An email was sent to 5,000 community members and amplification kits were distributed to more than 150 organizations to promote within their communications as well. In addition, all City departments received the promotional material to share with the communities they serve. Housing Department outreach efforts targeted the general public, as well as diverse racial/ minority populations. Surveys, flyers and all promotional content was translated into 7 languages: Spanish, Arabic, French, Hindi, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese. More details about Community Needs Assessment are provided in this document in the Executive Summary and Process chapters, as well as Attachment I B: Citizen Participation Process.   9The top priorities identified by the community in the survey were: availability of affordable housing; services to prevent homelessness; affordable childcare; mental health and counseling; and job training and job opportunities. The results of the survey influenced the selection of the programs and activities outlined in the FY 2025-29 Consolidated Plan and FY 2024-25 Action Plan and will inform future policy decisions impacting household affordability and community development initiatives. Draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan Public Comment Period A 30-day public comment period for the draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan was promoted for May 7, 2024 - June 5, 2024. A bilingual public notice was published in both print and digital editions of the Austin American Statesman on April 18, 2024, notifying the public of the approaching public comment period. A Spanish-language public notice was published in both print and digital editions of El Mundo on April 18, 2024. At the commencement of the public comment period, the City issued a bilingual press release to media outlets and posted on the Housing Department website, giving further notice to the public and all interested parties about the public comment period. As promoted in the public notices and the press release, the draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan was posted in digital format at a dedicated Speak Up Austin website, www.speakupaustin.org/mycommunityneeds or, for the Spanish-language version, www.speakupaustin.org/mycommunityneeds_esp. The dedicated Speak Up Austin website allowed the public to view both the draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan as well as a draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan summary document which was made available in both English and Spanish versions. The Speak Up Austin website gave members of the public an opportunity to comment on the draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan and the option to share demographic information. In addition to the the digital format of the draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan available to the public, the public notices and press release identified ten locations across the City of Austin at which the draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan would be available for review to the public. A draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan summary document was also available at the ten advertised locations across the City. At the ten locations, flyers were posted in both English and Spanish, alerting the public to the public comment period and available draft Consolidated Plan/ Action plan. The ten locations referenced here are listed below. • Austin Central Public Library, 710 West Cesar Chavez Street (Central) • Austin Resource Center for the Homeless, 500 East 7th Street (Central) • East Austin Neighborhood Center, 211 Comal Street (East) • Housing Department, 1000 East 11th Street, Suite 200 (East) • Rosewood-Zaragosa Neighborhood Center, 2800 Webberville Road (East) • St. John's Library Branch, 7500 Blessing Avenue (North East) • Vivent Health, 7215 Cameron Road (North) • Housing Authority of the City of Austin, 1124 S IH 35 (South) • South Austin Neighborhood Center, 2508 Durwood Street (South) • Pleasant Hill Library Branch, 211 East William Cannon Road (South) In addition to the Speak Up Austin page, the City promoted alternative ways to provide comment on the draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan by telephone, text message, email, mail, and two public hearings that could be attended either in-person or virtually. The firs public hearing was held by the Community Development Commission at the Commission's monthly meeting on May 14, 2024 in the evening. The second public hearing was held by the Austin City Council at the Council's meeting on May 30, 2024 which started in the morning. Six online comments were received through the Speak Up Austin website during the 30-day public comment period. Finally, the Community Development Commission was also notified of the opportunity to provide specific recommendations to the Austin , City Council regarding the draft revised CPP. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan1010On June 21, 2024, the City was made aware through its HUD field office that national holidays, as well as the first day of posting, are days that are not to be counted as public comment period days for purposes of a draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan 30-day public comment period. The City communicated with its HUD field office and established a plan to officially reopen the public comment period on the draft Consolidated Plan Action Plan, from July 9, 2024 - July 15, 2024. A bilingual public notice was published in both print and digital editions of the Austin American Statesman on Friday July 5, 2024 notifying the public of the 7-day public comment period. In addition, a Spanish-language public notice was published in both print and digital editions of El Mundo on July 4, 2024. For the 7-day public comment period, the draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan was made in the same digital and physical formats as described above for the initial public comment period in May and June 2024. In addition, the public had the same variety of ways to participate in the public comment period as described above for the initial public comment period in May and June 2024. Draft Revised Citizen Participation Plan (CPP) 30-Day Public Comment Period The City's Citizen Participation Plan (CPP) is a document that describes efforts that are undertaken to encourage community members to participate in the development of the City's federal reports. The CPP is designed to support and encourage the participation of residents who are predominantly low- and moderate-income. The City's CPP instructs City staff to conduct a review of the CPP during the Consolidated Plan process. In the case that City staff seek to make updates to the CPP, the CPP outlines requirements related to community engagement. The steps the City took in its amendment process for the CPP are descried below. While the City's CPP requires a 15-day public comment for amendments to the CPP, the City opted to advertise and open a 30-day public comment period for the CPP, to run in tandem with the Consolidated Plan 30-day public comment period, from May 7, 2024 - June 5, 2024. A bilingual public notice was published in both print and digital editions of the Austin American Statesman on April 18, 2024, notifying the public of the upcoming public comment period for the draft revised CPP. In addition, a Spanish- language public notice was published in both print and digital editions of El Mundo on April 18, 2024. At the commencement of the public comment period, the City issued a bilingual press release to media outlets and posted on the Housing Department's website, again notifying the public to the draft revised CPP public comment period and providing details about the various ways to participate. As promoted in the public notices and press release, the CPP was made available to the public on a dedicated Speak Up Austin page at www.speakupaustin.org/mycommunityneeds or, for the Spanish- language version, www.speakupaustin.org/mycommunityneeds_esp. The dedicated Speak Up Austin website allowed the public to view the draft revised CPP, in both English and Spanish. The Speak Up Austin website gave members of the public an opportunity to comment on the draft revised CPP and the option to share demographic information. In addition to the digital format of the draft revised CPP available to the public, the public notices and press release highlighted ten locations across the City of Austin at which the draft revised CPP would be available for review to the public, in both English and Spanish. At the ten locations, flyers were posted in both English and Spanish, alerting the public to the public comment period and available draft revised CPP. The ten locations referenced here are identified above for the draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan public comment period. In addition to the Speak Up Austin page, the City promoted alternative ways to provide comment on the draft revised CPP, including by telephone, text message, email, mail, and two public hearings that could be attended either in-person or virtually. The first public hearing was held by the Austin City Council at the Council's meeting on May 30, 2024 which started in the morning. The second public hearing was held by the Community Development Commission on June 11, 2024 and was held in the evening. No comments were received on the draft revised CPP during the public comment period. Finally, the Community Development Commission was notified of the opportunity make specific recommendations to the Austin City Council regarding the draft revised CPP. 115. Summary of Public Comments in the Community Needs Assessment Comments have been sorted into the following categories and subcategories, which center around the experiences that people shared:   • I want to live in an Austin that is for everyone        Preservation of history, culture & long‐term residents Resources to support the unique needs of vulnerable populations A variety of housing options for all income levels and all household types Policies and programs to protect remaining affordability Compassion‐led approaches Support for small businesses Fair Housing • I need immediate help  Homelessness Prevention & Intervention     Rental Assistance Emergency assistance for utilities, food, and other basic needs Emergency repairs Serving those with the greatest need • I need help maintaining stability Access to affordable housing Tenant support    Home repair  Homeless prevention and intervention    Health and wellness issues  Wages & workforce development Reducing housing‐related costs Child care • I want to build long‐term stability  Homeownership    Higher education Financial wellness & security Leveraging property for additional income • I need better access to programs    knowledge of existing programs inaccessible processes support needed to access programs • My neighborhood needs more support infrastructure (sidewalks, sewers, electrical, etc.) Transportation access to resources (grocery stores, medical care, libraries, etc.)   Greenspace    Walkability    neighborhood planning Safety quality of life 12• I don’t trust the City    authentic engagement program evaluation and effectiveness transparent spending Across all categories, there was a consistent plea for more collaboration across departments, agencies and organizations as well as a desire to see more creativity and innovative approaches. 6. Summary of comments or views not accepted and the reasons for not accepting them All comments or views received are accepted. 7. Summary The Consolidated Plan is designed to help participating jurisdictions assess their affordable housing and community development needs and market conditions to make data‐driven, place‐based investment decisions. The consolidated planning process serves as the framework for a community‐wide dialogue to identify both housing and community development priorities that align and focus funding from HUD. The Consolidated Plan is carried out through annual Action Plans, which provide a concise summary of the actions, activities, and the specific resources that will be used each year to address the priority needs and specific goals identified by the Consolidated Plan. Grantees report on accomplishments and progress toward Consolidated Plan goals in the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). In FY 25, the City of Austin will continue to receive funding from HUD through four entitlement grants: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG); HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME); Emergency Solutions Grant Program (ESG); and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), in addition to reasonably anticipated local resources such as through the 2022 General Obligation (G.O.) Bonds. As a long‐range planning document, the Consolidated Plan establishes programmatic goals and provides a framework for methodologically identifying priority needs with the community. The FY 25‐29 Consolidated Plan is largely organized into the following chapters: Executive Summary, Process, Needs Assessment, Market Analysis, Strategic Plan & Action Plan. The Strategic Plan chapter exhibits planning for the coming five years, FY 25‐29, whereas the Action Plan chapter provides further detailed planning for FY 24‐25. The document is a product of collaboration between the City of Austin (COA) Housing Department, Austin Public Health (APH), COA Homeless Strategy Office (HSO), the COA Economic Development Department, the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA), over 50 community and stakeholder groups, as well as individuals and families across the community of the City of Austin, who gave input in various ways and contributed to the plans outlined in this document. 13HUD and City of Austin Budget Allocation Processes 14PR‐05 Lead & Responsible Agencies Describe agency/entity responsible for preparing the Consolidated Plan and those 1. responsible for administration of each grant program and funding source The following are the agencies/entities responsible for preparing the Consolidated Plan and those responsible for administration of each grant program and funding source. Agency Role Name Department/Agency Lead Agency CDBG Administrator ESG Administrator HOME Administrator HOPWA Administrator AUSTIN AUSTIN AUSTIN AUSTIN AUSTIN Housing Department Austin Public Health Housing Department Austin Public Health Table 1 – Responsible Agencies Narrative LEAD AGENCY AND PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS Housing Department (HD) The Housing Department is designated by the Austin City Council as the single point of contact for HUD and is the lead agency for the administration of CDBG, HOME, HOPWA, and ESG grant programs. The HD currently administers the CDBG and HOME programs. The HD is directly responsible for developing the five‐ year Consolidated Plan, the Annual Action Plan, and the end‐of‐year Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) ‐ AHFC was created in 1979 as a public, nonprofit corporation organized pursuant to Chapter 394 of the Texas Local Government Code. The Austin City Council serves as the AHFC’s Board of Directors. The mission of the AHFC is to generate and implement strategic housing solutions for the benefit of low‐ and moderate‐income households of the City of Austin. Housing Department employees manage the funding and operations of AHFC through an annual service agreement executed between the City and AHFC. Austin Public Health (APH) Council designates APH to administer the HOPWA and ESG programs. APH is a nationally‐certified Public Health agency and works in partnership with the community to prevent disease, promote health, and protect the well‐ being of the community with the vision of making Austin/Travis County the healthiest community in the nation. APH is comprised of seven divisions: The Office of the Director; Administrative Services; Community Services; Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; Environmental Health Services; Epidemiology and Public Health Preparedness; and Healthy Equity and Community Engagement. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan1515Economic Development Department (EDD) Economic Development Department (EDD) administers the Family Business Loan Program (FBLP) funded with Section 108 funds. Section 108 is a loan guarantee provision of the CDBG Program. The Family Business Loan Program and related lending programs are designed to provide a low‐cost financing options to Austin‐based small businesses seeking to expand. Businesses commit to providing employment opportunities to Austin’s low‐ and moderate‐income communities. Community Development Commission (CDC) The CDC advises Council in the development and implementation of programs designed to serve low‐ and moderate‐income households and the community at large, with an emphasis on federally funded programs. The CDC also oversees the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program managed by Austin Public Health. CSBG regulations require that the CDC consists of 15 members, including representatives from eight geographic target areas: Colony Park, Dove Springs, East Austin, Montopolis, Rosewood‐Zaragosa/Blackland, St. Johns, North Austin, and South Austin. The CDC’s eight neighborhood representatives are elected through a neighborhood‐based process, and all 15 are formally appointed by the Austin City Council. Urban Renewal Board (URB) The URB is comprised of seven members appointed by the Mayor, with consent from Council. The URB oversees the implementation of, and compliance with, Urban Renewal Plans that are adopted by the Austin City Council. An Urban Renewal Plan's primary purpose is to eliminate slum and blighting influence within a designated area of the City. Council adopted Resolution No. 971119-34 on November 19, 1997, declaring the East 11th and 12th Streets Revitalization Area to be a slum and blighted area and designated this area appropriate for an urban renewal project. Subsequently, Council adopted an Urban Renewal Plan. The City of Austin and the Urban Renewal Agency, in the shared interest of completing the Urban Renewal Project, entered into an agreement that identifies each party’s roles and responsibilities for the revitalization for these two corridors. The URB has been working to implement a key component of that revitalization through the redevelopment of two blocks on East 11th Street (Blocks 16 and 18). In partnership with Rally Austin, formerly known as Austin Economic Development Corporation (AEDC), the URB released a solicitation to identify a development partner for these blocks in 2023. The development opportunity is anticipated to be awarded in 2024. Consolidated Plan Public Contact Information Chris Duran Grants Program Manager City of Austin: Housing Department P.O. Box 1088 Austin, Texas 78767 christian.duran@austintexas.gov 16PR‐10 Consultation ‐ 91.100, 91.200(b), 91.215(l) 1. Introduction As part of the Consolidated Plan process, the Housing Department consulted and collaborated with other City departments in its administration of programs and activities, including Austin Public Health (APH), Economic Development Department (EDD), Homeless Strategy Office (HSO), the Office of Civil Rights, the Office of Resilience, the Office of Telecommunications and Regulatory Affairs (TARA) and the Watershed Protection Department (WPD). Additionally, the Housing Department consults with City boards and commissions and external agencies with missions related to affordable housing and community development. The 47 entities consulted during the Community Needs assessment Period included (but not limited to): ADAPT of Texas, African American Resource Advisory Commission, Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission, Austin Area HIV Planning Council, Austin Housing Repair Coalition, Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable, Building and Strengthening Tenant Action (BASTA), Colony Park Neighborhood Center, College Student Commission, Commission on Aging, Community Development Commission, Early Childhood Council, Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO), Housing Authority of the City of Austin, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) Quality of Life Advisory Commission, and the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities. A full list of meetings that the City conducted as part of its Consolidated Plan Community Needs Assessment process is seen below. A comprehensive Consolidated Plan Community Engagement report on the Community Needs Assessment is found in this document in Attachment I B: Citizen Participation Process. Provide a concise summary of the jurisdiction’s activities to enhance coordination between public and assisted housing providers and private and governmental health, mental health and service agencies (91.215(I)). The City of Austin provides funding to, and works closely in partnership with, the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO)--the entity that also acts as the coordinator of the region’s Continuum of Care (CoC). Leadership from the two local housing authorities, private hospitals, private housing providers, City and County health and human services departments, social service programs that serve the homeless, as well as criminal justice entities, all serve on the ECHO Membership Council. This group holds monthly meetings and provides strategic direction to the Austin/Travis County community regarding issues that impact persons experiencing homelessness. ECHO executive leadership participates in planning partnerships with psychiatric stakeholders, criminal justice executives and employment specialists led by Central Health, Austin-Travis County Integral Care, Travis County Public Safety and Justice, and Goodwill Industries. In 2018, the Membership Council and Austin City Council adopted Austin’s Action Plan to End Homelessness that outlines specific objectives and strategies needed to end homelessness in the community. Describe consultation with the Continuum(s) of Care that serves the jurisdiction's area in determining how to allocate ESG funds, develop performance standards and evaluate outcomes, and develop funding, policies and procedures for the administration of HMIS Pending. 17Additionally, ECHO and the Dell Medical School of the University of Texas at Austin have recently launched the PSH Healthcare Collaborative. Still in the planning phase, this collaborative has brought together public and private healthcare providers, affordable housing providers, social services providers, and other partners and stakeholders to discuss the healthcare needs of permanent supportive housing (PSH) programs and participants. This collaborative will work to reduce the barriers to PSH participants accessing healthcare through continuous quality improvement and active collaboration between providers, funders, and stakeholders. Describe coordination with the Continuum of Care and efforts to address the needs of homeless persons (particularly chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans, and unaccompanied youth) and persons at risk of homelessness HSO, APH, and HD staff actively engage with the CoC providers, stakeholders, and persons with lived expertise. This includes participating in the CoC governance body – the Leadership Council – as well as several of the committees and work groups that serve that body. Most of the agencies in the community serving homeless individuals receive funding from City departments. These departments participate in key ECHO Continuum of Care planning groups to ensure alignment across the community with regards to program standards, HMIS utilization, and other elements central to a coordinated homelessness response system. During development of the Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan, and throughout the year, members of HSO and APH collaborate with ECHO to gather information that informs decisions on ESG allocations, performance standards, and evaluation outcomes. ECHO, HSO, HD, Travis County, and HACA staff also meet regularly to discuss ways to coordinate City and CoC funding that serves people experiencing homelessness. These discussions include topics such as the PSH development pipeline, coordination of housing choice voucher programs, technical assistance and planning needs, policy updates, funding opportunities, and other topics of importance. Describe consultation with the Continuum(s) of Care that serves the jurisdiction's area in determining how to allocate ESG funds, develop performance standards and evaluate outcomes, and develop funding, policies and procedures for the administration of HMIS HSO, APH, and ECHO work together to evaluate outcomes and more closely align CoC and ESG programs. All ESG-funded programs enter data into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and accept referrals for rapid rehousing through the Coordinated Entry method administered by ECHO. HMIS staff analyze data and report progress on ending homelessness to APH and other community entities. In addition, ESG-funded programs are required to report to the City the percent of case- managed households that transition from homelessness into housing. HSO, APH, and ECHO partner to ensure that all rapid rehousing programs and shelter programs are entering data into HMIS in a manner that allows system-wide and City outcomes to be measured and evaluated. The City of Austin has taken an active role in supporting a more effective HMIS so that the data derived from the system can inform policy decisions and identify program effectiveness. The City also contributes local funding to support ECHO staff positions including to support the Coordinated Entry system. City staff have taken an active role with ECHO in developing the coordinated assessment and improving other components of the continuum. 182. Describe Agencies, groups, organizations and others who participated in the process and describe the jurisdictions consultations with housing, social service agencies and other entities. In addition to the information below, please see Attachment I B: Community Engagement Summary for more about the consultation process. Agency/Group/Organization ADAPT of Texas Agency/Group/Organization Type Services ‐ Persons with Disabilities What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Non‐homeless Special Needs How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? ADAPT of Texas is a grassroots disability rights group that works for including through transportation, more accessible communities, housing, public accommodations and governmental buildings and programs. issues City staff sought guidance from ADAPT of Texas & Accessible Housing Austin! on the needs of people living with disabilities in Austin. The group of ADAPT and AHA! staff members and advocates addressed facing the disability community. The a multitude of conversation addressed the lack of funding for homelessness prevention that used to be available and is now more focused on intervention and chronic homelessness. Members specifically addressed a missing priority of addressing the affordability needs of those with disabilities who are not homeless. "What we've been saying forever is consideration of people who are in living situations like nursing homes where the only reason they're in there is because they can't find affordable housing." They spoke of a desperate need for integrated communities, where people with disabilities can live amongst the rest of the community. From their perspective, an important piece of this is to disconnect services from housing. "Do you want your doctor living in your garage?" they asked. "If things go awry, you lose your housing and your medical support." They pleaded for a shift in approach, focused more on moving people out of the nursing homes and having supportive services integrated community. Some of the group members are working to become housing providers but there is a lack of funding to implement density for the communities they serve. They fear relying on large developers to provide deeply affordable housing and want to see funds for nonprofits to help with options such as added accessible ADUs to single-family homes. They urged requirements of any properties that use City funding to accept Section 8 vouchers and to make more units accessible. "They will not be accessible unless we enforce it." They spoke of for more townhomes because those will never be accessible for many people with disabilities. The group went on to discuss the City's role further, noting the unique position the City has, with funding that developers will go after. They want to see more stipulations and more monitoring the built-in discrimination with advocacy in the 19of developers who want to borrow money. They expressed a lack of trust in ensuring accessibility. "Accessibility is taking a back seat." Looking at the last CAPER, they pointed out that no dollars were spent for Rental Housing Development Assistance, and shared the fear that no requirements are attached to development of rental units, further promoting discrimination. Education with developers we work with about what defines accessibility is crucial since we can't trust them to know and really understand what is needed. Where the developments are is also crucial, and can't be in food deserts, public transit deserts, or medical deserts. They brought up the City's architectural barrier removal programs for renters and it's lack of performance. "There is something extremely wrong with that," they insisted, pushing for better marketing and outreach for the program as well as an overhaul of the application process. "If programs are not meeting their goals, you need to take a look at this and ask why." The group made it clear how important it is to understand how the income level of people living with disabilities, many of whom are at 13 percent of the median family income. 30 percent and below is usually focused on PSH, but there are people that don't need that. Living in this situation means that the person who controls your housing also controls your resources and there are plenty of people earning 30 percent of MFI and below who don't need that or don't want to get it from their houser. Other topics addressed included emergency preparedness for people with disabilities, notification for when housing vouchers are available, working with the City demographer to collect more statistics on people living with disabilities in Austin, wages for people who are working on these issues, including direct care workers, attendants, caregivers, and addressing the gaps in support for people with cognitive needs. They pointed out that nothing about disabilities was included in our presentation about community and feedback themes. Other engagement concerns were addressed about the voices of the disability and low-income community. They reminded City staff what we won't hear from these people because they are busy surviving. "The people that work cleaning up our city, that work doing the really essential jobs, bus drivers, if they all move away we don't have anyone to do the things that need to happen." There is a deep sense of fear and frustration that Austin is not a place for people without a lot of money. The group shared frustration about having the same conversation with the City year after year and not seeing any change. City staff committed to meeting more regularly and coming back with updates, as well as developing a list for where to do outreach for accessible units. Agency/Group/Organization African American Resource Advisory Commission Agency/Group/Organization Type Board/Commission City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan20What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Civic Leaders Housing Affordability; Board/Commission How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The African American Resource Advisory Commission (AARAC) advises the City Council on issues relating to the quality of life for the City’s African American community and recommends programs designed to alleviate any inequities that may confront African Americans in social, economic and vocational pursuits, including healthcare, housing, home ownership and homelessness; entertainment opportunities for professionals and students; employment and cultural venues, including museums, theaters, art galleries and music venues. City staff sought guidance from the African American Resource Advisory Commission on the needs and priorities of Austin’s African American community. The commissioners expressed interest in knowing more about the zip codes and other demographics of those served by federal funding, and staff agreed to bring more data back to the commission for future meetings. Staff asked for the commission’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. Agency/Group/Organization Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission Agency/Group/Organization Type Civic Leaders Board/Commission What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Civic Leaders Housing Affordability; Board/Commission How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission advises the City Council on issues related to the Asian American Resource Center and will provide on-going guidance and support for the City's Asian American quality of life initiatives. City staff sought guidance from the Asian American Quality of Life Commission on the needs and priorities of Austin’s Asian American community. Commissioners expressed how important language access is in reaching the Asian American community, which includes many immigrants. They provided helpful examples, such as a phone number that community members can call to request language access. They clarified that this was not only needed for services provided directly by the City, but also with contracted services provided by outside organizations. Commissioners were curious about how the Housing Department works with the Housing Authority and other housing organizations. The commission shared their desire to see demographic information for all programs and wanted to know how the Housing 2221Department is reaching out to the Asian American community. They noted that last year they expressed the need for increased engagement for their community and wanted to know what changes have been made. With many seniors and youth in the Asian American community, the commissioners want to see more focused outreach. Commissioners inquired about specific uses for funding, sharing that many immigrants seek help from churches and other community organizations to get many of their basic needs met. Examples were given about how CDBG funds in other cities have been used for things like an Asian American Community Center and the commissioners wanted to see the Housing Department in conversation with the Asian American Cultural Center in Austin about their plans to build affordable housing with childcare facilities. Staff shared the department’s commitment to continued improvements in targeted outreach as well as enhanced data collection and reporting. Staff also asked for the commission’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. Agency/Group/Organization Austin Area Research Organization (AARO) Agency/Group/Organization Type Planning Organization Regional Organization What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Housing Affordability How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Austin Area Research Organization (AARO) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan network of preeminent Central Texas leaders. Members from Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties work together to shape the future of the region through research and relationships. in systems level work they do with community City staff sought guidance from AARO on the needs and priorities they leaders. A see presentation was given to AARO’s transportation committee as part of a conversation about the intersection of transportation and affordability. Participants were curious to know specifically about local Project Connect funding investments, which the City agreed to address during another presentation. They were curious about triggers for federal dollars and if they get pulled back if we don’t use them. They were also interested in the impact of HOME 2 on housing affordability. Housing staff will look for more dialogue opportunities with more committees for AARO. Agency/Group/Organization Austin Area Urban League 22Agency/Group/Organization Type Civic Leaders What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Homelessness Strategy Housing Affordability How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Austin Area Urban League (AAUL) serves the residents of Austin/Central Texas by creating Equitable Quality of Life opportunity for all, across all aspects of life, and providing tools to African American and underserved populations to build a foundation for social and economic equity and equality. City staff sought guidance from the Austin Area Urban League on the needs of the African American and underserved populations they serve. Staff from AAUL said that the engagement feedback themes shared during the presentation resonated with what they are seeing. They emphasized the increased need for employment and job training. An increased need for communications equipment, such as cell phones, was also discussed, noting the barriers experienced when people don’t have internet or cell service. AAUL was interested in opportunities to expand a partnership with the City beyond home repair programs as they explore entering the space of affordable housing development. City staff added AAUL to a monthly developer newsletter sent by the Housing Department as a way to keep them informed on such opportunities. Agency/Group/Organization Austin Chamber of Commerce Agency/Group/Organization Type Business leaders What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Housing Need Assessment Housing Affordability Economic Development The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce provides leadership that facilitates the creation of a prosperous regional economy. In partnership with chamber members, GACC provides leadership that strengthens the Austin economy, convenes the community, and promotes collaboration so people can live, work, and thrive in Austin. City staff met with leadership of the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce to share about the City’s housing programs and seek guidance from the perspective of the business community. The chamber was interested to learn more about the Family Business Loan program. They were surprised they hadn’t heard about it before and noted that it was a good example of a resource they would want to share with their members. There were also curious about tenants' City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan2323Agency/Group/Organization the need for collaboration and Austin Area HIV Planning Council the dialogue. Agency/Group/Organization Type Other‐ Board/Commission What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Non‐Homeless Special Needs How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? rights assistance. They wanted to understand more about the City's dependence on federal funding, and what would be missing if that funding went away. Leverage and collaboration were of great interest to Chamber leadership and they asked if the funds were amplifying efforts to creating competition. They encouraged City staff to consider where there is an opportunity to leverage funds where they are already working best, especially in consideration of increasing funding from foundations. Childcare and affordability were discussed as major priorities of the chamber. Federal advocacy from the chamber for the year had already been completed so the teams discussed engaging the chamber earlier on in the process next time. The Chamber's leadership also wanted to ensure other cross- organization communication was happening and gave the example of Housing Works as a needed voice in the conversation. They echoed the need for collaboration and want to see the City as the center of the dialogue. The mission of the Austin Area HIV Planning Council is to develop and coordinate effective and comprehensive community responses to HIV. The Council works as a partner with governing bodies of member counties and the State in making decisions about how funds are used to address the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. The Planning Council also performs duties prescribed in the Ryan White Act and complies with requirements impose therein, and with the most current editions of other applicable laws or regulations, including the Public Health Service Ac The area served by the Planning Council consist of the following counties: Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson. consultation living with HIV. Given that the City City staff sought guidance from the HIV Planning Council on the is a needs of those recipient of the HOPWA grant, the HIV Planning Council is planning important a very frustration about the number of process. The council shared lack of follow- surveys from different City Departments and the find housing how up. They expressed to already are for resources, especially and underpaid. overworked to is need give people fastest way the resources possible.” Council it people “The they need is who greatest City's hard the the for in City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan2424members shared their concern with income limits, explaining that some people with a higher income have struggled in the past and still need help. The council strongly advised staff to talk directly with people living with HIV and to meet them where they are. "Ask them: If you could create a process that works for you, what would that be?" They encouraged staff to look for places where trust has already been built and to become trusted sources within the City by listening to the trusted community leaders. Council members asked for a continuous needs assessment process that is always open and builds on the data from other survey initiatives. They wanted to see a "one- stop-shop" for someone about the become homeless and discussed the need for preventative services. The council asked for a follow-up meeting, which staff agreed to. Staff shared the department's commitment to enhancing data collection and reporting. Staff also asked for the council's help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. Agency/Group/Organization Austin Housing Coalition Agency/Group/Organization Type Housing What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Non‐Homeless Special Needs How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Founded in 2003, the Austin Housing Coalition represents the community of “housers” across Austin and Central Texas. AHC is comprised of nonprofits, affordable housing developers, housing and policy experts, and other interested organizations, businesses, and residents who support the development of safe, affordable housing for Austin residents. AHC members work to house people experiencing homelessness, repair the houses of low-income homeowners, provide quality affordable rental housing, and empower low-income households to become successful, first-time homebuyers. City staff sought guidance from the Austin Housing Coalition on the needs and priorities they see across the housing ecosystem. The decline in downpayment assistance funding through federal dollars was discussed, with some organizations making note to inform their teams and talk through implications. Members of the coalition were curious if home sales went back up over the next few years, would there be an opportunity to increase the downpayment assistance? Overall there was a surprise to hear about a decrease in funding and they wondered if other metros were losing funding as well. Some funding of services at Permanent members advocated for 2625Supportive Housing facilities. Housing staff committed to ongoing dialogue with the coalition about the community’s needs. Agency/Group/Organization Austin Housing Repair Coalition (AHRC) Agency/Group/Organization Type Housing What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Non‐Homeless Special Needs How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Austin Home Repair Coalition provides low-income families, the disabled, and the elderly with services that restore feelings of security, health, and well-being, and independent living. City staff sought guidance from the Austin Home Repair Coalition on the needs and priorities they see across the home repair ecosystem. Members of the coalition were curious about whether the goal for repairs in the coming years would remain the same, noting that the Strategic Housing Blueprint calls for 600 repairs per year. The County’s septic tank repair and replacement programs were brought up, noting that lots of property owners need that, and members were curious if that was part of the conversation this year. The coalition agreed that the needs presented during the presentation were a “good pulse” on what organizations are seeing, specifically the needs under the categories of immediate help, maintaining stability, and trust. They were curious about what changes City staff expected to see in the needs and to consider what deeper needs might exist that the survey doesn’t capture. They wondered what affordable might mean to different people and asked if it was possible to see the survey data broken down by income level. Staff shared appreciation for the input and committed to following up with the data later in the year. Agency/Group/Organization Austin Public Health (APH) Agency/Group/Organization Type Grantee Department 2726What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Homelessness Strategy Homeless Needs ‐ Chronically homeless Homeless Needs ‐ Families with children Homelessness Needs ‐ Veterans Homelessness Needs ‐ Unaccompanied youth Homelessness Needs ‐ Persons with HIV/AIDS HOPWA Strategy How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The City Council designates APH to administer the HOPWA and ESG programs. Housing Department and Austin Public Health staff and APH meet quarterly to discuss the administration of the ESG and HOPWA programs, and to collaborate on the development of the Consolidated Plan, Action Plan, and CAPER. APH staff participated in the majority of our consultations as partners on the community needs assessment. Throughout the process, our departments noted ways to enhance collaboration moving forward. Agency/Group/Organization Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable Agency/Group/Organization Type Regional Organization What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Non‐Homeless Special Needs How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable is a community coalition of individuals directly impacted by the criminal legal system, academics, service providers, practitioners, community leaders, policymakers, and advocates working to address the challenges to effective reentry and reintegration. The Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable works to promote a community that values and supports equity for formerly incarcerated persons and individuals with justice involvement. City staff sought guidance from the Reentry Roundtable on the needs of community members who have been incarcerated. The coalition expressed how important it is to understand the needs of this community and how forgotten these community members often feel. Partnership between all levels of government is needed to address these challenges. Income levels were discussed as a primary area of concern. They shared concerns that the state has made it clear they will not be meaningfully addressing the issue of pay for this population, so the City and the County need to partner to build 2827out that continuum of care for some of our most vulnerable community members. Other priorities included: increasing the availability and affordability of culturally competent and trauma- informed mental health services in the community; implementing alternatives to incarceration, such as diversion programs, that connect people with mental illness to treatment and support instead of jail or prison; providing adequate training and education for criminal justice professionals on how to recognize and respond to mental health issues among people of color; and reducing the stigma and discrimination that people of color with mental illness face in both the mental health and criminal justice systems. Agency/Group/Organization BASTA (Building and Strengthening Tenant Action) Agency/Group/Organization Type Services‐Housing What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Tenants Rights How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? BASTA (Building and Strengthening Tenant Action) builds tenant power by bringing underrepresented Austin renters into a housing justice movement fueled by tenant-led organizing, community education, and outreach. BASTA’s work is centered on dismantling the systems that prevent tenants from living in dignified and healthy homes. BASTA envisions a future where the collective action of Austin renters has brought dignified, healthy and affordable housing to all. City staff sought guidance from BASTA on the needs of the underrepresented renters they work with. BASTA staff addressed how we talk about long-term stability, and stressed the importance of not focusing completely on homeownership. When homeownership remains the only goal instead of focusing on a variety of ways to create long-term stability, "this keeps renters out of the conversation...and makes everyone who we work with feel less than." They discussed the need for better success measures for City programs, advocating for feedback from recipients and tenants about developers, property managers, and other services. BASTA staff wanted to see more City-owned senior properties with voucher programs. The intersection of housing and utility costs was discussed, especially in the context of climate change, and BASTA staff pointed out that there are no incentives for weatherization on multi-family properties. One of the largest concerns BASTA shared was the lack of good property management companies and encouraged City staff to City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan2828think about what the ecosystem could look like. This conversation also addressed being able to track data from rental properties, which could include a registration system with contact information for individual units. Another concern addressed was fines and fees. In some cases, rent is going down but fees are going up, creating a false narrative about rental affordability. This includes things like fire hydrant fees, mandatory cable and internet fees, and eviction fees. BASTA suggested that RHDA guidelines could address this. They wanted to understand more of the City's commitment to fair housing and were curious about the status of the Office of Civil Rights hiring someone to focus on this. BASA staff appreciated a shift from pas years in intention from the City with this year's needs assessment, and they agreed to help spread the word about the needs assessment survey. Agency/Group/Organization Capital Area Council of of Governments (CAPCOG) - Area Agency on Aging and the Aging and Disability Resource Center Agency/Group/Organization Type Regional Organization; Planning Organization Services - Elderly Persons Services - Persons with Disabilities What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Housing Need Assessment Economic Development From emergency communications to economic development, some things just make sense for collaboration at the regional level, and the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) helps make that happen every day. Formed in 1970 and one of 24 councils of governments in Texas, CAPCOG for more than 50 years has served as an advocate, planner and coordinator on important regional issues in the 10-county Austin metropolitan area. The Area Agency on Aging of the Capital Area (AAACAP) serves older adults, people with disabilities and their caregivers with a variety of services and supports throughout the region. It works to ensure people can maintain their best quality of life in the environment of their choosing. It also operates the Aging and Disability Resource Center of the Capital Area (ADRC-CAP), which connects people with the support programs that can assist them. City Staff met with CAPCOG staff as part of the community needs assessment to understand shared challenges in addressing community needs with a specific focus on their work with older adults. CAPCOG staff shared about their Housing Navigators program, which promotes accessible and inclusive housing. There are only 2 navigators and they get approximately 30 calls per day. They use an interactive map on their website of affordable housing. CAPCOG staff were curious if ESG funds City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan2929could be used for things such as fires. They shared that weatherization is needed for the homes of the people they work with, emphasizing the danger in this area if the air conditioning breaks. They talked about the data they collect and City staff agreed that this information would be very helpful to share. CAPCOG administers money from Austin Energy for utility service and they shared that the program’s accessibility makes it very successful. When people call, they get taken care of immediately, as long as there is still money. It’s an accessible and simple process. They shared that they are good about tracking what people call in about but have room for improvement on collecting unmet needs. They have seen requests for rental assistance go up. CAPCOG staff also noted that the percentage of money/income that goes to healthcare is high for older adults. A lot of people are moving their parents to this area, and the needs are increasing. They recommended putting needs assessment surveys in senior centers and agreed to help spread the word. Agency/Group/Organization Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) Agency/Group/Organization Type Regional Organization Planning Organization What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Intergovernmental Coordination How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties. MPOs are federally required throughout the country in areas with a population of 50,000 or more and are required to produce a 20+ year transportation plan, called a Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), and a four-year planning document called the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). City staff met with CAMPO staff as part of the community needs assessment to understand shared challenges in addressing community needs and create a broader understand of regional needs and priorities. CAMPO staff shared about long-range transportation planning, developing and maintaining regional plans and specifically of the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan. They discussed the component of the plan focused on housing coordination planning on a regional level. This process is leading staff to explore where CAMPO fits in the process for regional housing approaches. While specific goals remain undefined, it has become clear that there is a need to be coordinating with entities that are working in housing. One staff member shared about the research they were working on about the HOME acts with City of Austin. As an agency that is primarily federally funded, CAMPO City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan30City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan3030staff was interested in continuing dialogue with the City about the federally funded programs. They explained their use of the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) which supports their work with things like walk and biking programs and the carbon reduction program. They also talked about the federal funding they administer to cities and counties through CAMPO’s long-range plan. Projects are prioritized through a series of goals and objectives established by members of the board. Equity is one of those primary goals. They look at demographics through census tracts for identifiers such as low income, people over 65, and households with no access to a car. In looking at households that receive services from the Housing Department, any information on the tract level about how the money is distributed can help CAMPO understand where there is need and could help evaluate equity measures for projects that get funded in those zones. CAMPO staff shared about a white paper they are working on looking at senior centers and other things that would provide services plus the transportation to get there. They’ve found that many people have to go far to reach critical services. Many folks who need federal programs need transportation, and the staff was curious if HUD funding could be used for things such as pick- up services. They talked about the work they’re doing with the transportation department on transportation-demand modeling, and a regional TDM program. One of the inputs for this model is how jobs and housing are dispersed. They wanted to know who they could talk to at affordable housing facilities so that they could explore the transportation access issues people living there are experiencing. They asserted that we cannot silo feedback. “Transportation issues can’t be separated from housing issues.” They expressed interest in seeing the components of the needs assessment survey related to transportation. Staff agreed to stay for opportunities to collaborate in the future. in touch and look Agency/Group/Organization Caritas Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Housing; Services - Homeless Services - Employment; Services - Education Other - Services - Veterans What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment; Homeless Needs- Chronically homeless; Homeless Needs - Families with children; Homelessness Needs - Veterans; Homelessness Strategy; Other - Housing Affordability City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan3131How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The mission of Caritas is to prevent and end homelessness for people in Greater Austin. Caritas of Austin believes that when every person has a stable place to call home, they can realize their full potential and contribute to our community. Caritas builds wellbeing by making sure that people have a safe home, access to healthy groceries, jobs that provide a reliable living wage, and educational opportunities to learn life skills.City staff sough guidance from Caritas on the needs of the community members they serve. The staff talked about the lack of food security in our community and expected to see that as a higher need in the survey. The discussion focused on how the topic of homelessness has become so polarized and how we need to educate people in order to reduce fear and increase collaboration. Legislation and policy change is a need that Caritas is addressing by hiring a government affairs position. The desire to see more collaboration between providers was stressed. Needs for childcare, job training, support for domestic violence survivors, and support for young mother were also discussed. City staff and Caritas staff agree to look for more opportunities to work together and spread knowledge about existing resources. Agency/Group/Organization Catholic Charities of Central Texas Services - Homeless; Services - Health Housing Need Assessment Agency/Group/Organization Type What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Catholic Charities of Central Texas (CCCTX) is a faith-based social services organization serving individuals and families across 25 Central Texas counties. City staff sought guidance from CCCTX regarding top needs of the community members they serve and how the City can more effectively serve those populations. CCCTX leadership expressed their perspective of the importance of programs that offer direct, short- term assistance to low- and moderate-income individuals and families, in addition to programs that assist individuals and families in achieving long term stability. In addition, CCCTX highlighted the extremely motivating "power of hope" that they see among their clientele when able to achieve hope in a path forward to stability and prosperity. The conversation led to agreement that there would be great benefit in partnering through events in which City staff present to CCCTX clientele about Housing Department programming, particularly regarding the Down Payment Assistance program. The City and CCCTX look forward to further collaboration. 3332Agency/Group/Organization Central Health Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Health Health Agency Publicly Funded Institution/System of Care What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Public Institution Coordination How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Central Health is Travis County’s taxpayer-funded hospital district and works to close gaps in healthcare by offering more care to more people in more places. Central Health provides health and wellness services that make healthcare better for all of Travis County, including direct medical care in various specialties and lines of service that bridge the deepest gaps in Travis County’s safety-net system – from podiatry to pulmonology to palliative care. Central Health also administers the Medical Access Program (MAP), which covers healthcare costs for county residents with low income. City staff sought guidance from Central Health leaders on the needs of the community members they serve. Central Health staff wanted to understand more about how all parts of the housing ecosystem work together, including ECHO, HACA, AHFC, the Housing Department, and the Homeless Strategies Office. They observed the complicated system of how all the organizations work together. With significant housing needs for those they serve, especially medically complex individuals who are experiencing homelessness, Central Health staff were interested in exploring how to plug in. They were also very interested in learning about the City’s federally funded housing programs and saw obvious and immediate opportunities to help connect the people they serve with those resources. They asked for a resource guide for Central Health case managers and suggested hosting a quarterly update for partner organizations to learn about the programs and how they can help spread the word. They said their teams could help people apply for services. A follow-up meeting was scheduled to discuss more opportunities to partner at multiple levels. 33Agency/Group/Organization Child, Inc. Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Children Services - Education Services - Persons with Disabilities Services - Health What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Other - Housing Affordability How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Child Inc., founded in 1972, is a nonprofit organization providing low- income families with comprehensive early childhood education, mental health services, disabilities services, nutritional services, medical and dental services, social services and parent engagement activities. City staff sought guidance from Child Inc. on the needs of the low- income families they serve. Child Inc. staff talked about significant affordability challenges. "Affordable housing rates are still not affordable to our families," they shared. Emergency childcare for essential workers was discussed as a high need. They voiced concerns about what will happen when funding sources run out. They were curious about the process for applying for services and were very interested in connecting their families with the opportunities, calling them "hidden jewels." They were interested in support for their Teen Parents Program and how they might be able to partner with other agencies that receive federal funding from the City. Specifically, connecting Child Inc. with Integral Care was highlighted as a follow-up item. They talked about the mental health needs of children who experienced trauma and the special needs of children with conditions such as Autism. They asked for someone from the Housing Department to come talk to their employees about Down Payment Assistance and shared that they have staff members taking out of their retirement in order to buy a home. They explained that they do needs assessments with their families and can use that as an opportunity to learn more about their housing needs. They asked for materials that they could share with them. City staff committed to following up on all of the partnership opportunities. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan3434Agency/Group/Organization City of Austin Economic Development Department Agency/Group/Organization Type Other‐Grantee Department What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Economic Development How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Through traditional and equity‐based approaches, EDD leads the global business expansion, urban regeneration, small business development, cultural arts, and music efforts for Austin. They develop innovative programs that increase the prosperity of all Austinites, our businesses and our diverse communities. federal Housing Department staff met with staff from the Economic inform them about the needs Development Department to funding assessment and discuss specific areas of administered by their team. The teams discussed the Family Loan Program and the challenges the program is experiencing. To receive the loans, businesses must employ low- and moderate-income individuals. However, the target market, set by City Council, has a hard time qualifying for the loans. There is a 120 percent collateral required, and this creates a significant barrier. EDD staff was curious to see if it would be possible to use CDBG funds to create a collateral backup assistance fund. While the program was designed to make loan fund more accessible, FDA loans are much easier to obtain. The two departments will continue to collaborate in order to maximize the impact of these funds. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan3535Agency/Group/Organization City of Austin Equity Office Agency/Group/Organization Type Agency - Equity What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Intragovernmental Coordination Interdepartmental Coordination Equity Analysis How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The City of Austin's Equity Office provides leadership, guidance, and insight on equity to improve the quality of life for Austinities. The Office strive to achieve the vision of making Austin the most livable city in the nation for all, while building and sustaining a culture of equity across the City. This requires tackling touch issues such as institutional racism and implicit bias. Creating a culture of equity will ensure we are meeting the needs of all residents. Housing Department staff me with staff from the Equity Office to inform them of the needs assessment and ask for their input from an equity perspective. The equity team addressed many areas of concern. These included questionable practices of landlords, protection of immigrant communities, program evaluation, language access, and the City's role in continuing to cause harm to low-income communities of color. They were curious about how funds were dispersed. They emphasized how important it is to focus fund on those who need help the most and to truly distinguish affordable from deeply affordable. They asked how things like "affirmatively affirming fair housing" are playing a role. They wanted to know how programs are evaluated, what type of feedback is collected and how that feedback is used. They wanted to see accountability in data analysis, with a true understanding if funding is making a different in racial equity. "What's missing is a historical narrative for federal funding and how the department has engaged with the community over time. Outline when it began and how it has evolved over time." They want to see the process address and not perpetuate historical harm, looking honestly at how these funds have been used to the detriment of certain communities. Telling the story in a way that is understandable for the community is an important piece of engagement that they want to see incorporated. Thinking about harm and history is imperative. The Equity staff pointed out that it's not a part of City narrative that housing units produce for people with low-income has been decreasing over the years. They shared the needs assessment with Living Cities and were curious why the data points are not being shared by the City of Austin. How is this connected to the legacy of displacement. The team talked about the 37City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan3636importance of correlating who is saying what when collecting data. Paid engagement was discussed as a necessary element, and the team wanted to know if community advisory boards have been considered. There was a desire to talk more about how we can work together on a family stabilization program, which needs a dedicated funding source. The majority of people use this type of funding on housing. The team was happy to see a shift in engagement from past years, noting that it "can be demoralizing to hear things like "that's not what this meeting is about" when participating in the past. The Housing and Equity teams agreed to meet regularly to follow up on items discussed and create equitable engagement for the Housing Department moving forward. Agency/Group/Organization City of Austin Homeless Strategy Office Agency/Group/Organization Type Agency - Homelessness What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assesssment; Homeless Needs - Chronically Homeless; Homeless Needs - Families with Children; Homelessness Needs - Veternas; Homelessness Needs - Unaccompanied Youth; Homelessness Strategy; Intragovernmental Coordination; Interdepartmental Coordination How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Homeless Strategy Office (HSO) serves as a focal point for addressing homelessness strategically, and compassionately. comprehensively, The Homeless Strategies Office will begin to administer some of the programs funded by federal dollars. Housing staff met with HSO to begin during the needs assessment process as a way structuring collaborative dialogue. The team discussed anticipated changes in funding and how gaps may be addressed. Staff agreed to continue open communication about community needs and how to address them together. 3837Agency/Group/Organization City of Austin Office of Civil Rights Agency/Group/Organization Type Agency - Civil Rights Services - Fair Housing What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Tenants Rights Intragovernmental Coordination Interdepartmental Coordination How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The mission of the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is to advance civil rights through thoughtful community and business engagement, strategic enforcement, and innovative policy development, with a commitment to race and social justice. The Office of Civil Rights’ (OCR) primary goal is promoting the fair treatment of all in the areas of Employment, Housing, Fair Chance, individuals Title VI, Title II, Veteran Services and Public Accommodations. Housing Department staff met with staff from the Office of Civil Rights to inform them about the needs assessment and discuss areas of overlap when assessing community needs. The OCR team was curious about guidance from HUD on the new equity plan. They were interested to hear about lessons learned from the program where people were given $1000, knowing that most people spent the money on housing. They discussed the big gap where Austin Tenants Council used to be and the need for more advertising and outreach for TRLA. They shared that their department has been getting lots of calls about ADA violations and asked what requirements for accessibility existed for the homes the Housing Department builds. They asked if positions could be funded through CDBG and if there would be an increase in funding. Housing staff committed to sending more information about the Architectural Barrier Removal program and connecting the OCR staff with the housing development program team to further discuss accessibility requirements for development partners. (cid:22)(cid:28)City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan3838Agency/Group/Organization City of Austin Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management Services Agency/Group/Organization Type Agency - Emergency Management What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Intersection of Housing & Emergency Management Intragovernmental Coordination How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The City of Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) plans and prepares for emergencies, educates the public about preparedness, develops volunteers, manages grant funding to improve homeland security and public safety capabilities, coordinates emergency response and recovery, supports planned events, and works with public and partner organizations to protect our whole community when it needs us the most. Housing Department staff met with staff from HSEM to inform them about the needs assessment and discuss areas of overlap when assessing community needs. The team talked about instances in which something can happen in the community that doesn’t rise to the level of a disaster, such as a hail event. Emergency management doesn’t have an active role in situations like this, so when it comes to recovery there is no federal funding. However, that doesn’t mean that people aren’t in need of help. People with means have insurance, but those who may be uninsured or underinsured might have damage they can’t afford to fix. Some households end up with multiple cars damaged and can’t get to work. This is a major gap and HSEM staff is not always able to connect folks with the right resources. ReadyCentralTexas.org is a one-stop shop for response and recovery. HSEM staff wants to see more collaboration on a city- wide level so that we can point people to the right resources when they are experiencing emergencies. This would lead to a collective understanding of what all the resources are and HSEM can say “Here's where EOC can meet needs, Here’s who can help otherwise.” Challenges with HACA properties were discussed, noting a gap in communication with property owners during an emergency, ie water gets cut off. HACA doesn’t have the capacity to knock on doors and check on people or check on them in any way. Those facilities don’t often have what they need for people to stay in place and folks end up in shelters. How can we work in advance to help educate people on what they will need or where they can go for shelter? HSEM is often looked at as the problem solvers for the City, and they need to share the responsibility across departments and 4039during available follow-up meeting agencies. Housing and HSEM discussed a landscape of service to continue the conversation about the providers This conversation could also include the Sustainability Office who is working on resiliency hubs and has a vendor into community perceptions and needs. They are exploring what people need during disasters and what organizations they trust. Sharing survey results was also discussed as another follow-up item. emergency situations. looking Agency/Group/Organization City of Austin Watershed Protection Department Agency/Group/Organization Type Agency - Managing Flood Prone Areas Agency - Management of Public Land or Water Resources What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Intersection of Housing & Watershed Protection Intragovernmental Coordination Interdepartmental Coordination How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Watershed Protection protects lives, property and the environment of our community by reducing the impact of flooding, erosion and water pollution. Housing Department staff met with staff from the Watershed Protection Department to inform them about the needs assessment and discuss areas of overlap when assessing community needs. The Watershed Protection team was curious about who the Housing Department serves and how Median Family Income numbers are calculated. In the work they do Watershed staff often see the needs of seniors, who may be above MFI levels but still unable to afford their home in a gentrifying neighborhood. When looking at income and wages as a major community need, they discussed staffing needed at the City, which makes a livable wage. The team shared findings from their department's engagement process for their strategic plan, Rain to River, noting that housing issues came up frequently. These challenges included the rising cost of homes, renting, and taxes due to our unstable economy, all leading to the displacement of many residents. People who are being pushed out of their community are not able to visit waterways and natural spaces in Austin because now it’s too far to travel. Most people they talked to said that they love Austin. However, they don’t see themselves in the future of Austin. They feel as if Austin isn’t built with them in mind or that it is changing in a way 41City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan4040that prioritizes other people and excludes people like them. They heard a lot from renters, including that they weren’t aware that they may be renting in a location that is flood-prone. In addition, immigrant tenants felt taken advantage of and had little to no resources available to them after major flooding events. Lots of interviewees also expressed concerns with flooding of buildings, driveways, and parking areas within apartment complexes. People were also concerned about dumpsters overflowing at apartment complexes, and when it rains, there is trash everywhere. This shows the intersection of tenants' rights with Watershed Protection and the need for training on what the law says. The team discussed putting the Watershed Protection team in touch with TRLA. The staff talked about the need to prioritize services for people in floodplains and updated guidance on home repair when in a floodplain to avoid immediately disqualifying people. “One thing that we run into often are residents that call 311 regarding a drainage issue, but then they have other home repair needs. It feels a little helpless to just send them to a website to apply. I've known of at least one occasion where WPD staff actually filled out the application for the resident.” Just the thought of applying for something that isn't a sure thing seems to be a major deterrent. But, even a handout with a consolidated list of resources that the Watershed Projection drainage investigators and engineers could keep on hand could be helpful. The Watershed Team shared about the Rain Catcher Program, which could provide resources for rainwater collection as part of home repair and can help address local water issues. They discussed the ease and metal release for people in knowing they have extra water sources during emergency situations. They are collaborating with Austin Water and the Development Services Department and would like to bring the Housing Department to continue discussing cross-department partnerships to educate staff who are out in the field about services that are available to the community and look for other collaborative opportunities. teams agreed that. The into Agency/Group/Organization City of Round Rock, TX Office of Community and Neighborhood Services CDBG Division Agency/Group/Organization Type Other government‐Local What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Needs Assessment 42City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan4141How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? City of Austin Housing Department staff met with staff of the adjacent jurisdiction of the City of Round Rock, specifically the Office Community and Neighborhood Services CDBG Division. City staff of the respective jurisdictions shared with each other about their Consolidated Plan processes and how they go about executing various housing and public services programming. City staff were glad to have connected and have continued to communicate on various topics when one jurisdiction may be of assistance to the other. Agency/Group/Organization College Student Commission (CSC) Other‐ Board/Commission Housing Need Assessment Agency/Group/Organization Type What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The College Student Commission represents this constituency of the City by serving as an advisory board to the city council concerning issues affecting the quality of life for higher education students in the Austin area. The commission advises the council on topics that affect college students in the Austin area including, but not limited issues relating to transportation, housing, affordability, to, immigration, and public safety. The commission evaluates and recommends programs, policies, and practices that could improve the quality of life of college students in the Austin area, and provides opportunities for college students to contribute to the City's culture, economy, and character, and promote such contributions. City staff sought guidance from the College Student Commission on the needs and priorities of Austin’s College Student community. Commissioners wanted to ensure that people in school are being engaged in processes like this and had great questions about how the funding is used. They expressed concern for students who don’t qualify for programs based on their family’s income even though they do not receive any support from their family. Commissioners shared about how important mental health services are for college students, especially long-term care. They were curious how students could receive assistance paying rent and if funding is available for students who aren’t full-time residents of Austin. Staff shared appreciation for the input and asked for the commission’s help in spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. Agency/Group/Organization Commission for Aging 4342Agency/Group/Organization Type Other‐ Board/Commission What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Non‐Homeless Special Needs How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Commission on Aging serves as an advisory board to the Council concerning the quality of life for older adults in the Austin area and to help ensure they are productive, independent, and healthy. The commission advises the Council on issues related to the older adult population in the Austin area; evaluates and recommends programs, policies, and practices that create a positive impact and reduce the burden on older adults; determines the needs of older adults in the Austin community, and advises Council regarding these needs; and promotes the contributions of older adults to the cultural, economic, and historical value of Austin. aging of Austin's City staff sought guidance from the Commission on Aging about the needs and priorities The commissioners expressed interest in knowing more about the number of seniors being served by all HUD and housing programs and the percentage of funding going toward seniors. Staff shared the department’s commitment to enhancing data collection and reporting. Staff also asked for the commission’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. community. Agency/Group/Organization Commission on Veteran Affairs Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Veterans Civic Leaders Board/Commission What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Homelessness Needs - Veterans How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Commission on Veteran Affairs serves as an advisory body to the Council concerning the wellbeing of military veterans in the Austin area. The commission shall evaluate and recommend programs, policies, and practices designed to alleviate veteran's difficulties in meeting basic needs, obtaining housing, employment, and comprehensive mental health assistance; and act as a central 4443clearinghouse for information relating to the status of veterans in the Austin community. City staff sough guidance from the Commission on Veterans Affairs about the needs and priorities of Austin's veteran community. The commissioners wanted to know which veteran organizations the Housing Department has relationships with. They were curious about the number of veterans served as well as the barriers veterans face in accessing services. The commissioners discussed the potential benefits of housing specifically for homeless veterans. The commission followed up after the meeting with the following recommendations: Established a comprehensive data collection system; research and collaborate with federal, state and nonprofit organizations; leverage dedicated programs and services for veterans; increase outreach and awareness efforts; and implement regular evaluation and continuous improvements. Staff shared appreciation for the input and asked for the commission's help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. Agency/Group/Organization Community Development Commission (CDC) Agency/Group/Organization Type Board/Commission What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Homeless Needs - Chronically Homeless Homeless Needs - Families with Children Non-Homless Special Needs Economic Development Household Affordability 44How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Community Development Commission advises the Council in the development and implementation of programs designed to serve the poor and the community at large with emphasis on federally funded programs. City staff sought guidance from the Community Development Commission on the needs and priorities of Austin’s low-income communities. Commissioners asked for more detailed information about who has been served and emphasized wanting to see these details for homebuyer programs in particular. They wanted to know more about the needs assessment process, including who City staff would be meeting with and how the information would be reported back. They stressed the importance of the commissioners seeing all the comments and input. Commissioners questioned how their specific neighborhoods had been contacted about the needs assessment, with concern that not enough was being done to reach the voices of those most impacted. The commission was disappointed in the amount of surveys that had been completed so far. They suggested that the goal should be quantity and not limited to a certain amount of time. They asked about the ability to track how many surveys were submitted from specific areas of town. The topic of survey fatigue was also addressed, and a recommendation was made to spend time rethinking what the survey process should look like. Paper surveys in rec centers and health facilities were recommended as one way to increase outreach city-wide. Commissioners also expressed the desire to see funding sources for block walkers and canvassers in areas that haven’t been targeted. They also wanted to see feedback between different needs assessments, specifically the CSBG assessment, shared between departments. Commissioners asked about the anticipated amount for CDBG funding and if there was a chance to see an increase in dollars. The commission shared the importance of Austin Public Health being well-funded and well-staffed with people who speak Spanish. Commissioners echoed community input about the funding needs for infrastructure. Monitoring and evaluation of current agencies was also discussed. Staff shared appreciation for the input and asked for the commissioners’ help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. Agency/Group/Organization Community Technology & Telecommunications Commission (CTTC) Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Narrowing the Digital Divide Board/Commission 45What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Digital Needs of the Community How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? the City Council community sources of on services, new The Community Technology and Telecommunication Commission technology, advised telecommunications for access television projects, new sources of funding for community technology projects, allocation of annual financial support and franchise holders, access evaluation of the performance of contractors, television technology and other contractors, including development of criteria to be used for evaluations. The commission promotes access to telecommunications services and community technologies. community funding on the City staff sought guidance from the Community Technology and Telecommunications technology Commission and communications needs and priorities in Austin. Commissions shared that they had recently submitted budget recommendations and were curious if the Community Development Commission or any other commission was able to make recommendations to the Housing Department. When presented with the needs that the Housing Department has been hearing, commissioners asked why digital issues were not included and suggested those be added to the same category as support with utilities. A discussion about barriers to accessing programs led to a commissioner asking the question, “Is digital connectivity a means to an end? Wouldn’t that help people have more access to resources?” The conversation concluded with a commitment from Housing staff to be more vigilant about where digital connectivity and housing intersect. Agency/Group/Organization Dove Springs Proud Agency/Group/Organization Type Neighborhood Organization What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment City Partnership with Neighborhood Organizations 46How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Dove Springs Proud (DSP) founded Oct 9, 2013 is a private member- only volunteer civic group of those who have lived, grew up, work, advocate or currently live in 78744. The Dove Springs Proud mission is to support all youth and residents in 78744, by raising money, and hosting annual events in. City staff sought guidance from Dove Springs Proud on the needs and priorities they see in their community. They shared that the most pressing issues in Dove Springs is affordable housing for households at 50 percent of median family income and below. They stressed the need to focus on deeper affordability than HUD requires, with 80 percent of MFI being way too high for this neighborhood. There is a desire for more ownership opportunities. Current residents would like to have a community land trust with people from the neighborhood to have the first pick and be the first told about the new units coming online. They shared a need for a mix of housing types – rental and ownership, different sizes, etc. Without affordable housing options, many people who grew up in the neighborhood cannot afford to live here anymore. They were hopeful about a new Housing Authority development that is bringing new housing to the neighborhood. They discussed the fact that Dove Springs is a food dessert. They’re proud of the work they’ve done to improve the areas and have seen drops in crime as well as improved green spaces and parks. They’re also looking forward to a new health facility coming to Dove Springs this year that will hopefully address a lot of the issues the community is seeing. There are a lot of in-home childcare facilities in the area and childcare will also be provided at the new health facility. City staff and Dove Springs Proud leadership agreed upon a few follow-up items and continued dialogue. The City will share data collection and Dove Springs Proud will help spread the word about housing programs. The teams also discussed a customized survey they could both use. Agency/Group/Organization Early Childhood Council Agency/Group/Organization Type Other‐ Board/Commission What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Economic Development 47How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Early Childhood Council makes recommendations to Council for the creation, development, and implementation of programs that promote optimal development for young children; and programs and activities that contribute to the continued development of a system of high‐quality early care and education and after‐school programs for Austin's children. City staff sought guidance from the Early Childhood Council on the needs and priorities of young children in Austin. The council members expressed concern about decreased funding and the impact on households. They stressed the need for a singular point of access and wanted to know what was being done to address this need. Council members asked if funds could be used to repair and enhance homes that serve as childcare facilities and encouraged policy change to make that possible. Staff shared appreciation for the input from the council and asked for their help in spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. Agency/Group/Organization Family Eldercare Services - Elderly Persons Services - Health Services - Transportation Housing Need Assessment Agency/Group/Organization Type What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Family Eldercare provides services that promote dignity and stability for older adults and people with disabilities. City staff sought guidance from Family Eldercare on the needs of the older adults and people with disabilities they serve. Family Eldercare staff talked about the work they’ve been doing with the City’s federal funds since 2009. They have been able to reshape services over the years to better meet the community needs for older adults and specifically mentioned the geriatric case management and billpayer programs. They shared anecdotal data on the needs that their case managers witness. Affordable housing is the biggest need. They talked about the need for homelessness prevention, and that while there is so much out there for true crisis (i.e. a notice to vacate or eviction) they have lost a lot of funding for people are just low-income and struggling. “If you don’t have a voucher or are in subsidized housing, you’re one incident short of losing housing.” Transportation is another significant need their staff sees, especially transportation to medical appointments. People don’t know about PARD’s Senior Transportation Program. Other medical needs they see are challenges navigating 48insurance and other medical opportunities or benefits, switching meds to find discounts and finding in-home care. For many of the people that Family Eldercare serves, it is hard to move around and things like yard work do not get done. While this need seems small, they shared that it is common for folks to get code violations. To further complicate the situation, their clients hear that seniors are getting scammed, so they won’t even ask their neighbors for help. Family Eldercare staff also shared their intake referral data. They received 2379 calls for assistance last year, roughly 200 per month. Thirty one percent called for housing and sixty five percent were referred out for affordable housing. Unfortunately, they often have to tell people they need to wait until they get a notice to vacate before they can receive support. The zip code with the largest number of calls was 78753. They talked about the need for funding that is not time limited. They shared that a nice thing about CDBG funds is the light touch support they are able to provide for older adults, with some clients receiving finding for more than 20 years. Their goal is to be able to keep people housed and/or transition into more affordable housing. They talked about the needs of developmentally disabled adults who don't have anyone outside of Family Eldercare to support them. These individuals struggle with paying their rent and making it to appointments and would be at risk of being institutionalized. They discussed the different needs of rapid rehousing and permanent intervention. "it is so much cheaper to prevent rather than to rehouse or intervene in other ways later!" Family Eldercare found the Rental assistance through El Buen to be helpful for their clients but expressed difficulties in accessing the funds. The need is so great that people are anxiously waiting on the lottery system, which missed the mark on trauma informed care, creating another layer of anxiety and trauma. They also shared concerns about funding sources running out, and the limited amount of permanent supportive housing for older adults in the region. They mentioned a survey by UT focused on the Aging services in Austin as a good resource. City staff and Family Eldercare both look forward to continued partnership through both federal funding and other opportunities. Agency/Group/Organization Google Fiber Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Broadband Internet Service Provider What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Digital Needs of the Community City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan4949How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? As a broadband service provider, Google Fiber believes everyone deserves access to fast, reliable internet, because access to fast, reliable internet means access to new opportunities, windows to curiosity, and resources beyond measure. Google Fiber works hand- in-hand with partners in the community to help close the digital divide. City staff sought guidance from staff at Google Fiber to learn about community needs from the perspective of a broadband service provider working on digital divide issues. They talked about their partnerships with the Housing Authority to provide free internet, sharing that it is easier to build this into new construction than to retrofit older properties. They discussed the efforts to work with more Permanent Supportive Housing properties as well. They prefer to work with properties that are owned by the City. The federal Affordable Connections Program was discussed as a helpful tool, with the hope that funding could continue. Primary needs raised during the conversation focused on handholding and trust building in the community, which requires trusted ambassadors to walk people through the process. People also need devices, and Google Fiber works with some properties to provide grants for laptops. Funding for training on digital skills is needed to help bridge the divide for those who have not previously had access. Google Fiber staff recommended having people come to a free training and receive a free device. The need for a new mindset was discussed so that digital access is not an add on but core to what you do to help people thrive. “You cannot participate in the world fully without digital access and skills. Everyone needs to be in the digital inclusion business.” To solve for funding gaps the possibility for bulk deals was discussed for both city and non- city owned properties. If discounts could be offered, how could the lower price be covered by other funding? Google Fiber would inclusion programs like to see the expansion of robust digital issue through were discussed including Goodwill, Austin Freenet, Community Tech Net, El Buen Samaritano, Latinitas, Avance, Central Health, Integral Care and TARA. City staff committed to exploring conversations with these community partners. libraries. Other organizations working on this Agency/Group/Organization Homeless Response System (HRS) Leadership Council Agency/Group/Organization Type Continuum of Care Board Services - Homeless 50What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment; Homelessness Needs - Chronically Homeless; Homeless Needs - Families with Children; Homelessness Veterans; Homelessness - Unaccompanied Youth; Homelessness Strategy How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Communities across the U.S. that receive funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the Continuum of Care (CoC) program are required to create and facilitate a governing CoC Board to ensure the community works together toward solutions to end homelessness. ECHO is the backbone organization for Austin/Travis County’s Homelessness Response System. The Leadership Council is Austin’s CoC Board and centers firsthand experience of homelessness and racial equity in both the composition and the guiding charge of the group. Leadership Council is responsible for developing, approving, and enforcing policies, procedures, and written standards for projects that are funded through our local Continuum of Care (CoC). The Council shared uncertainty about their involvement with the needs assessment in previous years and were not sure what impact their feedback had. They shared their desire to see more collaboration and find meaningful ways to involve the diverse representation on the Leadership council. They wanted to understand more about how the plan is written and who is responsible for making decisions. They also wanted to know how other City departments were involved in the conversation, noting the need to think about transportation and other infrastructure needs. The council wanted to know more about how households served are tracked and how that data is used, especially in assessing who is coming back for funding more than once. They also wanted to know how the data informs the way programs are described. They talked about programs like Affordability Unlocked and the limitations in serving people with non-time-limited income sources. There were questions about how funding is distributed and if funds went directly to the people. The council helped expand the inventory of needs by noting that helping clients deal with building management was missing from the stability category. They shared that while TRLA has special programs for that, it’s hard for people experiencing homelessness to access those services. City staff committed to more collaborative dialogue and asked for the council’s help in spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. Agency/Group/Organization Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan5151Agency/Group/Organization Type What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Other‐ Board/Commission Housing Need Assessment The Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission advises the City Council on issues relating to the quality of life for the City's Hispanic/Latino community and recommends programs and policies designed to alleviate any inequities that may confront Hispanics and Latinos in social, economic, and vocational pursuits including education, youth services, housing and community development, cultural arts, economic development, health, civic engagement, and transportation. City staff sought guidance from the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission on the needs and priorities of Austin’s Hispanic and Latino community. The commissioners expressed a desire to understand more about the full budget for the Housing Department and all of its funding sources. They wanted to know how great the need is, what resources were available to address the needs, and what gaps exist for people applying for services and not being served. They expressed the importance of talking directly with recipients of services and not just the staff of service providers. Language access was discussed as an important element in connecting with community members. Staff shared the department’s commitment to incorporate more opportunities for community members to weigh in during the needs assessment period. Staff also asked for the commission’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. Agency/Group/Organization Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) Agency/Group/Organization Type PHA‐ Public Housing Authority What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Public Housing Needs How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) envisions neighborhoods where poverty is alleviated, residents are healthy and safe, and all people have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. HACA’s mission is to cultivate sustainable affordable housing communities and partnerships that inspire self-reliance, growth, and optimism. City staff met with staff from the Housing Authority to discuss the 52needs of the community members that are housed at their properties. HACA staff shared that their biggest hurdle is the redevelopment of the housing that dates back to 1937. Financing is a challenge and they expressed a need for the tax credit program to be reevaluated so that the most pressing issues can be targeted. To avoid homelessness, they emphasized the importance of serving people with the most need, while also prioritizing the maintenance and rehabilitation of their current facilities. They talked about their current undertaking of developing homeownership units at Rosewood, which includes 12 units in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Needs for this project include Ownership Housing Development Assistance funds to fill the gaps. They shared about their partnership with service providers to address a variety of needs including healthcare. job training, digital inclusion, and youth mentorship. They consider these needs to be well supported by other funding sources, and they stressed the importance of federal funding going toward the very poorest of the poor. This includes more funding for things like TBRA. They talked about the rapid response system and the lack of funding for immediate intervention needs. They shared concern that people get more points if they are homeless for more than a year, but we don't want people to be homeless for more than a year. They shared the desire to have support from partners like Google Fiber with private activity bonds, wanting to see corporate entities become investors in the creation of affordable housing rather than covering the cost of services like internet services. Corporate investors could work with major foundations and encourage them to come to the table with deeper investments in workforce solutions and other programs targeted at those most in need. Local tax credits were also discussed as a solution that could help create more affordability. They shared about other programs they are part of, including Mayfest (Women's Conference and Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS Program: https:// vimeo.com/730140183. A HACA Citywide advisory group with residents who represent each property was discussed as another opportunity engagement, and a follow-up meeting was scheduled to meet with them. Staff agreed to stay in touch and look for opportunities to collaborate in the future. Agency/Group/Organization Housing Authority of Travis County (HATC) Agency/Group/Organization Type PHA‐ Public Housing Authority What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Public Housing Needs 53How was the Agency/Group/ Organization consulted and what are the anticipate outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The primary goal of the Housing Authority of Travis County (HATC) is to provide safe, decent, and affordable housing for low-income families. HATC's key initiatives include the management and maintenance of HUD Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) units, as well as affordable family and senior developments (non-PBRA). City staff presented to HATC leadership about the Consolidated Plan process and Housing Department programming. HATC leadership expressed the view that the City should use local dollars to replace federal dollars that were lost year-over-year, such as was particularly strongly experienced with the City's HOME allocation for FY 24-25. Agency/Group/Organization Housing Works Austin Agency/Group/ Organization Type Housing What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? HousingWorks Austin is an affordable housing advocacy organization that aims to increase the supply of affordable housing in Austin by providing research, education, advocacy and thoughtful, workable affordable housing policy recommendations. Housing staff sought guidance from the Housing Works housing advocacy committee on the needs of the communities they advocate for. The committee shared the desire from the community for programs that would assist existing, long-tenured, low to moderate-income homeowners. This would include technical assistance to take advantage of opportunities for property owners, such as subdividing lots and building ADUs. This would help generate additional income or bring in multiple generations to family properties. Low-income homeowners would need both technical support and access to capital. This would also need to consider the need to address Predatory Real Estate practices. The committee expressed an increased need for rental assistance and tenant stabilization. They wanted to understand more about the full set of funding sources for City housing program. They also wanted to know how communities were being engaged in the process and how language access was being addressed. The committee agreed to help spread the word about the needs assessment survey. 54Agency/Group/Organization Integral Care Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Health Services - Persons with HIV/AIDS Publicly Funded Institution of/System of Care What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? As the Local Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority, Integral Care strengthens our community by supporting our most important asset, our people, to achieve well- being. Integral Care provides individuals with high-quality mental health care, collaborates with community partners to strengthen programs and systems, and works to raise awareness of mental health issues in our community. City staff sought guidance from Integral Care on the needs and priorities they see in the communities they serve. Integral care staff expressed how great the need is for emergency help with utilities food and rent, and their fear in meeting these needs with funding sources going away in 2025. “The community has not stabilized enough and the impact of not having those dollars will be a big gap with needs amplified and increased inflow into the homelessness system.” The staff talked about a housing wellness assessment that showed income as the number one reason for accessing funds, indicating that steady income is a huge need. They shared that Integral Care provides some employment services, but not enough, and that people living on $900 of social security per month with $1200 fair market rent will never be sustainable. They discussed barriers criminal backgrounds. They talked about the use of prevention funding for intervention and a long list of referrals waiting in the queue. They are working on gathering more data on people being turned away to find out what needs aren’t being met. Integral Care staff talked about the need for in a safe rehabilitation of homes so that people can environment. They were interested to know if repair funds could be used for PSH facilities as well. They discussed the need for more salary money in HOPWA funds. Equity, fair housing, and tenants’ rights are big issues for the people Integral Care serves, and they shared about the poor treatment their clients receive from property managers. They also see people with vouchers denied housing because of disabilities. "It is difficult to get people off the streets and into units because of lack of response from property managers." for people with live 55Ongoing services for individuals with large high-acuity needs were addressed, which includes things like pest control services. The varying challenges of building more housing included a lack of funding and difficulty finding sub-contractors to help with construction because of all the requirements to receive the funding. The lack of service providers to help people remain stable and the affordability for staff was addressed as a major concern. City staff and Integral Care staff agreed to remain in conversation about opportunities to collaborate, and City staff asked for help in spreading the word about the community needs assessment. Agency/Group/Organization Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) Quality of Life Advisory Commission Agency/Group/Organization Type Other‐ Board/Commission Housing Need Assessment What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Quality of Life Advisory Commission serves as an advisory board to the City Council concerning the needs of the LGBTQ population. The commission is responsible for recommending policies and programs designed to enhance the health, safety, economic opportunity, affordability, mobility, cultural and learning opportunities, and government access and accountability for the LGBTQ community. City staff sought guidance from the LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission on the needs and priorities of Austin’s LGBTQ community. The commissioners were curious about the Housing Department’s full budget and specific uses of different funding sources. They expressed the need for a designated source for rental assistance. Commissioners discussed demographic data that is crucial in understanding the housing needs of the LGBTQ community and asked about the ability to implement data collection if it became a requirement by City Council. Staff shared the department’s commitment to better data collection and reporting. Staff also asked for the commission’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. 56Agency/Group/Organization LifeWorks Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Housing What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? LifeWorks provides services for youth and their families seeking housing, counseling, education and workforce programs. LifeWorks strives to break cycles of instability by providing support and services to youth experiencing homelessness. City staff sought guidance from Lifeworks on the needs and priorities they see in the communities they serve. The LifeWorks team and the Housing Department team had an open and fruitful conversation, and LifeWorks shared gratitude for a shift in the approach to the community consultations. They followed up with formal recommendations in writing: - - - - - - - - - - - Funding for services so we can better leverage vouchers. CDBG grant should be procured competitively so that community providers can apply (current funds depts and services administered by the county through interagency agreements). This would fund RRH. Funding for youth shelter. Youth-dedicated shelter is essential for the safety of young adults experiencing homelessness. Less administrative burden for documenting client eligibility. Less reporting requirements/more appropriate metrics. Behavioral health workforce shortage is leaving a gap in providing mental health care; clinicians with lower-level licenses are not Medicaid billable and the higher license is impossible to hire since changes during Covid have made it easier for the advanced licensed folks to go into private practice. The city should invest in multi-year contracts to allow for agencies to properly set up and ramp down services to ensure continuity in services and sustainability planning. 1-year RRH contracts do not work. There needs to be an emphasis on diversion and prevention services if we ever want to stop the inflow of homelessness. Street outreach is the first step into services for many folks experiencing homelessness and is an essential service for basic needs and rapport building. There should be a set aside annual cold weather shelter fund. Rapid Rehousing and PSH – again, emphasis on long-term 57- - - - - contracts + wraparound services here. The city needs to be planning for supportive services for the affordable/supportive housing projects opening in 2026. Nonprofits have taken on a high risk building affordable housing complexes, the city needs to support these projects. Childcare/babysitting will always be a high need, but if the city is exclusively funding licensed daycares, then they should divest in this, as it is virtually impossible to spend. Also regarding unlicensed childcare- ideally this would cover not just unlicensed facilities, but also family members who provide childcare services or other forms of in-home care (e.g. “nanny shares”). The guidelines for eligibility verification should be revisited and self-certifications should be more broadly allowed (not just for those experiencing homelessness). E.g. it’s difficult to secure residency verification for those who are doubled up with someone else (the client’s name won’t be on a bill). Building in more flexibility for what constitutes “mental health” or “behavioral health” services, especially in light of the shortage of licensed clinicians willing to work in social service settings. Agency/Group/Organization Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Persons with Disabilities Other‐ Board/Commission What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Non‐Homeless Special Needs How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities (MCPD) is an advisory body to the City Council and City Manager regarding problems affecting persons with disabilities in the Austin area. Established to encourage, assist and enable persons with disabilities to participate in the social and economic life of the City, achieve maximum personal independence, become gainfully employed, and fully enjoy and use all public and private facilities available within the community. City staff sought guidance from the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities on the needs and priorities of people in Austin living with a disability. The committee members wanted to see more data on people with disabilities and expressed frustration in not being able to find the information anywhere. They encouraged staff to work more directly with the City demographer to understand the 58Agency/Group/Organization One Voice of Central Texas Agency/Group/Organization Type Regional Organization What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? needs of this specific demographic and to track how many people applying for programs identified as having a disability. Committee members had questions about home repair programs and fees associated with the repairs if the homeowner passes away. They were curious about how the budget fluctuates depending on needs and what dollars are protected when budgetary priorities change. Committee members asked about the requirements of development partners, including how long the affordability of properties will remain and what terms developers agree to for accessibility. Staff shared the department’s commitment to better data collection and reporting. Staff also asked for the commission’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. One Voice Central Texas is a coalition of the leadership of over one hundred nonprofit health and human service organizations working to make sure that everyone can contribute to our community and thrive. One Voice represents the integrated network of human services that connects everyone of all ages and circumstances to social resources, opportunities, and support so that each person can reach their highest potential. One Voice is the voice for those in the community who may have difficulty weathering the life storms that affect all of us. City staff sought guidance from the members of One Voice Central Texas on the needs their organizations are working to address together. Mental health for clients was addressed as a primary need. The group also discussed affordability issues for nonprofit staff. "Those taking the biggest burden to serve our community are often the ones that need services." They talked about how these staff members are the key to diversity in our community and expanded this to include caregivers and childcare staff. In addition, teachers and government employees also often fail to make a livable wage. "The fact that we are building affordable housing campuses for teachers to live on is ridiculous. We should be paying them more money to live where they want to live." They suggested a cost-of- living analysis for Austin as a complement to the next salary survey would be helpful. The responsibility of nonprofit boards was also addressed as a component of the conversation. Furthering the 59housing conversation, the cost to both own land and build on it was discussed as a barrier. The members shared about barriers for those re-entering society from prison as well as the caregivers/ families of the incarcerated. "Folks who have served their time deserve a chance to be house." They talked about the availability of transitional housing as well as help in identifying affordable for clients who need it. Some of the organizations shared about the needs of their clients relating to technology access and transportation access. Language access was discussed as a barrier for people applying for programs. Siloed work was brought up and the need to take a more holistic approach to solving the issues. This requires addressing the root problems and not just the symptoms. They expressed gratitude for City-funded programs and the ability to layer multiple funding sources on one project, but the biggest challenge is the bureaucracy of getting money out the door. There is so much paperwork and organizations end up having to front the money and get reimbursed later. City staff shared gratitude for the input and encouraged further dialogue. Agency/Group/Organization SAFE Alliance Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Victims of Domestic Violence Services - Housing What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The mission of SAFE is to stop abuse for everyone. The SAFE Alliance is a merger of Austin Children’s Shelter and SafePlace, both long- standing and respected human service agencies in Austin serving the survivors of child abuse, sexual assault and exploitation, and domestic violence. City staff sought guidance from SAFE on the needs and priorities they see in the work they do to support survivors of domestic violence. SAFE staff shared about the increase they’ve seen in calls to their hotline. The top three needs people call for are shelter/housing, counseling and legal services. The need for housing/shelter is much more than is available, with more people waiting on shelter than are in shelter. They also see a high need for childcare and access to income, including income not related to jobs. Other needs include safe communication methods (e.g. cell phones) and help paying debt. SAFE staff discussed the difficulty of finding funding for positions to support resource advocacy. They 60explained that criminal justice and mental health are intertwined with housing and violence prevention. “Housing is violence prevention.” They stressed that nobody knows the needs better than a survivor, and that prevention to homelessness is anti- poverty work. “The minute housing is jeopardy, people go back to unsafe environments,” and there are cyclical/generational implications. A staff member shared that they hate that the person experiencing harm is the one who has to leave. SAFE staff expressed concern about how the coordinated entry system leaves lots of our folks vulnerable. “The question about violence doesn’t tell us who is in the most danger, and often folks who are really in danger don’t score high enough on the coordinated entry to get immediate help.” The way the question is asked about violence does not capture what we need to know, and someone might not even answer yes because is phrased more toward experiencing violence while on the streets/homeless. it Agency/Group/Organization Shalom Austin Services - Children Services - Education Civic Leaders Housing Need Assessment Agency/Group/Organization Type What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Shalom Austin provides services and resources to connect, empower and impact the community locally, nationally and around the world. Shalom Austin requested a meeting to understand more about federal funding and City staff asked for Shalom Austin’s input for the needs assessment as part of the meeting. Shalom Austin staff shared about the clients they serve, many of whom have chronic issues with no solutions. They require their clients to work with a case manager, but many don’t want to do that. They discussed using Best Single Source Plus and appreciated its intent to help clients from being bounced around. They expressed concern with some shelters and funding sources moving toward to leaving rental assistance challenging see a balance of prevention and intervention. Shalom Austin shared that they are one of the few organizations that take insurance for mental health services, but they need more transportation program filled up right away, therapists. Their they struggle to keep up with the growing need for rental assistance and the needs just keep growing. They also talked about the great need to identify the ecosystem with all the providers and convene in a way so that staff members know each other. Everyone shared appreciation for the insight and agreed to remain in touch. find. They wish support of to 61Agency/Group/Organization Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Tenants Rights What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Tenants Rights How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? is TRLA’s mission legal advice and to provide exceptional representation to impoverished people. Founded in 1970 to represent Texas farmworkers, TRLA has grown into the nation’s second largest legal aid provider and the largest in Texas. TRLA provides free civil legal services to residents in 68 Southwest Texas counties, and represents migrant and seasonal farm workers throughout the state and in six other southern states. City staff sought guidance from TRLA on the needs and priorities they see in the work they do to support tenants. TRLA staff shared that affordability is the biggest problem they see. Many of the people who come to them don’t need legal advice, so TRLA refers them to organizations like El Buen Samaritano, but it is hard to fill all the gaps. They expressed a desire to see a source for rental assistance that comes with protections and doesn’t require a lawyer to go back and forth. This would offer protection for tenants without dissuading landlords from taking the money. They expressed concern with the lottery system for rental assistance, noting that it is not a trauma- informed practice and causes a lot of anxiety for people as they wait for a response. They discussed the need for a simple, easy-to- administer assessment that could help prioritize folks who can make the best use of the money – those who are most likely to stabilize and not need to keep coming back for more financial support. In addition, TRLA staff talked about the need for evidence-based documentation that would show how much money should be distributed to avoid eviction. The need for an eviction diversion program was addressed to keep people from the courts. This discussion included the importance of helping policymakers understand the difference between eviction tenant education. TRLA staff diversion, wanted more information on Austin Public Health programs for their clients, specifically childcare, senior services, and hotel services. They explained the great need for childcare for unemployed people. City and TRLA staff committed to continued communication to enhance collaboration. representation, and City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan6262Agency/Group/Organization Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC) Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Housing What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC) is a 5019(c) (3) nonprofit organization that was incorporated in 1994. TSAHC was created at the direction of the Texas Legislature to serve as a self- sustaining, statewide affordable housing provider. TSAHC believes that every Texan deserves the opportunity to live in safe, decent and affordable housing. Housing Department staff met with staff from TSAHC as part of the needs assessment to discuss shared challenges and explore community needs from a collaborative perspective. TSAHC's multi- family bond program, the Texas Family Impact fund, and land banking were discussed. TSAHC staff shared some criticism of the City's approach to accessing land and wanted to see the City take a look at how to support developers with targeting acquisition of land and properties. They recommended looking at areas where growth is driving change in density and considering land sitting vacant, such as small older strip centers and storage facilities. "The opportunities are there and the City could be a bigger driver of capturing those opportunities. The topic of density was addressed as one of the tolls for affordability while recognizing that that we cannot densify our way out of affordable housing needs. The tradeoffs for smaller buildings with fewer units, which requires less subsidy and less borrowing need, were discussed as a way to moderately increase density. This includes consideration of ADU opportunities to preserve older neighborhoods, specifically BIPOC neighborhoods. A recommendation was made for the City to look at public land trusts that could help with ADUs. Energy assistance through federal programs was also mentioned as a way to could help people reduce their costs. While new construction is where we mostly see these energy programs, low-income households could really benefit from bringing down that cost. TSHAC suggested that the City revisit the neighborhood planning process again. From a strategy standpoint, this approach allowed the City to push more density and broad-based goals at the neighborhood level. Neighborhoods felt like their voices were hear and reincorporating this approach could help bring more neighborhoods along in the process. TSAHC and the Housing Department will remain in touch for continued collaborative opportunities. with City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan63City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan6363Agency/Group/Organization Travis County Agency/Group/Organization Type Other Government - County What section of the Plan was addressed by this Consultation? Housing Needs Assessment How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? City staff met with staff from Travis County who also oversee federal funding to discuss common challenges and opportunities to learn from one another. Travis County staff shared about their engagement process that started in October. They expressed disappointment in the lack of willingness on the City’s part to partner on the Con Plan. They reached 42,000 households through a mailing and have had 2300 survey responses. Their focus is to touch people not often heard from in unincorporated areas. They were able to use HUD funding to help cover the cost. One need in particular they hear from these areas is the need for septic system repair. The City of Austin and Travis County staff agreed to stay in touch and look for opportunities to collaborate in the future. Agency/Group/Organization Urban Renewal Board Agency/Group/Organization Type Other‐Board/Commission What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Economic Development How was the Agency/ Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? The Urban Renewal Board oversees the implementation and compliance with Urban Renewal Plans that are adopted by the Austin City Council. An Urban Renewal Plan's primary purpose is to eliminate slum and blighting influence within a designated area of the City. City staff sought guidance from the Urban Renewal Board on the needs and priorities that arise during urban renewal projects. Board members asked for more information about the total pool of funding the Housing Department has been on a yearly basis and what percentage comes from federal sources. They were curious to hear about funding sources that have been used for urban renewal projects, knowing that they will need to solve for funding gaps and make affordable housing a priority with the current project for Block City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan64City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan6464a in to the provide pathways community priority 16 and 18. Board members shared that there is tension heard in the community about the spectrum of needs. On one end, there is support needed for those experiencing homelessness or at serious risk of becoming unsheltered, while others are just trying to find something affordable so they can live in Austin near their jobs. They expressed the desire to see a depiction of the funding sources and which part of the continuum each pool of funding offers support. They were curious about changes in the balance between funding toward renters vs. homeowners, noting that there is to homeownership and wealth building. Board members were national conversation focused on using interested commercial space for housing and the feasibility of using that model the board sought answers such as “How often do we explore creative options out of the norm? How often is funding allocated to trying new things? Is there a way to incentivize developers to create housing that can transition people from renting to owning?” These questions led to other comments about the use of city-owned land and for the housing assistance. The conversation concluded with the idea to recommend a feasibility study. Staff offered gratitude for input and dialogue, with a commitment to update funding the information for all funding sources. Staff also asked for the commission’s help the needs assessment survey. locally. Furthering that to questions line of discussion, the word about levels eligible spreading income Agency/Group/Organization Vivent Health (formerly AIDS Services of Austin) Agency/Group/Organization Type Services - Persons with HIV/AIDS Services - Health Health Agency What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment HOPWA Strategy How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Vivent Health envisions a world without AIDS and strive to ensure everyone with HIV lives a long and healthy life. Vivent Health's mission is to be a relentless champion for people affected by HIV. City staff sought guidance from Vivent Health on the needs and priorities they see in serving people living with HIV. Vivent Health staff shared about the challenges of rental support. The increasing cost of rent requires more support through the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) program. They discussed both an inability to expand the program as well as a lack of resources to transition people City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan6565to prevent homelessness, on people with out of TBRA. People receiving short-term assistance max out on assistance for one year and then come back when they can get more the next year. “We end up spending short-term assistance, meant long-term for challenges.” They asked about available people transitioning out of homelessness. Vivent staff expressed concern about funding at the City being used for specialized staffing positions that are not front-facing, with more people analyzing and coordinating and not as much support for clients. While they are glad to see expansion, they worry about a dramatic shortage in staff with clients. Appreciation for the input was shared and City staff asked for Vivent’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment. funding sources Agency/Group/Organization Williamson County Agency/Group/Organization Type What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Other Government ‐ County Housing Need Assessment Adjacent Jurisdiction Consultation Intergovernmental Coordination How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Williamson County staff shared that they don’t have the capacity for ESG and HOME funds and only work with CDBG funding. This funding goes primarily to infrastructure projects. Some cities in Williamson County have their own CDBG funding and the County supports smaller jurisdictions that don’t have these resources, primarily rural small towns. A couple of large cities, Georgetown and Cedar Park, could have their own entitlement programs but they opt out. The ten participating cities apply for funds, and Williamson County staff work directly with the recipients to understand their ongoing needs. The goal is to make them feel comfortable to reach out and ask for help. A consultant helps with the needs assessment and hosts stakeholder meetings. Organizations like Habitat for Humanity use the funding, but they have had a hard time finding affordable land. Williamson County has begun encouraging rehabilitation programs instead of land purchases. Primary needs include water, wastewater, and drainage. Some cities have crumbling pipes. Williamson County is also seeing an increase in their homeless population. Addressing this will require programs and social services beyond the infrastructure dollars. The lack of affordable housing is a priority for the Commissioners' Court. The City of Austin and Williamson County staff agreed to stay in touch and look for opportunities to collaborate in the future. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan66City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan6666Agency/Group/Organization Workforce Solutions Capital Area Agency/Group/Organization Type Regional Organization Services - Children Services - Employment What section of the Plan was addressed by Consultation? Housing Need Assessment Economic Development How was the Agency/Group/Organization consulted and what are the anticipated outcomes of the consultation or areas for improved coordination? Workforce Solutions is a private, publicly-funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit responsible for the data-driven planning, oversight, and evaluation of workforce development activities in Austin-Travis County. Workforce Solutions connects local people to the most in- demand industries with quality jobs. City staff sought guidance from Workforce Solutions on the needs and priorities they see in the communities they serve. Workforce Solutions staff expressed difficulties with CDBG funding, explaining that it is often restrictive and hard to use with lots of required documentation. They shared about the increased need for childcare and expected that we would see that in survey results as well. WFS staff noted that the people they serve at least have a place to sleep and can attend trainings and other workforce development activities. The challenges from the perspective of WFS focus on the skills gaps for available jobs. “What keeps me up at night is the amount of jobs available and not enough training to get people into those jobs.” They spoke of healthcare and manufacturing addressed transportation as a huge barrier, especially for those with trade skills. “The people needed for the types of jobs available now live too far away and can’t get to jobs in Austin.” Both City of Austin and Workforce Solutions staff shared appreciation for the conversation and WFS staff agreed to help spread the word about the needs assessment survey. in particular. They jobs also City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan6767Other local/regional/state/federal planning efforts considered when preparing the Plan Name of Plan Lead Organization Austin’s Action Plan to End Homelessness Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) Age Friendly Action Plan City of Austin Commission on Aging How do the goals of your Strategic Plan overlap with the goals of each plan? Austin’s Action Plan to End Homelessness calls for a systems approach to ending homelessness. The plan specifically outlines implementation of five system elements, that combined together, will work effectively in ending homelessness for individuals and families, while making the community stronger for all. Those system components are 1) outreach services and shelters, 2) addressing disparities, 3) providing housing and support services, 4) strengthening our response system, and 5) building wide community commitment from both the public and private sector. This Action Plan itself seeks to mobilize public and private resources in the right order of magnitude to continue implementing strategies that work, while continuing to think outside the box, testing new and improved practices, policies and programs. The action plan is meant to be a living document updated along the way to reflect learnings. The City of Austin's Age Friendly Action Plan was originally published in 2017 and was ultimately adopted as an amendment to Imagine Austin. The Age Friendly Action (AFA) Plan is made up of eight domains of livability including Outdoor Space and Buildings, Transportation, Housing, Social Participation, Respect and Social Inclusion, Civic Participation and Employment, Communication and Information, and Community Support and Health. The AFA Plan contains goals and strategies in each domain focused on promoting support, respect, protection, and recognition of the needs of older adults in the Austin community. The Plan encourages other City departments to consider the needs of Austin's aging community when developing plans in their respective departments to ensure that Age-Friendly is a natural part of Austin culture. The Plan was recently updated in response to the 2022 City of Austin Audit Report: City Services for Older Adults. The updated Plan is linked to in Section NA-45 Non-Homeless Special Needs Assessment of this Consolidated Plan. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan68City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan6868Imagine Austin City of Austin Planning and Zoning Housing Department Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint Continuum of Care Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) On June 15, 2012, City Council voted unanimously to adopt Imagine Austin, the City's comprehensive plan for Austin's future. the plan includes implementation guidelines and the following priority programs: 1) a compact, connected Austin with improved transportation options; 2) sustainably managed water resources; 3) invest in Austin's workforce, education systems and entrepreneurs; 4) protect environmentally sensitive areas and integrate nature into the City; 5) invest in Austin's creative economy; 6) develop and maintain household affordability throughout Austin (the Housing Department is the lead in implementing the Household Affordability priority program and will continue to partner with other City departments and community entities to guide implementation of Imagine Austin through its Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint; 7) create a "Healthy Austin" program; and 8) revise Austin's land development regulations and processes. In August 2023, Council approve the funding for an update to the Comprehensive Plan which is expected to conclude in early 2026. In the Spring of 2017, the Austin City Council adopted the first ever Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint. The document helps align resources, ensures a unified strategic direction, and facilitates community partnerships to achieve this shared vision. The plan identifies funding mechanisms, potential regulations, and other creative approaches the City of Austin should utilize to achieve housing goals‐‐including the creation of 60,000 affordable units over the ensuing decade for households earning approximately $60,000 or less per year‐‐in line with Imagine Austin The Blueprint identified five community values to guide the process, including: ● Prevent households from being priced out of Austin; ● Foster equitable, integrated, and diverse communities; ● Invest in housing for those most in need; ● Create new and affordable housing choices for all Austinites in all parts of Austin; and, ● Help Austinites reduce their household costs. The Continuum of Care (CoC) is the collective networks, institutions, and organizations that provide housing and services to people who are at risk of or are experiencing homelessness. The CoC is overseen by a governing body, known as the Homelessness Response System (HRS) Leadership Council. The primary goal of the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is to promote community wide commitment to the goal for efforts by of ending homelessness; provide nonprofit providers, to families while quickly and to homeless minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused individuals, families, and communities by homelessness; promote rehouse homeless local governments and State and individuals funding City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan6969individuals access to and effect utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and optimize self‐sufficiency among experiencing homelessness. These goals align with the City of Austin Consolidated Plan which includes two prevention objectives: 1) assist persons experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of becoming homeless; and 2) assist persons living with HIV/AIDS to achieve stable housing and increase access to medical care and supportive services. families and The City of Austin Planning and Zoning Department coordinates updates of the Long‐Range Capital Improvement Program Strategic Plan. The Plan is updated on a two‐year cycle in cooperation with the Public Works Department, the City of Austin Budget Office, and capital departments. The plan has a 10‐year planning horizon and provides the basis for identifying both ongoing capital needs and strategic opportunities for CIP investment over the long term, including investments in affordable housing. The plan was created to further align the City's CIP investments with the Imagine Austin 30‐Year Comprehensive Plan. Long Range Capital Improvement Strategic Plan City of Austin Planning Department Project Connect City of Austin, Capital Metro, Austin Transit Partnership Project Connect is the vision for Central Texas high‐capacity transit system. Linking activity centers within the fastest growing region in the country, Project Connect aims to connect people, places and opportunities in an easy, efficient way. The vision unites efforts to develop the best solutions for getting around Central Texas and addressing growth challenges. Austin Public Health Austin Public Health conducts a Community Needs Assessment every three years in accordance with the requirements of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG). The 2024 CSBG Community Needs Assessment is in progress and will be completed by June 2024. Housing Authority City of Austin The 5‐Year and Annual Public Housing Agency (PHA) Plans provide a ready source for interested parties to locate basic PHA policies, rules, and requirements concerning the PHA’s operations, programs, and services. Each PHA plan inform HUD, families served by the PHA, and members of the public, of the PHA’s mission, goals and objectives for serving the needs of low‐income, very low‐income, and extremely low‐income families. 2024 Community Services Block 2019 Public Housing Authority (PHA) Annual Plan 70Watershed Protection Strategic Plan City of Austin Watershed Protection Department Digital Inclusion Strategy City of Austin Telecommunicati ons and Regulatory Affairs Office The Watershed Protection Strategic Plan is the guiding blueprint for the Watershed Protection Department (WPD). The Strategic Plan helps WPD understand and address existing flooding, erosion, and water quality problems. The current plan was originally adopted over 20 years ago and is due for a comprehensive update. This update is called Rain to River: A Strategic Plan to Protect Austin's Creeks and Communities. The community will be at the heart of this update, shaping the vision, goals, and priorities of the new plan. WPD will use this new plan to set goals, prioritize work, and guide decision making to tackle urgent challenges such as climate change and racial inequities. The City of Austin vision includes every Austinite having an opportunity to be fully engaged in digital society, accessing and using digital and communications technology. The purpose of the plan is to address access and adoption of digital technology, and to serve as a guiding document for providing digital inclusion opportunities in affecting the City’s goals to ensure all Austinites are served. This plan is in accordance with HUD’s 2017 Broadband and Resiliency Rule. As more guidance regarding this rule is issued by HUD, the Housing Department will continue to incorporate updates through subsequent Action Plans. Table 3 – Other local / regional / federal planning efforts Describe cooperation and coordination with other public entities, including the State and any adjacent units of general local government, in the implementation of the Consolidated Plan (91.215(l)) In preparation for the Consolidated Plan, the City of Austin consulted with nonprofit and for-profit housing developers, community members, advocacy groups, government and industry representatives to discuss barriers to affordable and accessible housing. In addition, the City consulted with representatives of organizations focused on the needs regarding the elderly, fair housing, childcare and youth services, public housing, transportation, health services, broadband and resiliency. These agencies were specifically invited and encouraged to participate in the public input process and to share with their constituency notices of meetings and hearings; they were also invited to provide written comments from their constituents. Entities that participated in the public input process are listed in section PR-10 Consultation. Narrative (optional): The City of Austin works to enhance coordination through interdepartmental, interorganizational, and intergovernmental planning. The City of Austin continues to promote awareness that household affordability and community development challenges are regional, and do not respect geopolitical boundaries. Household affordability and unaddressed community development needs can directly or indirectly affect access to public services, education, health and human services, transportation, environmental sustainability, economic development, community vitality, arts and culture. 71PR‐15 Citizen Participation 1. Summary of citizen participation process/Efforts made to broaden citizen participation Summarize citizen participation process and how it impacted goal‐setting The City of Austin's Citizen Participation Plan requires two public hearings during the community needs assessment period, one before the Austin City Council and one before the Community Development Commission. Public hearings were conducted before the Community Development Commission on March 12, 2024 and before the Austin City Council on March 7, 2024. Transcripts of the comments made in the public hearings are attached to the final version of the FY 25‐29 Consolidated Plan. Additionally, the City of Austin’s Citizen Participation Plan requires two public hearings during the draft public comment period for the Consolidated Plan, one before the Austin City Council and one before the Community Development Commission. During the draft FY 25‐29 Consolidated Plan public comment period of May 7, 2024 to June 5, 2024, public hearings were conducted before the Community Development Commission on May 14, 2024 and before the Austin City Council on May 30, 2024. By the conclusion of the Consolidated Plan process, the Consolidated Plan Speak Up Austin page had received over 5,900 views and 526 survey responses. In addition to survey responses, participants submitted 430 comments. More information on the Community Needs Assessment period is found in this document in Executive Summary and in Attachment I B: Citizen Participation Process. All comments were accepted and considered in the the development of strategic goals to address needs. The comprehensive community member engagement plan, including a comprehensive list of all stakeholder groups that participated in the community needs process, is featured in PR-10 Consultation. 72 Citizen Participation Outreach Mode of Outreach Target of Outreach Summary of comments received URL (If applicable) Summary of response/attendance Summary of comments not accepted and reasons All comments or views received are accepted. www.SpeakUpAustin.org/ mycommunityneeds Internet Outreach Non-targeted/broad community 526 survey responses received through the Consolidated Plan Speak Up Austin website. Survey respondents ranked the following as the top 3 needs in their community, in this order: 1.) “Availability of housing that is affordable to you,” 2.) “Services to prevent homelessness,” 3.) “Affordable childcare.” Internet Outreach Non-targeted/broad community Comments received have been sorted into the following categories, which center around the experiences that people shared: All comments or view received are accepted. www.SpeakUpAustin.org/ mycommunityneeds 430 comments (in addition to survey responses) received through the Consolidated Plan Speak Up Austin website. See Executive Summary and Attachment I B: Community Engagement Summary for more in-depth information related to the Consolidated Plan community needs assessment survey responses. • I want to live in an Austin that is for everyone. I need immediate help. I need help maintaining stability. I want to build long-term stability. I need better access to programs. • • • • • My neighborhood needs more support. I don’t trust the City. • 73See Executive Summary and Attachment I B: Community Engagement Summary for more in-depth information related to the Consolidated Plan comments received. Internet Outreach Non-targeted/broad community See field immediately above. Over 5,900 views of the Consolidated Plan Speak Up Ausitn website. Public Hearing Non-targeted/broad community All comments or views received are accepted. www.SpeakUpAustin.org/ mycommunityneeds All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/con tent/community- development-commission 7 community members provided testimony on the draft Consolidated Plan at the public hearing opportunity at the March 12, 2024 Community Development Commission meeting. Multiple comments pertained to the particular need for public assistance and/or improvement of public services in various locations in East Austin or the “Eastern Crescent.” Desire for increases and/or changes to City community engagement efforts were expressed. Support for City assistance in the Colony Park area was expressed. Public Hearing Non-targeted/broad community No public comments were received. No community members provided testimony on the draft Consolidated Plan at All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/ austin-city-council 74Public Hearing Non-targeted/broad community The commenter expressed an array of various points of dissatisfaction with City plans and efforts, pertaining to transportation connectivity and issues with public access to documents. All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/c ontent/community- development- commission Public Hearing Non-targeted/broad community No public comments were received. All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/ austin-city-council the public hearing opportunity at the March 7, 2024 Austin City Councill meeting. One community member provided testimony on the draft Consolidated Plan at the public hearing opportunity at the May 14, 2024 Community Development Commission meeting. No community members provided testimony on the draft Consolidated Plan at the public hearing opportunity at the May 30, 2024 Austin City Council meeting. 75Public Hearing Non-targeted/broad community No public comments were received. All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/ austin-city-council Public Hearing Non-targeted/broad community All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/ content/community- development- commission No community members provided testimony on the draft revised Citizen Participation Plan at the public hearing opportunity at the May 30, 2024 Austin City Council meeting. Community members provided testimony on the draft Consolidated Plan at the public hearing opportunity at the June 11, 2024 Community Development Commission meeting. Comments were primarily about the engagement process, stressing the need to talk to more low-income residents. They want to see a focus on those most in need, both in the funding allocations and in outreach efforts. They also want more easily understandable materials about the Consolidated Plan to share with their communities. There was concern about the growing need for resources to keep people in their homes, taking money away from housing and allocating it to childcare, lack of transportation in low-income communities, and efforts to affirmatively affirming fair housing. 76Public Hearing Non-targeted/broad community The commenter expressed an array of view points, including the perspectives that the City is not committed to affirmatively affirming fair housing and that there is no deeply affordable housing along rail line in the City. All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/c ontent/community- development- commission Public Meeting Non-targeted/broad community All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/c ontent/african- american-resource- advisory-commission City staff sought guidance from the African American Resource Advisory Commission on the needs and priorities of Austin’s African American community. The commissioners expressed interest in knowing more about the zip codes and other demographics of those served by federal funding, and staff agreed to bring more data back to the commission for future meetings. Staff asked for the commission’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. Community members provided testimony on the draft revised Citizen Participation Plan at the public hearing opportunity at the June 11, 2024 Community Development Commission meeting. The meeting was attended by members of the African American Resource Advisory Commission and Housing Department staff and was open to the public. 77Public Meeting Non-targeted/broad community The meeting was attended by members of the Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission and Housing Department staff and was open to the public. All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/c ontent/asian- american-quality-life- advisory-commission City staff sought guidance from the Asian American Quality of Life Commission on the needs and priorities of Austin’s Asian American community. Commissioners expressed how important language access is in reaching the Asian American community, which includes many immigrants. They provided helpful examples, such as a phone number that community members can call to request language access. They clarified that this was not only needed for services provided directly by the City, but also with contracted services provided by outside organizations. Commissioners were curious about how the Housing Department works with the Housing Authority and other housing organizations. The commission shared their desire to see demographic information for all programs and wanted to know how the Housing Department is reaching out to the Asian American community. They noted that last year they expressed the need for increased engagement for their community and wanted to know what changes have been made. With many seniors and youth in the Asian American community, the commissioners want to see more focused outreach. Commissioners inquired about specific uses for funding, sharing that many immigrants seek help from churches and other community organizations to get many 78Public Meeting Non-targeted/broad community The meeting was attended by members of the Austin Area HIV Planning Council and Housing Department staff and was open to the public. All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/c ontent/hiv-planning- council of their basic needs met. Examples were given about how CDBG funds in other cities have been used for things like an Asian American Community Center and the commissioners wanted to see the Housing Department in conversation with the Asian American Cultural Center in Austin about their plans to build affordable housing with childcare facilities. Staff shared the department’s commitment to continued improvements in targeted outreach as well as enhanced data collection and reporting. Staff also asked for the commission’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. City staff sought guidance from the HIV Planning Council on the needs of those living with HIV. The council shared frustration about the number of surveys from different City Departments and the lack of follow-up. They expressed how hard it is to find housing resources, especially for people who are already overworked and underpaid. “The greatest need is to give people the resources they need in the fastest way possible.” Council members shared their concern with income limits, explaining that some people with a higher income have struggled in the past and still need help. The council strongly advised staff to talk directly with people living with HIV and to meet them where they 79are. “Ask them: If you could create a process that works for you, what would that be?” They encouraged staff to look for places where trust has already been built and to become trusted sources within the City by listening to the trusted community leaders. Council members asked for a continuous needs assessment process that is always open and builds on the data from other surveys and initiatives. They wanted to see a “one-stop-shop" for someone about to become homeless and discussed the need for preventative services. The council asked for a follow-up meeting, which staff agreed to. Staff shared the department’s commitment to enhancing data collection and reporting. Staff also asked for the council’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. 80Public Meeting Non-targeted/broad community All comments or views received are accepted. www.reentryroundtabl e.org The meeting was attended by members of the Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable and Housing Department staff and was open to the public. City staff sought guidance from the Reentry Roundtable on the needs of community members who have been incarcerated. The coalition expressed how important it is to understand the needs of this community and how forgotten these community members often feel. Partnership between all levels of government is needed to address these challenges. Income levels were discussed as a primary area of concern. They shared concerns that the state has made it clear they will not be meaningfully addressing the issue of pay for this population, so the City and the County need to partner to build out that continuum of care for some of our most vulnerable community members. Other priorities included: increasing the availability and affordability of culturally competent and trauma-informed mental health services in the community; implementing alternatives to incarceration, such as diversion programs, that connect people with mental illness to treatment and support instead of jail or prison; providing adequate training and education for criminal justice professionals on how to recognize and respond to mental health issues among people of color; and reducing the stigma and discrimination that people of color with mental illness face in both the mental health and criminal justice systems. 81Public Meeting Non-targeted/broad community The meeting was attended by members of the College Student Commission and Housing Department staff and was open to the public. All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/c ontent/college- student-commission Public Meeting Non-target/broad community The meeting was attended by members of the Commission for Aging and Housing Department staff and was open to the public. All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/c ontent/commission- aging City staff sought guidance from the College Student Commission on the needs and priorities of Austin’s College Student community. Commissioners wanted to ensure that people in school are being engaged in processes like this and had great questions about how the funding is used. They expressed concern for students who don’t qualify for programs based on their family’s income even though they do not receive any support from their family. Commissioners shared about how important mental health services are for college students, especially long-term care. They were curious how students could receive assistance paying rent and if funding is available for students who aren’t full-time residents of Austin. Staff shared appreciation for the input and asked for the commission’s help in spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. City staff sought guidance from the Commission on Aging about the needs and priorities of Austin’s aging community. The commissioners expressed interest in knowing more about the number of seniors being served by all U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and housing programs and the percentage of funding going toward seniors. Staff shared about the Housing Department's 82Public Meeting Non-targeted/broad community The meeting was attended by members of the Commission on Veterans Affairs and Housing Department staff and was open to the public. All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/c ontent/commission- veterans-affairs commitment to enhancing data collection and reporting. Staff also asked for the commission’s help in spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. City staff sought guidance from the Commission on Veterans Affairs about the needs and priorities of Austin’s veteran community. The commissioners wanted to know which veterans organizations the Housing Department has relationships with. They were curious about the number of veterans served as well as the barriers veterans face in accessing services. The commissioners discussed the potential benefits of housing specifically for homeless veterans. The commission followed up after the meeting with the following recommendations: Establish a comprehensive data collection system; research and collaborate with federal, state and nonprofit organizations; leverage dedicated programs and services for veterans; increase outreach and awareness efforts; and implement regular evaluation and continuous improvements. Staff shared appreciation for the input and asked for the commission’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. 83Public Meeting Non-targeted/broad community The meeting was attended by members of the Community Development Commission and Housing Department staff and was open to the public. All comments or views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/c ontent/community- development- commission City staff sought guidance from the Community Development Commission on the needs and priorities of Austin’s low- income communities. Commissioners asked for more detailed information about who has been served and emphasized wanting to see these details for homebuyer programs in particular. They wanted to know more about the needs assessment process, including who City staff would be meeting with and how the information would be reported back. They stressed the importance of the commissioners seeing all the comments and input. Commissioners questioned how their specific neighborhoods had been contacted about the needs assessment, with concern that not enough was being done to reach the voices of those most impacted. The commission was disappointed in the amount of surveys that had been completed so far. They suggested that the goal should be quantity and not limited to a certain amount of time. They asked about the ability to track how many surveys were submitted from specific areas of town. The topic of survey fatigue was also addressed, and a recommendation was made to spend time rethinking what the survey process should look like. Paper surveys in rec centers and health facilities were recommended as one way to increase outreach city-wide. Commissioners also expressed the desire to 84see funding sources for block walkers and canvassers in areas that haven’t been targeted. They also wanted to see feedback between different needs assessments, specifically the CSBG assessment, shared between departments. Commissioners asked about the anticipated amount for CDBG funding and if there was a chance to see an increase in dollars. The commission shared the importance of Austin Public Health being well-funded and well-staffed with people who speak Spanish. Commissioners echoed community input about the funding needs for infrastructure. Monitoring and evaluation of current agencies was also discussed. Staff shared appreciation for the input and asked for the commissioners’ help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. City staff sought guidance from the Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission on the technology and communications needs and priorities in Austin. Commissions shared that they had recently submitted budget recommendations and were curious if the Community Development Commission or any other commission was able to make recommendations to the Housing Department. When presented with the needs that the Housing Department has Public Meeting Non-targeted/broad community The meeting was attended by members of the Community Technology & Telecommunications Commission (CTTC) and Housing Department Staff and was open to the public. All comments and views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/c ontent/community- technology-and- telecommunications- commission 85Public Meeting Non-targeted/broad community The meeting was attended by members of the Earld Childhood Council and Housing Department Staff and was open to the public. All comments and views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/c ontent/early- childhood-council been hearing, commissioners asked why digital issues were not included and suggested those be added to the same category as support with utilities. A discussion about barriers to accessing programs led to a commissioner asking the question, “Is digital connectivity a means to an end? Wouldn’t that help people have more access to resources?” The conversation concluded with a commitment from Housing staff to be more vigilant about where digital connectivity and housing intersect. City staff sought guidance from the Early Childhood Council on the needs and priorities of young children in Austin. The council members expressed concern about decreased funding and the impact on households. They stressed the need for a singular point of access and wanted to know what was being done to address this need. Council members asked if funds could be used to repair and enhance homes that serve as childcare facilities and encouraged policy change to make that possible. Staff shared appreciation for the input from the council and asked for their help in spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. 86Public Meeting Non-targeted/broad community All comments and views received are accepted. www.austinecho.org/le adership/council The meeting was attended by members of the Homeless Response System (HRS) Leadership Council (which is the jurisdiction’s Continuum of Care board) and Housing Department staff and was open to the public. ECHO is the backbone organization for Austin/Travis County’s Homelessness Response System. The Leadership Council is Austin’s CoC Board and centers firsthand experience of homelessness and racial equity in both the composition and the guiding charge of the group. Leadership Council is responsible for developing, approving, and enforcing policies, procedures, and written standards for projects that are funded through our local Continuum of Care (CoC). The Council shared uncertainty about their involvement with the needs assessment in previous years and were not sure what impact their feedback had. They shared their desire to see more collaboration and find meaningful ways to involve the diverse representation on the Leadership council. They wanted to understand more about how the plan is written and who is responsible for making decisions. They also wanted to know how other City departments were involved in the conversation, noting the need to think about transportation and other infrastructure needs. The council wanted to know more about how households served are tracked and how that data is used, especially in assessing who is coming back for funding more than once. They also wanted to know how the data informs the way programs are described. 87They talked about programs like Affordability Unlocked and the limitations in serving people with non-time-limited income sources. There were questions about how funding is distributed and if funds went directly to the people. The council helped expand the inventory of needs by noting that helping clients deal with building management was missing from the stability category. They shared that while TRLA has special programs for that, it’s hard for people experiencing homelessness to access those services. City staff committed to more collaborative dialogue and asked for the council’s help in spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. City staff sought guidance from the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission on the needs and priorities of Austin’s Hispanic and Latino community. The commissioners expressed a desire to understand more about the full budget for the Housing Department and all of its funding sources. They wanted to know how great the need is, what resources were available to address the needs, and what gaps exist for people applying for services and not being served. They expressed the importance of talking directly with recipients Public Meeting Non-targeted/broad community The meeting was attended by members of the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission and Housing Department staff and was open to members of the public. All comments and views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/ hispaniclatino-quality- life-resource-advisory- commission 88Public meeting Non-targeted/broad community The meeting was attended by members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) Quality of Life Advisory Commission and Housing Department staff and was open to the public. All comments and views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/c ontent/lesbian-gay- bisexual-transgender- and-queer-quality-life- advisory-commission of services and not just the staff of service providers. Language access was discussed as an important element in connecting with community members. Staff shared the department’s commitment to incorporate more opportunities for community members to weigh in during the needs assessment period. Staff also asked for the commission’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. City staff sought guidance from the LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission on the needs and priorities of Austin’s LGBTQ community. The commissioners were curious about the Housing Department’s full budget and specific uses of different funding sources. They expressed the need for a designated source for rental assistance. Commissioners discussed demographic data that is crucial in understanding the housing needs of the LGBTQ community and asked about the ability to implement data collection if it became a requirement by City Council. Staff shared the department’s commitment to better data collection and reporting. Staff also asked for the commission’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. 89Public meeting Non-targeted/broad community The meeting was attended by members of the Mayor’s Committee on People with Disabilities and Housing Department staff and was open to the public. All comments and views received are accepted. www.austintexas.gov/c ontent/mayors- committee-people- disabilities City staff sought guidance from the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities on the needs and priorities of people in Austin living with a disability. The committee members wanted to see more data on people with disabilities and expressed frustration in not being able to find the information anywhere. They encouraged staff to work more directly with the City demographer to understand the needs of this specific demographic and to track how many people applying for programs identified as having a disability. Committee members had questions about home repair programs and fees associated with the repairs if the homeowner passes away. They were curious about how the budget fluctuates depending on needs and what dollars are protected when budgetary priorities change. Committee members asked about the requirements of development partners, including how long the affordability of properties will remain and what terms developers agree to for accessibility. Staff shared the department’s commitment to better data collection and reporting. Staff also asked for the commission’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. 90Public meeting Non-targeted/broad community The meeting was attended by members of the Urban Renewal Board and Housing Department staff and was open to the public. All comments and views received are accepted. www.ausitntexas.gov/c ontent/urban-renewal- board City staff sought guidance from the Urban Renewal Board on the needs and priorities that arise during urban renewal projects. Board members asked for more information about the total pool of funding the Housing Department has on a yearly basis and what percentage comes from federal sources. They were curious to hear about funding sources that have been used for urban renewal projects, knowing that they will need to solve for funding gaps and make affordable housing a priority with the current project for Block 16 and 18. Board members shared that there is tension heard in the community about the spectrum of needs. On one end, there is support needed for those experiencing homelessness or at serious risk of becoming unsheltered, while others are just trying to find something affordable so they can live in Austin near their jobs. They expressed the desire to see a depiction of the funding sources and which part of the continuum each pool of funding offers support. They were curious about changes in the balance between funding toward renters vs. homeowners, noting that there is a community priority to provide pathways to homeownership and wealth building. Board members were interested in the national conversation focused on using commercial space for housing and the feasibility of using that model locally. Furthering that line of 91discussion, the board sought answers to questions such as “How often do we explore creative options out of the norm? How often is funding allocated to trying new things? Is there a way to incentivize developers to create housing that can transition people from renting to owning?” These questions led to other comments about the use of city- owned land and the income levels eligible for housing assistance. The conversation concluded with the idea to recommend a feasibility study. Staff offered gratitude for the input and dialogue, with a commitment to update funding information for all funding sources. Staff also asked for the commission’s help spreading the word about the needs assessment survey. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated PLan9392Needs Assessment NA‐05 Overview Needs Assessment Overview The Needs Assessment chapter focuses on key housing problems for households experiencing the greatest need in Austin, and this analysis focuses on extremely low- (<=30% MFI), very low- (<=50% MFI), and low- income households (<=80% MFI). This chapter is also meant to identify groups of people who suffer from housing problems at higher rates than the rest of the population. This chapter relies heavily on the Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) dataset, which the U.S. Census Bureau prepares for HUD.1 This dataset categorizes households in Austin by variables such as income, family type, overcrowding, housing cost burden, and plumbing/kitchen problems, among others. This chapter also relies on local studies and research to capture information that CHAS data does not include. This chapter contains sections on overall housing needs (NA-10), disproportionate housing needs according to race/ethnicity (NA-15, NA-20, NA-30), public housing needs (NA-35), homeless assessment (NA-40), non- homeless special needs (NA-45), and non-housing community development needs (NA-50). This chapter finds that cost burden is the most prevalent housing problem for Austin households. Small family, non-family, and renter households appear to experience the greatest cost burdens. Households with disabilities also experience higher rates of housing problems than others. Renter households face higher rates of housing problems in general than owners. This chapter also highlights that disproportionately greater housing needs exist for Black/African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latino households in Austin. The public housing needs section finds that the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) has 13,943 families on one or more waitlists across its sixteen properties (averaging 2.2 people per household). Additionally, the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) waiting list has 575 families (averaging 2.4 people per household). HACA has a shortage of units overall, particularly 3- and 4-bedroom units that could serve the high numbers of families with children. HACA also serves many households with disabilities and needs facility upgrades for improved accessibility. The homeless needs section finds that homelessness spiked significantly between 2020 and 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic and when eviction protections were removed. There are many contributing factors to homelessness in Austin. This section discusses the effects of high housing costs and low wages; the lack of 1 This is a specialized dataset created from custom tabulations that are not widely available through standard Census products. CHAS data from the 5-year American Community Survey (ACS), and the most recent CHAS update comes from 2016-2020 ACS. There is more current 5-year ACS data available, but the CHAS dataset takes extra resources to prepare, and this necessitates more time for its release. 93access to resources for mental health, substance abuse, and healthcare; and the relationship between domestic violence and homelessness, among other factors. This section also highlights that Black residents experience a greatly disproportionate rate of homelessness in Austin. The non-homeless special needs section finds that the greatest housing and supportive services to prioritize for the special needs population are: affordable housing for low-income residents, residents of color, older adults, and persons with disabilities; tenant‐based rental assistance and emergency assistance; access to healthy food and food security; affordable and accessible health care; removal of systemic barriers associated with the intake process and licensing; improved coordination among service providers; affordable childcare; increased employment opportunities paying a living wage; removal of barriers to public transportation and senior transit options. Mental health and substance abuse resources are also clear needs. Care providers are observing the displacement of Austin residents with some of the greatest needs as well. Lastly, the non-housing community development needs section highlights $5 billion in public improvement needs according to the most recent long-range needs assessment from 2017. Certain identified capital improvement needs include sidewalks, stormwater infrastructure, water and sanitary sewer, park improvements, and mobility improvements. Transit infrastructure is also a significant need as housing affordability remains a pervasive issue and pushes residents further from Austin’s core. For reference, these are definitions for some of the terms in the following sections: • HAMFI: “HUD Area Median Family Income,” which is used interchangeably with the terms “area median income” (AMI) and “median family income” (MFI) in CHAS documentation. Small Family: 2 persons (neither being 62 years or older), 3, or 4 persons. Large Family: 5 or more persons. • • • Not Cost Burdened: Household pays less than or equal to 30% of their income on housing. • Cost Burdened: Household pays greater than 30%, and less than or equal to 50% of their income on housing. Severely Cost Burdened: Household pays greater than 50% of their income on housing. • • Overcrowded: Household has between 1.01 and 1.5 persons per room. • Severely Overcrowded: Household has over 1.5 persons per room. • Housing Problems: Household experience at least one of the following problems: 1) Lacks • complete kitchen facilities, 2) lacks complete plumbing facilities, 3) overcrowded (>1 and <1.5 persons per room), and 4) cost burdened (>30% and <50% of income spent on housing). Severe Housing Problems: Household experience at least one of the following problems: 1) Lacks complete kitchen facilities, 2) lacks complete plumbing facilities, 3) severely overcrowded (>1.5 persons per room), and 4) severely cost burdened (>50% of income spent on housing). 94NA‐10 Housing Needs Assessment ‐ 24 CFR 91.205 (a,b,c) Summary of Housing Needs This section identifies the most prevalent housing problems faced by Austin households and begins to identify populations with greater needs. Tables 5 and 6 below provide a high-level summary of housing needs in Austin. HAMFI, defined in section NA-05 above, is an important means of categorizing households by income in this chapter. Table 5 compares the total population, number of households, and median household income (MHI) between 2012 and 2022 for the City of Austin. The rate of increase in households (+39%) and MHI (+33%) is far greater than the rate increase for the population (+16%). The gap between the population and household growth rates appears to be widening. Between 2009 and 2019 (the year of the previous Consolidate Plan) the City of Austin population increased by 24%, and the number of households increased by 35% (ACS 1-Year estimates). This widening gap means that the average number of people per household is declining. In 2012 there were 2.54 people per household, and in 2022 there were 2.127. The City of Austin Planning Department also observes that housing unit growth rate between 2010 and 2020 was outpaced by the growth rate in number of households, which puts further pressure on the housing supply (Building the Future 2023). The MHI appears to be increasing at a high rate as well, having increased 26% between 2009 and 2019, and 33% between 2012 and 2022 (ACS 1-Year estimates, adjusted for 2019 and 2022 dollars respectively). In sum, Austin's population is increasing, household size (people per household) is decreasing, and the median income is increasing. Table 6 below shows Austin’s total households categorized by income levels. Households are further categorized by size and the presence of elderly members and/or children. This data shows that 210,500 (53%) Austin households earned less than the HAMFI in 2020, and 98,955 (26%) earned less than half of the HAMFI (also see Figure 1 below for clearer illustration). The most recent CHAS data comes from 2020, when the HAMFI for the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in 2020 was $97,600. The total number of households in 2020 was 395,280, with 215,383 (54%) being renter and 179,897 (46%) being owner (ACS 2016-2020). This section finds that cost burden is the most prevalent housing problem for Austin households. Small family, non-family, and renter households appear to experience the greatest cost burdens. Family households that rent experience the highest rates of overcrowding as well. Households with disabilities experience higher rates of housing problems than others. Renter households face higher rates of housing problems in general than owners. Racial and ethnic disparities are not addressed in this section, but they are in the following (NA-15, NA-20, and NA-25). 95Demographics Base Year: 2012 Most Recent Year: 2022 % Change Population Households Median Household Income (in 2022 dollars) 842,595 330,838 $67,062 975,335 458,505 $89,415 16% 39% 33% Table 5 ‐ Housing Needs Assessment Demographics Alternate Data Source: ACS 2012 1-Year; ACS 2022 1-Year. All income is in 2022 inflation adjusted dollars. 0‐30% HAMFI 30‐50% HAMFI 50‐80% HAMFI 80‐100% HAMFI >100% HAMFI Total Households 53,410 45,545 70,595 40,945 184,780 Small Family Households 13,940 13,700 21,055 13,330 86,785 Large Family Households Household contains at least one person 62‐74 years of age Household contains at least one person aged 75 or older Households with one or more children 6 years old or younger 3,560 8,795 3,680 7,460 4,315 9,915 2,830 10,000 6,970 27,620 4,360 4,180 4,655 1,870 7,945 8,365 8,075 7,665 4,815 26,580 Table 6 ‐ Total Households Table Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS (Tables 5, 7, and 13). Figure 1 - Total Households by Income Data Source: 2016-2020 CHAS 96Housing Needs Summary Tables 1. Housing Problems (Households with one of the listed issues) – Deeper red gradient indicates greater prevalence of issue. Note that renters and owners who earn over 100% HAMFI are excluded here and in following tables. Renter >50‐ 80% HAMFI NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS Owner >50‐ 80% HAMFI >30‐ 50% HAMFI 0‐ 30% HAMFI >30‐ 50% HAMFI >80‐ 100% HAMFI >80‐ 100% HAMFI 0‐30% HAMFI Total Total 825 670 580 230 2,305 110 35 35 30 210 Substandard Housing -- Lacking complete plumbing or kitchen facilities Severely Overcrowded -‐ With >1.51 people per room (and complete kitchen and plumbing) Overcrowded -- With 1.01‐1.5 people per room (and none of the above problems) Housing cost burden greater than 50% of income (and none of the above problems) Housing cost burden greater than 30% of income, but less than 50% (and none of the above problems) Households with zero income (and none of the above problems) 1,675 1,030 925 500 4,130 75 140 100 180 495 2,575 1,625 1,625 715 6,540 160 365 615 455 1,595 26,580 10,310 2,225 210 39,325 7,255 4,145 2,560 415 14,375 2,795 15,140 20,005 4,465 42,405 1,720 4,235 6,470 3,470 15,895 4,145 - - - 4,145 1,290 - - - 1,290 Table 7 – Housing Problems Table Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS Table 3 97Figure 2 - Chart of Housing Problems Data Data Source: 2016-2020 CHAS Table 3 2. Severe Housing Problems (Households with at least one of four Severe Housing Problems: Lacks kitchen, lacks complete plumbing, severe overcrowding, severe cost burden) Owner Renter 0‐30% HAMFI >30‐50% HAMFI >50‐80% HAMFI >80‐100% HAMFI Total 0‐30% HAMFI >30‐50% HAMFI >50‐80% HAMFI >80-100% HAMFI Total NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS Having 1 or more of 4 severe housing problems Having none of four housing problems Households with zero income (and none of the above problems) 31,655 13,635 5,355 1,655 52,300 7,595 4,685 3,310 1,075 16,665 10,100 18,810 42,270 23,120 94,300 4,055 8,415 19,665 15,095 47,230 4,145 - - - 4,145 1,290 - - - 1,290 Table 8 – Severe Housing Problems Table Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS Table 3 80983. Cost Burden Between 30%-50% of Income Renter Owner Household Type 0‐30% HAMFI >30‐50% HAMFI >50‐80% HAMFI Total 0‐30% HAMFI >30‐50% HAMFI >50‐80% HAMFI Total Small Family Large Family Elderly (both family and non- family) Other Households (non-family and non-elderly) Total need by income NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS 1,370 5,395 5,260 12,025 350 1,340 2,355 4,045 575 1,540 605 2,720 110 465 320 895 525 1,815 1,505 3,845 1,115 2,030 1,855 5,000 1,025 8,405 13,055 22,485 185 660 2,070 2,915 3,495 17,155 20,425 41,075 1,760 4,495 6,600 12,855 Table 9 ‐- Cost Burden Between 30-50% Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS Table 7 994. Cost Burden > 50% Renter Owner Household Type 0‐30% HAMFI >30‐50% HAMFI >50‐80% HAMFI Total 0‐30% HAMFI >30‐50% HAMFI >50‐80% HAMFI Total Small Family Large Family Elderly (both family and non- family) Other Households (non- family and non- elderly) Total need by income NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS 8,265 2,915 420 11,600 1,460 1,255 745 3,460 2,355 420 10 2,785 315 185 4,000 1,995 765 6,760 3,430 1,695 105 850 605 5,975 15,830 5,590 1,165 22,585 2,255 1,070 870 4,195 30,450 10,920 2,360 43,730 7,460 4,205 2,570 14,235 Table 10 – Cost Burden Over 50% Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS Table 7 Figure 3 - Chart of Cost Burden Over 50% by Household Type Data Source: Table 10 1005. Crowding (More than one person per room) Renter Owner Family Type 0‐30% HAMFI >30‐50% HAMFI >50‐80% HAMFI >80-100% HAMFI Total 0‐30% HAMFI >30‐50% HAMFI >50-80% HAMFI >80-100% HAMFI Total NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS 3,465 2,195 1,800 1,000 8,460 170 355 430 345 1300 340 425 505 100 1,370 60 150 265 250 725 465 130 360 135 1,090 4 10 30 45 89 4,270 2,750 2,665 1,235 10,920 234 515 725 640 2,114 Table 11 – Crowding Information 1/2 Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS Table 10 Renter Owner 0‐30% HAMFI >30-50% HAMFI >50‐80% HAMFI Total 0‐30% HAMFI >30‐50% HAMFI >50‐80% HAMFI Total N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Table 12 – Crowding Information 2/2 Data Source: No Data Sources Household is one family, no subfamilies Household is one family, with at least one other family or subfamily Non-Family Household Total need by income Households with Children Age 6 or Under 83City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated PLan102101Describe the number and type of single person households in need of housing assistance. In 2022 there were 458,505 total occupied housing units in Austin, Texas. 172,936 (37.7%) of these are single person households2 (ACS 2022 1-Year). 119,071 (68.9%) of these single person households are renter and 53,865 (31.1%) are owner.3 The survey conducted for Austin’s 2019 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (2019 AI) showed that single person households are a mix of young adults, middle aged adults, and elderly persons. The median age is in the 45 to 54 range and 20% of householders are over age 65. Roughly 20% of single person household incomes were less than $25,000. Needs identified in this survey include: ● 78% of single person renter households worry about their rent increasing more than they can afford. ● 57% of single person renter households want to buy a home but cannot afford the down payment. ● Among homeowners: • ~25% “can’t pay their property taxes.” • The share experiencing this housing challenge is lower among those over age 65 (15%) than those under age 65 (26%). This may reflect the ability of low- income seniors to reduce their property tax burden through the homestead exemption. ● Among elderly single person households: ● Among single person householders under age 65: • • • • • • • • • 8% experienced displacement (having to move when they did not want to move) within the previous five years. ~20% have trouble with “inadequate sidewalks, streetlights, drainage, or other infrastructure in my neighborhood.” 14% can’t get to public transit easily or safely. 11% “need help taking care of myself/my home and can’t find or afford to hire someone.” 20% experienced displacement (having to move when they did not want to move) within the previous five years. ~25% experience challenges with “inadequate sidewalks, streetlights, drainage, or other infrastructure in my neighborhood.” 16% identify high crime in their neighborhood. 13% live in a home they consider to be in poor condition. 18% of single person renters under age 65 worry that if they request a repair, they will face a rent increase or eviction. 2 Referred to as “nonfamily, householder living alone” by the Census Bureau. 3 The City of Austin appears to have shifted sometime during 2020 or 2021 to the majority of households being nonfamily (including all single person and multiple person households); 53.5% of households were nonfamily in 2022 (ACS 2022 1-Year). City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated PLan103City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan102102Estimate the number and type of families in need of housing assistance who are disabled or victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. In 2020 there were an estimated 62,920 households in Austin with at least one member with a disability, which is 16% of total households in the city (2016-2020 CHAS, Table 6). The CHAS dataset categorizes household member disabilities into four types: • Hearing or vision impairment: o 27,295 households in Austin. Ambulatory limitation: o 29,420 households in Austin. Cognitive limitation: o 28,320 households in Austin. Self-care or independent living limitation: o 24,730 households in Austin. • • • Note that households can have multiple members with disabilities, and any individual may also have multiple disabilities. 27,215 households in Austin have both a disability and at least one housing problem, which is 43.2% of the total households with a disability. The table below details these households by the type of disability. Hearing/Vision Ambulatory Cognitive Self-Care 0-30% HAMFI >30-50% HAMFI >50-80% HAMFI >80% HAMFI Total 4,015 2,895 2,155 1,640 6,695 3,450 2,275 1,235 5,750 3,900 2,580 1,265 5,230 3,250 1,895 995 10,705 13,655 13,495 11,370 Table 13 – Households with a Disability and at Least 1 Housing Problem Source: 2016-2020 CHAS Table 6 This table shows that most housing problems for households with a disability occur in lower income categories. Among total households with a disability: 103• • • • 17% have a hearing or vision disability and at least one housing problem. 21.7% have an ambulatory disability and at least one housing problem. 21.4% have a cognitive disability and at least one housing problem. 18.1% have a self-care disability and at least one housing problem. There are fewer local data for the housing needs of victims of domestic violence, dating violence sexual assault, and stalking. According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) 2016/2017 Report on Intimate Partner Violence, victims of domestic violence sometimes need to access housing services. Roughly 5.5% of US women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime and require housing services as a result. The same is true for 1.4% of men nationally. Applying these percentages directly to the City of Austin population (2022 ACS estimates) would mean that roughly 26,000 women and 7,000 men in the city could require housing services as a result of domestic violence in their lifetime. These numbers are a very rough estimate, though Texans do experience similar rates of domestic violence to the national average according to the NISVS 2016/2017 State Report. What are the most common housing problems? The most prominent housing issue is housing cost burden (see Table 7 above). 54% of the households earning less than the median income in Austin were cost burdened in 2020 (paying over 30% of their earnings on housing); 26% of the households earning less than the median income in Austin were severely cost burdened (paying over 50% of their earnings on housing). Renters experienced higher rates of cost burden than owners. Overall, 31% of total households in Austin were paying over 30% of their income on housing in 2020; 14% overall were severely cost burdened, paying over 50% of their income. Housing cost burden has continued to increase in recent years. Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies estimates that 47.7% of renter households paid over 30% of their income on housing in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in 2022; 23.1% paid over 50% of their income on housing (severe cost burden). Are any populations/household types more affected than others by these problems? Renters face higher rates of cost burden than owners, though it is a significant issue for both. The data in Tables 7 shows that roughly 81,730 (56%) renter households earning less than the median income paid over 30% of their income on housing in 2020, versus 30,270 (47%) owner households earning less than the median income. Renters experience higher rates of housing problems in general, including overcrowding and kitchen/plumbing issues, though these other problems are not nearly as prevalent as cost burden. Table 8 above reinforces the difference between renters and owners, showing that 52,300 (36%) of Austin’s renter households earning less than the median income faced severe housing problems in 2020, versus 16,665 (26%) of owner households earning less than the median income. Table 9 shows how cost burden (paying 30-50% of income on housing) compares between different types of 104households. Renter households again appear to suffer greater cost burden than owner households. Small families and non-family, non-elderly households seem to have the greatest burden overall. Among homeowners there also appears to be a disproportionate cost burden for elderly households. Table 10 shows how severe cost burden (paying over 50% of income on housing) compares between types of households. There are similar trends to Table 9, but it is also clear that the lowest income households (0-30% HAMFI) are a much greater share of those severely cost burdened. The data from Table 11 above shows that 3% of households had more than one person per room in 2020, which is considered overcrowded. However, 5% of renter households were overcrowded, compared with just 1% of owner households. Family households that rent appear to represent the most overcrowding cases. Among renter households, the 0-30% AMI category had by far the most overcrowding. Among owner households, the most overcrowding was in the 50-80% AMI category. 19% of Austinites living with a disability earn an income below the poverty level, while the rate is 11% for the whole city (ACS 2022, 1-Year). Households with disabilities in Austin experience housing problems in general at higher rates than households without disabilities – 43% compared to 35% (2016-2020 CHAS, Table 6). There are also significant racial and ethnic disparities in housing problems, which will be analyzed in the following sections (NA-15, NA-20, and NA-25). Describe the characteristics and needs of Low‐income individuals and families with children (especially extremely low‐income who are currently housed but are at imminent risk of either residing in shelters or becoming unsheltered 91.205(c/91.305(c. Also discuss the needs of formerly homeless families and individuals who are receiving rapid re‐housing assistance and are nearing the termination of that assistance According to an Austin Community Foundation report on housing affordability published in 2022, over 50,000 households in Travis County earned less than the Federal Poverty Level of $26,200 per year in 2020. Many of these households are likely precariously housed — couch‐surfing or otherwise not included on a lease, staying in emergency shelters or living in transitional housing programs. Housing challenges among the precariously housed include: bad credit/history of eviction/foreclosure and can’t find a place to rent, an inability to pay utilities, inadequate job opportunities, and criminal backgrounds that disqualify them from many residences. According to Austin’s Homelessness Response System Dashboard, over 9,000 individuals enrolled in homelessness assistance programs/shelters for the first time in the twelve months from February 1, 2023, through February 1, 2024; over 2,000 of these individuals were a part of “families with children.” The same Dashboard also shows that nearly 550 individuals who entered “permanent housing” between February 1, 2021, and February 1, 2022, returned to homelessness again within two years. 105Formerly homeless families and individuals receiving rapid rehousing assistance or nearing the termination of temporary assistance may have difficulty transitioning to self‐sufficiency and providing for their families. It is important to maintain processes that help the family or individual identify their needs and prepare a short‐ and long‐term plan of action. Rapid rehousing service providers (funded by ARPA, CoC, and the City) meet regularly to discuss strategies to address the needs of families and individuals they serve. The problem of families struggling after financial assistance is no longer available is addressed by working with clients to develop a plan for the time period that they are receiving assistance until after the assistance is no longer available. All programs utilize progressive engagement to continually assess and work with clients to determine the continuing needs for financial assistance and case management. Most agencies are able to continue providing case management post‐housing placement with financial assistance available, if it is determined that they need it. Rapid rehousing providers and funders continue to develop standardized procedures across the community to create best practices. To that end, the City worked with a private consulting firm, Social Finance, to develop and pilot a rapid rehousing scorecard, which recently completed its first year of implementation. The scorecard program and process allowed for regular conversations to be had around issues such as data quality, programming difficulties, and creation and implementation of best practices. The scorecard was also refined during the earlier stages of the pilot, allowing for providers to see how their input could shape the way that RRH is implemented in the community. Now that the pilot is completed, the CoC will be adopting the scorecard for community-wide use. In addition to Rapid Rehousing, the City has contracted with two social service providers to offer targeted homelessness prevention to households at risk of experiencing homelessness. These programs, run by Endeavors and Foundation Communities, offer short-term financial assistance, wraparound case management support, and linkages to community resources such as employment readiness or childcare resources. These programs are funded with federal ARPA funds at this time and, due to the one-time nature of the funding source, will only operate until the funding is exhausted. If a jurisdiction provides estimates of the at‐risk population(s), it should also include a description of the operational definition of the at‐risk group and the methodology used to generate the estimates: “At‐risk of homelessness” is defined using the federal definition found in 24 CFR § 91.5. Prior work in the community has defined “precariously housed” based on a number of factors, including those with a prior history of eviction or foreclosure, difficulty paying utilities or property taxes, poor credit history, criminal history, mental illness, prior episodes of homelessness, domestic assault, LGBTQ youth, and extremely low‐ income households. Specify particular housing characteristics that have been linked with instability and an increased risk of homelessness 106The most fundamental characteristic shared by persons who experience homelessness and populations viewed as at-risk is their extreme poverty and prior histories of homelessness and/or use of the homeless response system. Discussion The data presented in this section indicate that cost burden is the most important housing problem in Austin for both renters and homeowners. Lower-income renter households (especially small family and non-family) experience greater cost burden and other housing problems overall. Housing cost is the primary driver of displacement in Austin (Uprooted 2018). The increasing population, decreasing average household size (people per household), and increasing median household income between 2012 and 2022 may indicate that more affluent individuals are migrating to Austin. Housing cost burden on low-income Austinites is inevitably related to the housing market conditions. The City of Austin adopted the Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint (ASHB) in 2017, a 10-year plan for addressing the city’s housing needs. The ASHB set an ambitious goal of creating 135,000 units of housing by 2027; 60,000 of these units are supposed to be affordable to households earning less than 80% MFI, and 75,000 can be priced for households above 80% MFI. The AHSB also sets a goal of 1,000 permanent supportive housing units over 10 years to reduce homelessness. The 5-year progress update (2022) showed that Austin is well behind pace for its goal for the 60,000 units of affordable housing. The underperformance is particularly evident for deeply affordable units, as only 363 units affordable at 30% MFI and under were created between 2017 and 2022. Only 47 units of permanent supportive housing were created over the same period. In addition, the City of Austin’s western council districts (traditionally the wealthiest and having the highest concentrations of white residents) continue to lag the furthest in affordable housing production. The following chapter, Market Analysis, will explore Austin’s housing market in more detail. 107NA‐15 Disproportionately Greater Need: Housing Problems – 91.205 (b)(2) Assess the need of any racial or ethnic group that has disproportionately greater need in comparison to the needs of that category of need as a whole. Introduction This section focuses housing problem disparities between racial and ethnic groups. There are four possible “housing problems” in this analysis: 1) lacks complete kitchen facilities, 2) lacks complete plumbing facilities, 3) has more than 1 person per room, and 4) cost burden is greater than 30% of household income. According to HUD and federal code for Consolidated Plan reporting, “disproportionately greater need exists when the percentage of persons in a category of need who are members of a particular racial or ethnic group is at least 10 percentage points higher than the percent of persons in the category as a whole” (24 CFR 91.305). Following these parameters, the data in this section reveal that the following groups experience disproportionately greater housing needs: • • • American Indian/Alaska Native households in the 0-30% HAMFI category. Pacific Islander households in the 0-30% HAMFI category. Pacific Islander households in the 30-50% HAMFI category. Beyond the HUD definition above, income disparities between racial and ethnic groups are an additional key indication of whether there are disproportionately greater needs. There are large income and wealth gaps along racial/ethnic lines in Austin. Black/African American (non-Hispanic) and Hispanic/Latino households comprise disproportionately large shares of lower-income households, and these are the income categories experiencing significantly greater rates of housing problems. 1080%‐30% of HAMFI Housing Problems Has one or more of four housing problems Has none of the four housing problems, OR no/negative income All Households4 White Asian Black / African American American Indian, Alaska Native Pacific Islander Hispanic 43,765 17,035 5,590 3,445 50 20 16,535 9,640 3,295 1,275 1,130 0 0 3,400 Table 14 ‐ Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 0‐30% HAMFI Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS Figure 4 – Percent of Households with 1-4 Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 0‐30% HAMFI Data Source: Table 14 4 Note that the totals for the jurisdiction in the following tables are not equal to the sum of the totals for each individual race/ethnicity. This is because HUD uses rounding in the CHAS dataset (0 remains 0; 1-7 rounds to 4; and 8 or above rounds to the nearest multiple of 5). The totals for the jurisdiction as a whole are closest to the actual amount. 10930%‐50% of HAMFI Housing Problems Has one or more of four housing problems Has none of the four housing problems All Households White Asian Black / African American American Indian, Alaska Native Pacific Islander Hispanic 37,695 17,395 3,450 2,005 30 50 13,470 7,850 3,010 880 360 10 0 3,390 Table 15 ‐ Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 30‐50% HAMFI Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS Figure 5 – Percent of Households with 1-4 Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 30‐50% HAMFI Data Source: Table 15 11050%‐80% of HAMFI Housing Problems Has one or more of four housing problems Has none of the four housing problems All Households White Asian Black / African American American Indian, Alaska Native Pacific Islander Hispanic 35,140 19,305 3,395 1,255 64 0 35,460 16,935 3,565 1,465 94 0 Table 16 ‐ Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 50‐80% HAMFI Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS 10,015 12,630 Figure 6 - Percent of Households with 1-4 Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 50‐80% HAMFI Data Source: Table 16 11180%‐100% of HAMFI Housing Problems Has one or more of four housing problems Has none of the four housing problems All Households White Asian Black / African American American Indian, Alaska Native Pacific Islander Hispanic 10,670 6,450 550 595 0 0 2,745 30,280 16,140 2,215 1,795 105 0 9,085 Table 17 ‐ Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 80‐100% HAMFI Default Data Source: 2011‐2015 CHAS 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% All Households White, non-Hispanic 26% 29% Black/African American, non-Hispanic 20% Asian, non-Hispanic 25% American Indian/Alaska Native, non- Hispanic 0% Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic N/A Hispanic, any race 23% Figure 7 - Percent of Households with 1-4 Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 80‐100% HAMFI Data Source: Table 17 112Discussion This section shows that there are very high levels of housing problems for Austin households earning below the median family income. Housing problems are particularly acute in the lowest income households (those earning below 50% HAMFI). In sum, ~80% of households that earn under 50% HAMFI, ~50% of households earning between 50-80% HAMFI, and ~25% of households earning between 80-100% HAMFI have housing problems. The following racial/ethnic groups suffer disproportionately greater need according to the HUD parameters (albeit with small sample sizes): • • • American Indian/Alaska Native households in the 0-30% HAMFI category. Pacific Islander households in the 0-30% HAMFI category. Pacific Islander households in the 30-50% HAMFI category. Beyond the HUD parameters, it is critical to highlight the impact of the core income disparities between racial and ethnic groups. Black/African American (non-Hispanic) and Hispanic/Latino households comprise significantly larger shares of lower income households. This indicates that these households bear a disproportionate burden of household problems overall. Figure 8 and Figure 9 illustrate these disparities. For example, White (non-Hispanic) households comprise 56% of the total in Austin, but only 38% of those earning less than 30% HAMFI; Black/African American (non-Hispanic) households comprise 7% of the total households, but 13% of those under 30% HAMFI; and Hispanic/Latino households comprise 26% of total households, but 37% of those under 30% HAMFI. The racial/ethnic disparities steadily narrow as incomes rise until relative parity (relative to households overall) in the 80-100% HAMFI range. Above 100% HAMFI, however, disparities appear again. Households earning above 100% HAMFI are much more likely to be White (non-Hispanic) and much less likely to be Black (non-Hispanic) or Hispanic. Lastly, Figure 10 illustrates the level of disproportionately greater needs between race and income groups by comparing the 0-30% HAMFI households alongside those earning over 100% HAMFI (that is, more than the median income). Higher income households, which are much more likely to be White (non-Hispanic), have very low rates of housing issues. Low-income households, which are much more likely to be Black (non-Hispanic) and Hispanic/Latino, suffer much higher rates of housing issues. Figure 8 - Race/Ethnicity of All Austin Households Data Source: CHAS 2016-2020 113Figure 9 - Race/Ethnicity of Households by Income Category Data Source: 2016-2020 CHAS City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated PLan115114Figure 10 - Comparing Rates of Housing Problems Between Highest and Lowest Incomes by Race/Ethnicity Data Source: 2016-2020 CHAS Table 1 Further categorization of households earning over 100% HAMFI may reveal further racial/ethnic disparity between households. Therefore, it would be useful to categorize the top 20%, 10%, and 1% of income earning households by race/ethnicity. The trends observed in this section indicate that the share of White (non-Hispanic) households would continue to increase for the top income households. 115NA‐20 Disproportionately Greater Need: Severe Housing Problems – 91.205 (b)(2) Assess the need of any racial or ethnic group that has disproportionately greater need in comparison to the needs of that category of need as a whole. Introduction This section focuses on severe housing problem disparities between racial and ethnic groups. The four “severe housing problems” in this analysis include: 1) lacks complete kitchen facilities, 2) lacks complete plumbing facilities, 3) has more than 1.5 people per room, and 4) cost burden is greater than 50% of household income. According to HUD and federal code for Consolidated Plan reporting, “disproportionately greater need exists when the percentage of persons in a category of need who are members of a particular racial or ethnic group is at least 10 percentage points higher than the percent of persons in the category as a whole” (24 CFR 91.305). Following these parameters, the data in this section reveal that the following groups experience disproportionately greater housing needs (albeit with small sample sizes): • • Pacific Islander households in the 0-30% HAMFI category. American Indian/Alaska Native households in the 30-50% HAMFI category. Beyond the HUD definition above, and as emphasized in the previous section (NA-15), income disparities between racial and ethnic groups are a key indication of whether there are disproportionately greater needs. There are large income and wealth gaps along racial/ethnic lines in Austin. Black/African American (non-Hispanic) and Hispanic/Latino households comprise disproportionately large shares of lower-income households, and these are the income categories experiencing significantly greater rates of housing problems. As in the previous section examining housing problems, racial/ethnic disparities become evident for severe housing problems when accounting for the composition of each income category. 1160%‐30% of HAMFI Severe Housing Problems Has one or more of four housing problems Has none of the four housing problems, OR no/negative income All Households White Asian Black / African American American Indian, Alaska Native Pacific Islander Hispanic 39,250 15,440 4,925 3,310 40 20 14,155 4,890 1,945 1,260 15 0 Table 18 – Severe Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 0‐30% HAMFI Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS Table 2 14,540 5,395 Figure 11 - Percent of Households with 1-4 Severe Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 0‐30% HAMFI Data Source: Table 18 11730%‐50% of HAMFI Severe Housing Problems Has one or more of four housing problems Has none of the four housing problems All Households White Asian Black / African American American Indian, Alaska Native Pacific Islander Hispanic 18,320 8,690 1,595 975 30 0 6,560 27,225 11,720 2,735 1,390 10 50 10,295 Table 19 – Severe Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 30‐50% HAMFI Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS Table 2 Figure 12 - Percent of Households with 1-4 Severe Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 30‐50% HAMFI Data Source: Table 19 11850%‐80% of HAMFI Severe Housing Problems Has one or more of four housing problems Has none of the four housing problems All Households White Asian Black / African American American Indian, Alaska Native Pacific Islander Hispanic 8,665 4,235 640 385 4 0 3,180 61,935 32,010 6,315 2,335 149 0 19,465 Table 20 – Severe Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 50‐80% HAMFI Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS Table 2 Figure 13 - Percent of Households with 1-4 Severe Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 50‐80% HAMFI Data Source: Table 20 11980%‐100% of HAMFI Severe Housing Problems Has one or more of four housing problems Has none of the four housing problems All Households White Asian Black / African American American Indian, Alaska Native Pacific Islander Hispanic 2,730 990 155 255 0 0 1,325 38,215 21,590 2,615 2,135 105 0 10,505 Table 21 – Severe Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 80‐100% HAMFI Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS Table 2 Figure 14 - Percent of Households with 1-4 Severe Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, 80‐100% HAMFI Data Source: Table 21 120Discussion Severe housing problems show similar disparities to the previously discussed housing problems in section NA-15. Lower income households experience much higher rates of severe housing problems than higher income households. The following groups experience disproportionately greater need according to the HUD parameters (albeit with small sample sizes): • • Pacific Islander households in the 0-30% HAMFI category. American Indian/Alaska Native households in the 30-50% HAMFI category. Additional analysis reveals that there is also disproportionately greater need for American Indian/Alaska Native households in the >100% HAMFI category (Figure 15 below. Beyond the HUD parameters, racial/ethnic disparities are pronounced for Black or Hispanic households because they comprise disproportionately larger shares of lower-income households and lower shares of upper-income households (refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 in the previous section, NA-15, for reference). These income disparities apply to severe housing issues in the same way that they apply to housing issues discussed in section NA-15. 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% All Households 3% White, non-Hispanic 2% Black/African American, non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic 5% 5% American Indian/Alaska Native, non- Hispanic 16% Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic <1% Hispanic, any race 4% Figure 15 – Percent of Households with 1-4 Severe Housing Problems by Race/Ethnicity, Income >100% HAMFI Data Source: 2016-2020 CHAS Table 2 121NA‐25 Disproportionately Greater Need: Housing Cost Burdens – 91.205 (b)(2) Assess the need of any racial or ethnic group that has disproportionately greater need in comparison to the needs of that category of need as a whole. Introduction: According to HUD and the federal code for Consolidated Plan reporting, “disproportionately greater need exists when the percentage of persons in a category of need who are members of a particular racial or ethnic group is at least 10 percentage points higher than the percent of persons in the category as a whole” (24 CFR 91.305). Following these parameters, the data in this section reveal that the following groups experience disproportionately greater housing needs (albeit with small sample sizes): • • Black/African American (non-Hispanic) households Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) households Table 22 and Figure 16 illustrate the levels of cost burden between race and ethnic categories. Housing Cost Burden All Households White Asian Black / African American American Indian, Alaska Native Pacific Islander Hispanic Other (multiple races) <30% 30‐50% >50% No / Negative Income (not computed) 258,849 154,420 14,550 19,625 735 59 61,900 7,560 71,135 38,055 6,265 3,085 85 50 21,310 2,285 59,540 28,395 6,455 4,390 75 20 18,630 1,575 Table 22 – Greater Need: Housing Cost Burdens Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS 5,740 2,095 570 800 0 0 2,035 240 122Figure 16 - Housing Cost Burden by HAMFI and Racial/Ethnic Group Default Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS Discussion Using the HUD definition, Black/African American (non-Hispanic) and Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) households experience a disproportionate need from housing cost burden. Roughly 35% of households in the City of Austin spend over 30% of their income on housing, but the estimate is 48% for Black households and 55% for Pacific Islander households5 (calculated by adding the 30-50% and the >50% columns in Figure 16 above). Beyond the HUD definition of disproportionate need, additional indications of disparities are evident. Figure 17 below shows the racial and ethnic makeup for households that are cost burdened, severely cost burdened, and not cost burdened. People of color, particularly Black and Hispanic households, are more likely to be cost burdened and severely cost-burdened than White (non-Hispanic) households. Black (non-Hispanic) households are nearly twice as prevalent among those severely cost burdened as opposed to those not cost burdened (11% vs. 6%). Meanwhile, 60% of households that are not cost burdened are White (non-Hispanic), but they constitute only 48% of severely cost burdened households (a 12% difference). Refer to Figure 17 below for more detail. 5 Once again, sample size is small for Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native households. 123Figure 17 - Cost Burden Comparison by Race/Ethnicity Data Source: 2016-2020 CHAS 124NA‐30 Disproportionately Greater Need: Discussion – 91.205(b)(2) Are there any Income categories in which a racial or ethnic group has disproportionately greater need than the needs of that income category as a whole? To review, a disproportionate need according to HUD exists when a resident group has a rate of housing problems that is 10 percentage points higher than the jurisdiction overall. The following groups demonstrate disproportionately greater need according to the HUD parameters: • Housing Problems: o American Indian/Alaska Native households in the 0-30% HAMFI category. o Pacific Islander households in the 0-30% HAMFI category. o Pacific Islander households in the 30-50% HAMFI category. Severe Housing Problems: • • Cost Burden: o Pacific Islander households in the 0-30% HAMFI category. o American Indian/Alaska Native households in the 30-50% HAMFI category. o Black/African American (non-Hispanic) households o Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) households However, as discussed in the above sections, it is important to also account for the disproportionately higher share of lower-income households that are Black and Hispanic. Households with lower incomes experience high rates of housing problems and severe housing problems (summarized in Table 23 below). Black and Hispanic households are more prevalent in lower income categories, and therefore are more likely to experience housing problems. % of Households with at Least 1 of 4 Housing Problems % of households with at Least 1 of 4 Severe Housing Problems Income 0-30% HAMFI 30-50% HAMFI 50-80% HAMFI 80-100% HAMFI >100% HAMFI 82% 83% 50% 26% 8% 73% 40% 12% 7% 3% Table 23 – Rates of Housing Problems and Severe Housing Problems by Income Data Source: 2016-2020 CHAS If they have needs not identified above, what are those needs? 125Section NA-10 highlights that renter households experience higher rates of cost burden and housing problems overall. There is a significant gap in homeownership rates between Non-Hispanic White versus Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latino households. Non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic Black Hispanic/Latino % of owner households % of renter households 57% 49% 4% 9% 21% 31% Table 24 – Owner and Renter Households by Race/Ethnicity Data Source: 2016-2020 CHAS Table 1 The following Market Analysis chapter highlights that there is a lack of housing supply in Austin that is affordable to lower-income households, a problem which disproportionately burdens people of color in the City of Austin. Are any of those racial or ethnic groups located in specific areas or neighborhoods in your community? The City of Austin exhibits patterns of racial and economic segregation that are rooted in the city’s first comprehensive plan, which was adopted in 1928 (Koch and Fowler 1928). This plan institutionalized segregation in the city by drawing Black and Hispanic Austinites to the east of the city, an area that would also see industrialization. Racist zoning policies and disinvestment institutionalized through practices such as redlining depressed property values in these eastern neighborhoods for decades. Gentrification in more recent decades has displaced low-income communities of color from the central east side, while large areas of west Austin have exclusionary land use patterns, contributing to what is known as the Eastern Crescent today (Figure 18). 126Figure 18 - Map of Concentrated Racial or Ethnic Groups by Census Tract Data Source: ACS 2016-2020 127NA‐35 Public Housing – 91.205(b) Introduction The Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) serves the community by providing Austinites with an affordable home and avenues to self‐sufficiency. Today, HACA either owns, manages, and/or maintains 18 low‐income subsidized housing developments, formerly public housing, with 2,149 affordable units. Sixteen of those properties are directly managed by HACA. Starting in 2013, HACA began converting its public housing units through the RAD Program (Rental Assistance Demonstration Program), in order to improve, modernize and/or redevelop aging housing stock. Although no longer called “public housing”, these assets, funded under the Project‐Based Rental Assistance program (PBRA), still serve the same population as under public housing. The agency also administers the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program which provides housing for more than 5,900 low‐income individuals and families. The tables below feature total units and vouchers, by type, and are populated with the most recent data from HACA. Clients of HACA are more likely to represent African American households, families with children, and persons with disabilities than households in the region overall. Specifically: ● Of households occupying PBRA units, 22% are Non‐Hispanic White, 34% African American, 43% Hispanic, 42% families with children, and 54% of households have persons with disabilities. ● Of voucher holders, 10% are Non‐Hispanic White, 56% African American, 32% Hispanic, 47% families with children, 28% persons with disabilities. ● Clients living in racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty (R/ECAPS) are more likely to be families with children than clients not living in R/ECAPs. 128Totals in Use # of units vouchers in use Average Annual Income Average length of stay Average Household size # Homeless at admission # of Elderly Program Participants (>62) # of Disabled Families Program Type Certificate Mod‐ Rehab Public Housing Total Project ‐ based Tenant ‐ based Special Purpose Voucher Disabled* Vouchers Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Family Unification Program 0 50 2,149 5,907 156 5,751 442 75 387 *includes Non‐Elderly Disabled, Mainstream One‐Year, Mainstream Five‐year, and Nursing Home Transition Alternate Data Source: Data provided by HACA Table 22 ‐ Public Housing by Program Type Characteristics of Residents Program Type Certificate Mod‐ Rehab Public Housing Total Project ‐based Tenant ‐based Vouchers Special Purpose Voucher Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Family Unification Program 0 15,080 18,082 11,582 18,317 17,617 16,869 0 6.1 years 6.3 years 3.3 years 6.5 years 5.8 years 6.4 years 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.2 108 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 1 3 305 N/A N/A N/A N/A 527 1,507 39 1,252 215 785 3,633 97 3,200 310 1 31 1290 1,146 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 0 N/A 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0 N/A 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A Table 24 – Characteristics of Public Housing Residents by Program Type Alternate Data Source: Data provided by HACA Race of Residents Program Type Certificate Mod‐ Public Housing Rehab Total Project ‐based Tenant ‐based Vouchers Special Purpose Voucher Family Unification Program Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Disabled* 673 5,441 153 4,586 307 129 266 # of Families requesting accessibility features # of HIV/AIDS program participants # of DV victims Race White Black/ African American Asian American Indian/ Alaska Native Pacific Islander Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 492 7,314 100 6,630 197 124 263 32 89 30 65 2 22 4 2 2 76 54 17 169 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 6 5 3 0 *includes Non‐Elderly Disabled, Mainstream One‐Year, Mainstream Five‐year, and Nursing Home Transition Alternate Data Source: Data provided by HACA Table 25 – Race of Public Housing Residents by Program Type 130Ethnicity of Residents Ethnicity Certificate Mod‐ Rehab Public Housing Program Type Total Project ‐based Tenant ‐based Vouchers Special Purpose Voucher Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Family Unification Program Disabled* Hispanic Not Hispanic 0 0 0 0 627 4,185 84 3,765 80 108 395 713 8,746 177 7,589 428 148 148 Table 26 – Ethnicity of Public Housing Residents by Program Type *includes Non‐Elderly Disabled, Mainstream One‐Year, Mainstream Five‐year, and Nursing Home Transition Alternate Data Source: Data provided by HACA Section 504 Needs Assessment: Describe the needs of public housing tenants and applicants on the waiting list for accessible units: The majority of the families drawn off the waiting list are families with either an elderly or disabled head of household, co-head, or spouse. Of those, about 40% express a need for some type of special accommodation. Current low‐income Subsidized Housing tenants and applicants have a wide range of accessibility needs. The following are the most common requested needs: 1. Apartments without stairs. This need includes both internal and external stairs. Many families have a family member for whom it is very difficult or impossible to navigate stairs on a regular basis. 2. Wheelchair accessible. This accessibility goes beyond simply no stairs in the apartment. This includes the need for ramps to the front door and lowered curbs to allow them to cross the street or access the management office. Doors need to be wide enough to allow for a wheelchair. Light switches, sinks and appliances need to be located at a height that would allow a wheelchair occupant to reach them. Roll‐in showers or transfer showers with grab bars may also be necessary. 3. Specific bathtub/shower types and bathroom grab bars. The specifics of each case will vary. Some will need a walk‐in or roll‐in shower. Others will need a tub shower. Many need grab bars at the toilet or the bathtub/shower or both. 1314. 5. Flashing doorbell and flashing smoke detector. Family members may be hearing impaired and require these items as safety measures. Live‐in aide or caregiver. A family member may require the continual assistance of a caregiver to live independently. What are the number and type of families on the waiting lists for public housing and section 8 tenant‐based rental assistance? Based on the information above, and any other information available to the jurisdiction, what are the most immediate needs of residents of Public Housing and Housing Choice voucher holders HACA manages 16 properties that provide subsidized housing through the Project Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) program. There are currently 13,943 families on one or more waiting lists across the 16 properties, with an average of 2.2 members per household. Fifty-eight percent of the heads of household are female, and 41% of the household members are children. Four out of the 16 properties HACA manages provide a preference for elderly and disabled residents. At these properties, apartment units do not have any stairs; there is elevator access to each floor and wheelchair accessibility throughout the building. However, these four sites only have 1‐ and 2‐bedroom apartments. For larger families that require 3‐ 4‐ or 5‐bedroom units, HACA has very limited availability. The Housing Choice Voucher waiting list has a total of 575 families, with an average of 2.4 members per household. Fifty-nine percent of the heads of household are female, and 49% of the household members are children. Households in the Housing Choice Voucher program have the advantage of more options throughout the City. However, with an historically high occupancy rate in Austin, first floor apartments, apartments without stairs and wheelchair accessible apartments are limited. Among accessible apartments, many are 1‐ or 2‐bedrooms. How do these needs compare to the housing needs of the population at large As discussed above, HACA clients are more likely to be families with children, African Americans, and persons with disabilities than individuals in the City overall. These household types have greater needs for larger unit sizes, housing in close proximity to schools, housing in close proximity to services, and good access to public transit. These housing qualities‐‐particularly the locational qualities‐‐are also in demand by other, higher‐income persons, making affordable units for lower income households increasingly challenging to find. The data analysis conducted for the 2019 AI found very few areas of the region that are affordable to voucher holders except for southeast Austin and southeast Travis County. An analysis of the needs of voucher holders conducted for the 2019 AI found that, compared to all households, voucher holders are much more likely to worry about being displaced from their current unit because their landlords may refuse to accept Section 8. 132Discussion Reporting from HACA staff and clients, Housing Department survey respondents, community stakeholders and City leaders underscores the urgent need for affordable and safe, multi‐bedroom housing designed to accommodate low‐income families with children. 133NA‐40 Homeless Needs Assessment – 91.205(c Introduction: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines homelessness as: An individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, meaning they: ● Have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground; ● Are living in a supervised publicly or privately‐operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including hotels and motels paid for by Federal, State or local government programs for low‐income individuals or by charitable organizations, congregate shelters, and transitional housing); ● Exiting an institution (where they resided for 90 days or less AND were residing in emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering institution); ● Will imminently lose their housing [as evidenced by a court order resulting from an eviction action that notifies the individual or family that they must leave within 14 days, having a primary nighttime residence that is a room in a hotel or motel and where they lack the resources necessary to reside there for more than 14 days, or credible evidence indicating that the owner or renter of the housing will not allow the individual or family to stay for more than 14 days, and any oral statement from an individual or family seeking homeless assistance that is found to be credible shall be considered credible evidence for purposes of this clause]; has no subsequent residence identified; and lacks the resources or support networks needed to obtain other permanent housing; ● Unaccompanied youth and homeless families with children and youth defined as homeless under other Federal statutes and have not had lease, ownership interest, or occupancy agreement in permanent housing at any time during last 60 days; have experienced two or more moves during last 60 days; can be expected to continue in such status for an extended period of time because of chronic disabilities, chronic physical health or mental health conditions, substance addiction, histories of domestic violence or childhood abuse, the presence of a child or youth with a disability, or multiple barriers to employment; and ● Individuals/families fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that relate to violence against the individual or family member and have no identified residence, resources or support networks; lack the resources and support networks needed to obtain other permanent housing. There are a variety of contributing factors that can lead to homelessness. Often it is the breakdown of multiple systems and supports. Below is a list of the potential factors: 134● Nationally, between 2020 and 2022, there was a dramatic 30 percent increase in the number of people entering homelessness for the first time. An expiring federal eviction moratorium (in 2021) and the phasing out of federal COVID relief likely contributed to rising hardships. While more people exited homelessness into permanent housing (8% increase between 2021-2022), there was a 26 percent increase in the number of people newly becoming homeless.6 ● Lack of affordable housing: The cost of living is rising and rent in Austin has only continued to increase. Average rent in Austin has grown from approximately $1,300 in 2020 to $1,600 in 2023.7 ● Employment factors: Unemployment, low wages, and limited job skills can all contribute to an individual experiencing homelessness. ● Poverty: 59% of single adults experiencing homelessness reported they do not have any income.8 ● Lack of access to services for mental health, substance abuse, and/or healthcare: 52% of heads of households who accessed a homeless response program in 2022 suffer from mental illness and 71% of those individuals reported having a disabling condition. Lacking access to basic healthcare can lead to individuals or families only seeking help in emergencies, resulting in even larger medical bills.9 ● Domestic violence: Approximately 40% of heads of households who accessed homeless response programs in 2022 were fleeing domestic or inter-partner violence.10 ● Racial inequality: African Americans are incarcerated and experience poverty at significantly higher rates compared to the general population. This disproportionate rate is also found in the homeless population. While African Americans comprise 9% of the overall Travis County population as per the 2022 Census estimates, they comprise 32% of the population enrolled in homeless services.11 Data Source: Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Categories are not mutually exclusive. 6 Source: “HUD Releases 2023 AHAR data: 12 key data points to understand the current state of homelessness in America”, National Alliance to End Homelessness, https://endhomelessness.org/blog/hud-releases-2023-ahar-data-12-key-data-points-to-understand-the- current-state-of-homelessness-in-america/ 7 Source: “Construction boomed in Austin and rents went down. Now some builders are dismantling the cranes.” KUT. https://www.kut.org/austin/2024-02-29/construction-boomed-in-austin-and-rents-went-down-now-some-builders-are-dismantling- the-cranes 8 Source: “TX-503 Needs and Gaps 2023”, page 20, Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, TX-503 CoC Needs and Gaps Report (austinecho.org) 9 Source: “TX-503 Needs and Gaps Report” Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO). https://www.austinecho.org/wp- content/uploads/2021/12/TX-503_Needs-and-Gaps_2023.pdf 10 Source: “TX-503 Needs and Gaps Report” Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO). https://www.austinecho.org/wp- content/uploads/2021/12/TX-503_Needs-and-Gaps_2023.pdf 11 Source: “Austin/Travis County Continuum of Care Racial Disparities”, page 6, August 21, 2023, Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, Published_RD_Report_08.21.23.pdf (austinecho.org) 135Homeless Needs Assessment Population Estimate the # of persons experiencing homelessness on a given night Estimate the # experiencing homelessness each year Estimate the # becoming homeless each year Estimate the # exiting homelessness each year Estimate the # of days persons experience homelessness Sheltered Unsheltered 2526 397 284 174 22 16 20 43 Persons in Households with Adult(s) and Child(ren) Persons in Households with Only Children Persons in Households with Only Adults Chronically Homeless Individuals Chronically Homeless Families Veterans Unaccompanied Child Persons with HIV 598 1 1 157 50 155 6 1 18 68 35 12 509 1259 4097 1749 1233 198 667 238 1596 78 281 187 87 1087 280 126 3 185 172 6 9 145 141 25 98 282 113 289 Alternate Data Source: Homeless Management Information System (HMIS); HUD Stella tool; 2023 Point-in-Time Count Table 27 ‐ Homeless Needs Assessment 136Indicate if the homeless population is rural: Has no rural homeless population If data is not available for the categories "number of persons becoming and exiting homelessness each year," and "number of days that persons experience homelessness," describe these categories for each homeless population type (including chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth): N/A Nature and Extent of Homelessness: (Optional) Race: Sheltered: Unsheltered (optional) White Black or African American Asian American Indian or Alaska Native Pacific Islander Ethnicity: Hispanic Not Hispanic 623 410 23 5 3 491 617 794 368 9 43 3 317 949 Alternate Data Source: 2023 Housing Inventory Chart and Point-in-Time Count Estimate the number and type of families in need of housing assistance for families with children and the families of veterans. More than 2,500 people in family households experience homelessness each year in our region, and recent local data indicate there is a growing need for solutions to family homelessness. Chronic homelessness among this population is very low compared to single adult households, but it doesn’t reduce the need to build solutions to family homelessness. Veterans have been a priority population for Austin ever since the community was certified as having ended veteran homelessness in 2016. There are 23 individuals in 5 families of veterans who experienced homelessness on a given night, with one of those families experiencing chronic homelessness. The local HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) and SSVF programs have been important resources for ending the homelessness of these families. Describe the Nature and Extent of Homelessness by Racial and Ethnic Group The following graphs summarize local data compiled by ECHO for the 2023 Racial Disparities Report, which reflects 137data from the entirety of 202212. The bars in each category on the graphs below represent the percentage of the specific population each group represents. Black/African American individuals accounted for 8.5% of Travis County’s total population in 2022, but 31.5% of the population experiencing homelessness are Black/African American. This is a dramatic overrepresentation and a key challenge facing our homelessness response system and the Austin/Travis County community generally. The following chart displays program entry information for permanent housing programs in 2022. Rapid rehousing entry rates by race and ethnicity are roughly aligned with HMIS enrollment rates, however permanent supportive housing rates differ, particularly for Hispanic/Latino and White populations. Information is provided for head of household (HoH) members only. This data is from Austin/Travis County’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). 12 Source: “TX-503 Racial Disparities Report 2023” Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, TX-503 CoC Racial Disparities Report (austinecho.org) 138139Describe the Nature and Extent of Unsheltered and Sheltered Homelessness. The 2023 Annual Point In Time (PIT) Count provided a snapshot of the Austin area homeless population, at a total of 2,374 homeless individuals. 47% (1,108) of these individuals were sheltered at the time of the count and 53% (1,266) were unsheltered. While there was a 18% overall increase in the unsheltered count this year, Austin saw an impressive 15% overall reduction in Veteran homelessness. Additionally, there was a 56% reduction in unsheltered homelessness among youth adults (18‐24). Austin also saw a significant rise in those who were unsheltered in unincorporated Travis County. It should be noted that there are individuals without permanent housing who do not fall within traditional definitions of homelessness and who may not be included in the PIT count (for example, families who have lost their homes but are residing with friends or relatives). Therefore, the PIT number only provides an indication of the size of the homeless population and may not demonstrate the extent of a community’s homelessness needs. While the PIT Count is helpful in estimating trends and identifying new concentrations of unsheltered individuals, the community has been testing a more nuanced approach to estimating the number of persons experiencing homelessness through a robust analysis of HMIS enrollments. With local and statewide camping bans in place, and a lack of shelter and affordable housing options, individuals in housing crises are forced to the margins of the community, and safety from authorities may mean seeking hidden or hard-to-reach living arrangements. This estimation effort has been augmented by street outreach teams working specifically to conduct Coordinated Assessments as well as a telephone hotline that offers mobile assessments to be conducted. This work helps capture communitywide need in a broader sense, allowing providers to connect with precariously housed individuals or other groups who are hard to reach through an overnight canvassing effort or traditional service provider setting. These estimates are often higher than the annual PIT count, as much as two-and-a-half times higher, and dramatically raise the number of individuals and families estimated to be experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Discussion: The City of Austin, in partnership with local, state, and federal governmental and nongovernmental partners, committed significant resources towards using best practices that aid in ending chronic homelessness for individuals and families. Austin City Council advanced a strategy to increase access to supportive services funding that has been tied to the local public housing authority’s rental assistance voucher programs. Additionally, the City and its partners convened the Summit to End Unsheltered Homelessness in early 2021, which resulted in bold goals to develop 1,000 units of site-based permanent supportive housing as well as increasing local service provider capacity, securing more than 2,000 units in the private market for persons exiting homelessness, and compassionately decommissioning encampments across the city. More than $100,000,000 of the American Rescue Plan Act funds granted to the City of Austin were prioritized for initiatives focused on homelessness and have resulted in investments in local rapid rehousing, emergency shelter, street outreach, permanent 140supportive housing (PSH), and other areas of need. The current pipeline of site-based PSH estimates more than 1,300 units opening to persons experiencing chronic homelessness within the next 3 years. Additionally, more than 2,000 people have been served by our ARPA-funded RRH programs and the experience of this program implementation has allowed for CoC-led discussions around the community's approach to RRH both in terms of its program model and its role in the Coordinated Entry system. Meanwhile, the extent of unsheltered homelessness, the low number of emergency shelter available, and the housing affordability crisis in Austin contribute to a challenging environment for ensuring homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring. The City's departments continue to partner with one another, community partners and stakeholders, persons with lived expertise, and institutional partners to support and grow our homelessness response system. 141NA‐45 Non‐Homeless Special Needs Assessment ‐ 91.205 (b,d) Introduction: Due to lower incomes and the need for supportive services, special needs groups are more likely than the general population to encounter difficulties finding and paying for adequate housing, and often require enhanced community services. The groups discussed in this section include: ● The Elderly and Frail Elderly ● Persons with Physical Disabilities ● Persons with Developmental Disabilities ● Persons with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SMI) ● Persons with Substance Abuse Disorders ● Persons living with HIV/AIDS ● At‐Risk Children and Youth ● Victims of Domestic Violence ● Persons Experiencing Homelessness and at Risk of Homelessness ● Housing Authority Residents HOPWA 2022 AIDS Surveillance data for the Austin TGA: Number of Cumulative People Living with AIDS (PLWA) Prevalence Rate of Cumulative People Living with AIDS per 100,000 Number of New HIV cases in the Austin TGA for 2020 - 2022 2022 HIV Surveillance data for the Austin TGA: Number of Persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) PLWHA Prevalence Rate per 100,000 Number of New HIV cases Reported Incidence Rate of New HIV Cases per 100,000 3,277 135.4 850 7,568 312.3 337 13.9 HIV/AIDS Surveillance Data Source: Texas Department of State Health Services Population Data Source: United States Census Bureau: County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023. Population Estimate for 2022 for Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, and Caldwell Counties. Table 29 – HOPWA Data 142HIV Housing Need (HOPWA Grantees Only) Type of HOPWA Assistance Estimates of Unmet Need Tenant based rental assistance Short‐term Rent, Mortgage, and Utility Permanent Housing Placement Default Data Source: FY 2022‐23 HOPWA CAPER Table 30 – HIV Housing Need 52 75 87 Describe the characteristics of special needs populations in your community: Senior Citizens Nearly 9 out of 10 Travis County seniors live independently, but still require some assistance with daily activities or home modifications (source: 2017 Age‐friendly Action Plan). The elderly often have needs relating to: substandard housing, physical disabilities, income constraints, transportation and obtaining resources. The migration toward digital services is particularly challenging for elderly who may not have access to wireless services and/or do not understand how the processes works. Equally important is the housing need. An estimated 29,155 seniors have housing needs in the City (2016‐ 2020 ACS, HUD CHAS Tables 4‐6), which up from 22,725 (2011‐15 CHAS data Table 5) or an increase of 28.3% in 5 years. Persons with physical disabilities experience difficulties locating accessible and affordable rental housing. Moreover, this population requires connections to high‐quality public transportation that provides access to basic needs, food services and services. Persons with developmental disabilities experience a wide range of difficulties. A combination of special, interdisciplinary, or generic services, individualized supports, or other forms of assistance that are of lifelong or extended duration should be individually planned and coordinated. Transportation presents a challenge here as well to connect them to basic needs and food services. Opportunities for employment can also be a challenge for persons with disabilities. In general, individuals with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 64 are twice as likely to live in poverty as their 18 to 64‐year‐ old neighbors without disabilities. (Source: Central Texas AI) 143An estimated 58,255 individuals in the City have a disability, with 40% having some type of housing need. By disability type, housing needs include: No. of Residents With Housing Needs % with Housing Needs 5 Year Needs Estimate Residents with hearing or vision impairment 25,610 11,085 43% 12,282 Ambulatory limitation 29,215 13,505 46% 14,964 Cognitive limitation 23,980 12,070 50% 13,374 Self‐care or independent living limitation 21,995 10,075 46% 11,163 Alternate Data Source: Root Policy Research Housing Model Analysis According to the housing survey conducted for the 2019 AI, one in five households that include a member with a disability occupies a home that does not meet the needs of the person with a disability. Mental health continues to be raised as a very pressing challenge within the community. According to the Community Health Improvement Plan, there is an overwhelming lack of resources for people with mental illnesses, including a shortage of psychiatrists and facilities to serve the community needs. Between 2018 and 2022, a total of 152,510 Travis County residents were hospitalized with signs of a mental health challenge, including persons hospitalized for dementia and other mental disorders due to known physiological conditions; mental disorders associated with substance use; psychotic disorders, including Schizophrenia; nonpsychotic mental disorders, including anxiety; intellectual disabilities; mood disorders; personality disorders; developmental disorders; behavioral and emotional disorders; and other mental disorders. In 2022 alone, 36,343 residents were hospitalized with signs of a mental health challenge. Substance abuse disorders and mental health issues can often be intricately intertwined. Resources and treatment facilities are available; however, they need to be improved to meet demand. Preventative efforts such as successful tobacco cessation campaigns in the area indicate that more work needs to be done to reach youth. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, an estimated 46,500 Austinites have substance abuse challenges. Austin/Travis County EMS reported 1,088 overdose alerts in 2022. According to the Travis County Medical Examiner, 417 fatal overdoses were reported among Travis County residents in 2022. This is a 24% increase from fatal overdoses in 2021 and a 60% increase from fatal overdoses in 2020. 144Persons living with HIV/AIDS are living longer with HIV. Stable housing is closely linked to successful HIV outcomes. With safe, decent, and affordable housing, people with HIV are better able to access medical care and supportive services, get on HIV treatment, take their HIV medication consistently, and see their health care provider regularly. (Data Source: Housing and Health|HIV.gov) At least half of Americans living with HIV experience homelessness or housing instability following their HIV diagnosis. People with HIV risk losing their housing due to such factors as stigma and discrimination, increased medical costs and limited incomes, or reduced ability to keep working due to HIV related illnesses. (Data Source: Housing and Health|HIV.gov) Locally, the Austin Transitional Grant Area (TGA) is experiencing a housing crisis. There is a shortage of housing, cost of living is high, and there is a growing number of people experiencing homelessness. The wage gap between Austin’s highest paid works and the lowest paid, exacerbate the affordability crisis. Local leaders have reformed local land use with the aim to reduce housing costs and increase supply. Long term housing programs have increased capacity, but it is not enough to meet demand. (Data Source: https://communityimpact.com/austin/south-central-austin/real-estate/2024/05/24/local-leaders-discuss- housing-affordability-supply-in-austin/, and https://news.yahoo.com/news/austins-homelessness-crisis- grows-amid-120844464.html) HOPWA subrecipients in the Austin TGA have recently begun reporting that their clients are moving out of the city core to more affordable areas and some have reported that an increasing number of clients are moving outside of the TGA. This is increasing the demands for medical transportation from increasingly more rural areas to Austin where most of the HIV care is located. It will be interesting to see how this impacts the future of the number of People Living with HIV/AIS in the Austin TGA. Persons under age 18 have high rates of poverty according to the 2021 Community Services Block Grant Community Needs Assessment Report. In 2015-2019, persons under 18 years of age experienced high rates of poverty with more than 36% living under 200% of the poverty threshold. There is increasing awareness that efforts need to be 145coordinated to intervene in reducing childhood poverty. To reduce the likelihood of childhood obesity, poor nutrition and early onset diabetes, as well as limited educational and employment opportunities. Victims of domestic violence require specialized housing, counseling and legal services. Given the hidden nature of domestic violence and the problems associated with self‐reporting of such sensitive information, reliable statistics on the number of persons in violent domestic situations are not available. Data from the Centers for Disease Control is used to estimate the number of people who have been affected by Intimate Partner Violence, or IPV. This number totals 40,500, with about 6,900 having lifetime housing needs. In 2023, Texas Department of Public Safety's (DPS) Uniform Crime Reporting System recorded 7,519 family violence offenses and 7,520 family violence victims across the State of Texas. Incidents may have multiple offenses and victims. In 2023, DPS reports Austin PD responded to 112 counts of rape, 52 accounts of sexual assault with an object, 1,298 counts of aggravated assault, 1,057 counts of intimidation. The majority of incidents (78%) occurred in a residence/home. Homelessness(cid:3)and vulnerability to homelessness continue to be a growing concern. Efforts must be made at all points in the Continuum. As housing costs continue to rise, resources will need to be directed to ensure households that are precariously housed (e.g., doubled up, car sleeping, etc.) are able to avoid homelessness through sustainable means. Housing Authority Residents have access to several programs that promote pathways to achieve greater self‐sufficiency. Service coordination and community partnerships help coordinate life skills training, adult basic education, workforce development/job training, job placement, financial literacy, housing counseling; parenting classes, health and wellness, childcare, and transportation. What are the housing and supportive service needs of these populations and how are these needs determined? Housing and supportive service needs of these vulnerable populations are evaluated through the short‐ and long‐term planning process by analyzing program data over time and collecting community and service provider input. Trends are identified to anticipate future community needs that may evolve or arise. By developing a structure for effective coordination between staff and service providers, the capacity to address housing and supportive service needs has been enhanced, thereby increasing positive outcomes. Information from the 2022 Austin/Travis County Community Health Assessment (CHA) was used in support of identifying the community needs for this plan. According to these findings of the CHA, the greatest housing and supportive service needs of special populations include: ● Affordable housing for low-income residents, residents of color, older adults, and persons with disabilities; ● Tenant‐based rental assistance and emergency assistance; ● Access to healthy food and food security; ● Affordable and accessible health care; 146● Removal of systemic barriers associated with the intake process and licensing; ● Improved coordination among service providers; ● Affordable child care; ● Increased employment opportunities paying a living wage; ● Removal of barriers to public transportation and senior transit options. Discuss the size and characteristics of the population with HIV/AIDS and their families within the Eligible Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA: For calendar year 2022, there were 7,568 persons diagnosed with HIV living in the five‐county Metropolitan Statistical Area (Austin‐Round Rock), including 337 new HIV diagnoses. Most (86%) people living with HIV are males. Hispanics comprised 37.5% of this population, followed by Whites (35.4%). In 2021 Travis County, half (53.1%) of this population were 45 years of age or older. Incidence rates and annual numbers of new diagnoses deceased during COVID-19 outbreak but have since begun to increase to pre-COVID rates. However, there has been a steady increase in the total number of people living with HIV in the Austin MSA Source: Travis County (aidsvu.org) Discussion Opioid Epidemic Austin Public Health (APH) is part of a steering committee assessing the type of substance use disorder treatment and services available in the community. APH has analyzed mortality and hospital discharge data to determine the impact of substance use disorder within our community. APH has also led the effort to address Council Resolution. 20180524‐038 on the opioid issue, with the purpose of assessing the variety of data collected on opioid and other substances and evaluating a variety of initiatives from several city departments and stakeholders. APH will continue to monitor the opioid epidemic and evaluate how best to allocate resources to this community need. 147NA-50 Non-Housing Community Development Needs – 91.215 (f) Describe the jurisdiction’s need for Public Facilities: The City of Austin provides a wide range of services to its community members, including emergency response, recreational activities, and health services, all of which are housed in public facilities throughout the City. Additionally, the administrative and governing functions of the City are also housed in public buildings of varying age across the City. Many City departments have identified the need for budget and capital projects to address building reliability and safety issues resulting from aging facilities and deferred maintenance. In addition to the need for the City’s existing public facilities, there continues to exist a demand for many new and/or expanded City facilities, driven in large part by the rapid population and economic growth the City has experienced over the past few decades, and applied equitably to communities that have historically not received such benefits from the community. How were these needs determined? The primary driver to identifying public facility needs (including rehabilitation and new facilities) are the various City departments that occupy these facilities. As with all infrastructure categories within the City, need is determined and guided generally by technical assessments of condition, acceptable levels of service, public input received through departments’ planning efforts, cost effective and coordinated capital project planning and project delivery, a balance of community priorities, and the support of investments that reflect the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan. Different from other infrastructure categories that make up the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), the City of Austin has Information Technology Governance and Facilities Governance teams that provide an additional assessment beyond the departmental-level assessment of need for information technology and facilities. For facility needs outside of a general rehabilitation, such as the expansion of a recreational center or the building of a new health facility, there is a substantial community engagement process as well in order to determine what best fits in the area of the investment. Finally, the City’s comprehensive plan, the City’s guide for long-term growth, development, and land use decisions, is currently undergoing an update initiated in the fall of 2023. Imagine Austin is a 30-year outlook on Austin’s future initially adopted in 2012. In part, Imagine Austin is being reviewed through a few different lenses that the City has stated commitment to: equity, sustainability, resilience, and access to opportunity. Through the Comprehensive Plan update process, community, city departments, and other partners will re-examine long-term growth priorities in the City through those lenses among other considerations, and as a result may identify additional needs to meet public facility needs. Describe the jurisdiction’s need for Public Improvements: A well-functioning public infrastructure system is essential to the City of Austin’s quality of life and economy. Approximately $4 billion in public improvement needs, including sidewalks, stormwater infrastructure, energy, water and sanity sewer, parks improvements, and mobility improvements were 148identified as part of the most recent CIP 5-year Spend Plan. As is regularly true, much of the need within the CIP is for capital renewal of existing City facilities and infrastructure, and many departments’ ongoing capital programs will need significant funding installments to maintain acceptable levels of service for the City’s basic infrastructure responsibilities and to meet growth demands of the City. How were these needs determined? Capital improvement projects can include any major improvement or expansion of City facilities or infrastructure. CIP projects vary in scope. While some require years of planning and construction, others may be completed in a shorter timeframe. Annually with the City’s budget, the City of Austin establishes a Five-Year CIP Spend Plan. The Spend Plan is based on an assessment of need as shown in the diagram below. Each department’s project identification and prioritization process is different based on its specific service responsibilities. Generally speaking, all capital projects address one or more of the following priorities: - - - - - Asset management Planning priori�es Council policy direc�ves Departmental business priori�es Sustainability and cost The City’s CIP includes many recurring capital programs aimed at existing infrastructure networks, City facilities, and services. Capital planning and prioritization therefore occurs on an ongoing basis throughout the year. As with the public facility needs, through the current Comprehensive Plan update process, community, city departments, and other partners will re-examine long-term growth priorities in the City through those lenses among other considerations, and as a result may identify additional needs to meet public improvement needs. 149MA‐05 Overview Housing Market Analysis Overview: The City of Austin’s 2025‐2029 Consolidated Plan was informed by the 2022 ACS 1‐Year Estimates, the previous FY 2019‐2024 Consolidated plan, a Housing Market Analysis conducted in 2019, an update to the City’s 2014 housing study, and a regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) conducted in 2018‐19. This section discusses the primary findings from those needs assessments and research. The City of Austin has made progress in addressing many unmet housing needs in the past five years. According to the City of Austin’s Affordable Housing Inventory database, more than 4,900 affordable units have been created or preserved since 2019. Many of the new units created or preserved are targeted at individuals with special needs, who face some of the greatest obstacles in finding housing. The greatest challenge to addressing needs is filling the gap between what households can afford and the current housing market prices. From 2012 to 2022, home values in Austin increased by 108% and rental costs have increased by 33%. By comparison, in that same period the median family income for all Austinites increased 32%; after disaggregating the data for race it results in 22% increase for Non‐ Hispanic White Austinites, 45% for Black/African Americans, 17% for Asians, and 40% for Hispanic/Latino Austinites. Despite the significant increases, especially for African American and Hispanic/Latino Austin households, there are still underlying disparities by race and ethnicity. Figure 1 below illustrates a persistent gap between White and Asian residents and Black and Hispanic residents in Austin over the past decade. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan150150Figure 19 Median Family Income (MFI) by Race and Ethnicity, 2012‐2022 Data Source: 2012‐2022 ACS 1‐Year Estimates (Due to data quality issues, 2020 is excluded) Ten years ago, an estimated 37,600 renters earned less than $20,000 per year and could not find affordable rentals. As of the FY 2019‐2024 Consolidated Plan, that shortage was estimated at 36,000 rental units, including households earning up to $29,280 per year. Using the latest data from HUD’s 2016‐2020 Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) Dataset, currently this gap is estimated at 39,865 rental units for households earning less than $29,280 per year. 151MA‐10 Number of Housing Units – 91.210(a)&(b)(2) Introduction The largest share of housing units in the City of Austin is single‐family detached homes (45%). This statistic has not changed significantly since the last Consolidated Plan (2017), when the single family detached share was 46% of all housing units. Approximately 43% of housing units are mid‐ to large‐sized multifamily complexes—a 4% increase from 2017, when the share was 39%. Overall, there has been an increase in multifamily structures, however the housing stock remains predominantly single family detached homes. Property Type Number 1‐unit detached structure 215,759 1‐unit, attached structure 2‐4 units 5‐19 units 24,065 31,507 83,999 20 or more units 123,704 Mobile Home, boat, RV, van, etc. 3,377 % 45% 5% 7% 17% 26% 1% Total 482,411 100% Table 31 – Residential Properties by Unit Number Data Source: ACS 2022 1‐Year Estimates: Table DP04, Total Housing Units, Units in Structure 152Unit Size by Tenure No bedroom 1 bedroom 2 bedrooms 3 bedrooms 4 bedrooms 5 bedrooms or more Total Owners Renters Number % Number % 1619 7544 26025 98533 57120 11855 1% 4% 13% 49% 28% 6% 26935 97758 86777 32153 11336 850 11% 38% 34% 13% 4% 0% 202696 100% 255809 100% Table 32 – Unit Size by Tenure Alternate Data Source: ACS 2022 1‐Year Estimates: Table B25042, Tenure by Bedroom Describe the number and targeting (income level/type of family served) of units assisted with federal, state, and local programs. The City of Austin is working together with the Housing Authority of Austin, Housing Authority Travis County, and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to realize community goals set forth in the Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint. This includes the creation or preservation of 60,000 income‐ restricted affordable housing units that are affordable to households at or below 80% median family income, by 2027. In the Strategic Housing Blueprint's ten‐year timeframe, Austin has made progress towards achieving its goals set in 2017. As Figure 20 illustrates, Austin is on track to meet or exceed its targets for housing affordable to households earning above 80% Median Family Income (MFI). Austin is also on track to meet goals related to affordable housing preservation, and new housing in areas designated for growth in the Imagine Austin Plan. However, the production of housing units affordable to households with incomes at or below 80% of the MFI is lagging, including units dedicated to permanent supportive housing for the unhoused. Currently, only Council District 4 is meeting its specific goals for affordable housing development citywide. To achieve the ten‐year goals for affordable housing units, especially for those with incomes at or below 80% MFI, Austin needs a significant increase in the development rate of affordable homes. 153Figure 20 Strategic Housing Blueprint Scorecard 2022: Progress to‐date Data Source: Housing Works Provide an assessment of units expected to be lost from the affordable housing inventory for any reason, such as expiration of Section 8 contracts. According to the City of Austin’s Affordable Housing Inventory, around 2,400 income‐restricted units, supported or incentivized by the City of Austin, are slated to lose their affordability status between 2024 and 2029. This is primarily due to the expiring affordability periods of low‐income tax credit projects and development incentive programs. The University Neighborhood Overlay (UNO) development incentive program is set to have 255 units with expiring affordability periods, as the program had a 15‐year affordability period from 2004 to 2014. The City of Austin also maintains a Comprehensive Affordable Housing Directory (CAHD) which includes all affordable housing in the City, including units subsidized by the County and the Housing Authority, in addition to the affordable units subsidized by the City of Austin. According to the CAHD, 7,950 units will expire between 2024 and 2029. Does the availability of housing units meet the needs of the population? The availability of housing units in Austin does not meet the needs of very low‐income households earning less than 30% of the median family income. According to the CHAS dataset, there is a shortage of 39,865 housing units for this group, which represents 14% of households in the city. 154Describe the need for specific types of housing: The primary housing types needed in Austin are 1) permanently affordable, quality rentals for households earning less than $30,000 per year, 2) affordable homeownership options for households earning between 80% and 120% median family income, 3) preservation and improvement of existing affordable rentals and homes in gentrifying neighborhoods, and 4) housing to serve the variety of housing needs and preferences of special needs populations, including a wide range of housing that accommodates the needs of persons with disabilities (e.g., homes accessible to hearing‐impaired and homes that are wheelchair accessible). 5.) Housing in High Opportunity Areas with access to public amenities or community attributes that can increase economic mobility for their residents. 155MA‐15 Housing Market Analysis: Cost of Housing ‐ 91.210(a) This section provides information on the cost of housing in Austin, including changes in housing costs since 2012. Base Year: 2012 Most Recent Year: 2022 % Change Median Home Value Median Contract Rent $285,355 $1,077 Table 33 – Cost of Housing $593,000 $1,437 107.8% 33.4% Default Data Source: 2005‐2009 ACS (Base Year); Alternate Data Source: ACS 2012 and 2022 1‐Year Estimates: DP04: Median Home Value, B25058 Median Contract Rent, Inflation Adjusted Rent Paid Number % 5,999 16,284 91,489 75,408 62,912 252,092 2% 6% 36% 30% 25% 100% Table 34 ‐ Gross Rent Paid Data Source: 2022 ACS 1‐Year Estimates: DP04: Gross Rent: Occupied Unit Rent Paid Introduction Cost of Housing Less than $500 $500‐999 $1,000‐1,499 $1,500‐1,999 $2,000 or more Total 156Renter‐Occupied Units Owner‐Occupied Units Housing Affordability Number of Units affordable to Households earning 0%‐30% HAMFI 30‐50% HAMFI 50‐80% HAMFI 80‐100% HAMFI 13,545 34,500 133,940 Greater than 100% HAMFI 43,840 (>80% HAMFI) Total 225,825 Table 35 – Housing Affordability Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS, Tables 14A, 15A, 14B, 15C 19,935 (<50% HAMFI) 44,200 31,970 83,320 179,425 157Monthly Rent Monthly Rent ($) 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom 4 Bedroom Efficiency (no bedroom) Fair Market Rent High HOME Rent Low HOME Rent $1,253 $1,253 $1,022 $1,386 $1,386 $1,095 $1,626 $1,626 $1,315 $2,088 $1,940 $1,518 $2,416 $2,114 $1,693 Table 36 – Monthly Rent Alternate Data Source: 2023 HUD FMR and HOME Rents Is there sufficient housing for households at all income levels? Table 7 below compares the total households and cumulative housing units that are affordable at different income levels, based on data from the Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) dataset for the years 2016‐2020. According to the CHAS data, there are a total of 395,275 households and 405,425 housing units. The dataset categorizes units based on renter and owner affordability for income brackets (0‐30%, 30‐50%, 50‐80%, 80‐100%, and above 100% HAMFI). By deducting the number of households from the cumulative number of units in each category, we can identify the potential shortfall. From this analysis, a significant deficit is observed in units catering to the 0‐30% HAMFI range, indicating a shortage of 39,865 units for this group, which represents 14% of households. Households (Deficit) /Surplus 0%‐30% HAMFI 30‐50% HAMFI 50‐80% HAMFI 80‐100% HAMFI Greater than 100% HAMFI Total (39,865) 22,435 175,525 280,985 220,470 9,975 Table 7 ‐ Comparison of Household Incomes with Units Affordable at Each Income Level Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS, Tables 5, 14A, 15A, 14B, 15C 53,410 45,545 70,595 40,945 184,780 395,275 Housing Units Available at Income Level (Cumulative) 13,545 67,980 246,120 321,930 405,250 405,250 158Rental Housing: Affordable & Available Units The analysis of affordability and availability compares the number of renters below a specific income threshold with the number of housing units that are both affordable and accessible to them. This analysis establishes a baseline disparity in rental housing units. An "affordable" unit refers to any market rate, subsidized, or public housing unit for which a household at a given income limit, expressed as a percentage of the Area Median Income (AMI), would pay no more than 30 percent of their income for rent. However, some affordable units may be unavailable to households within that income range because they are occupied by households with higher incomes. Hence, an "available" unit is one that is either unoccupied or occupied by a household below the top income limit. This assessment is based on HUD’s 2016‐2020 CHAS dataset, the most recent data available. The CHAS dataset utilizes HUD’s AMI levels to categorize households by income as a percentage of AMI. As HUD income limits are based on Fair Market Rents in high‐cost areas, these income limits as a percentage of AMI are higher than those calculated solely from Census‐derived median incomes. These adjustments also affect the rent limits for units deemed "affordable" at different income levels. Figure 21 illustrates the disparity between renters and affordable/available units at various percentages of AMI: 0‐30, 0‐50, 0‐80, and 0‐100. The red squares indicate the number of renters with incomes up to the AMI limit. The full bars represent the number of affordable units at or below the income limit. The dark blue segments of the bars depict the number of affordable units available to renters below the income limit, while the light blue segments represent units occupied by households with incomes above the specified AMI limit. As depicted in Figure 21, the number of renters significantly exceeds the number of affordable units at the 0‐30 percent and 0‐50 percent of AMI levels. At the 0‐80 percent of AMI level, there is a gap of 11,730 units, and at 100 percent AMI, the number of affordable units roughly matches the number of renters at 0‐100 percent of AMI. However, 68,265 of these units are occupied by households with incomes above 100 percent of AMI. The number of affordable/available units (dark blue portion of the bar) falls far short of the demand. 159Figure 21 Rental Units by Affordable/Available Status and Income Level Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS, Table 15A, 14B, 15C How is affordability of housing likely to change considering changes to home values and/or rents? Austin continues to experience substantial growth year after year due to a strong employment base, recreational opportunities, and cultural and social amenities that continue to draw people from within the state, across the country and throughout the world. Table 33 indicates a 33% increase in contract rent from 2012 to 2022. This increase has stayed constant from the FY 2019‐2024 Consolidated Plan, which noted a 33% increase from 2009 to 2017. While rent has continued to increase, the rate of increase may have stayed constant because the City has also continued to add housing supply. According to the City of Austin Demographer, Austin added over 90,000 owner and rental units between 2010 and 2020. The Demographer also noted that as Austin adds new units, the housing stock increasingly consists of more rental units rather than ownership units. The lack of new ownership units could contribute to the 108% surge in median home values from 2012 to 2022. The lack of supply of ownership units may also contribute to the deficit of housing options for households earning greater than 100% HAMFI, and the growth of suburbs surrounding Austin. Increasing prices for ownership units will further narrow the areas in the City where renters can afford to buy a starter home or where current owners can find in Austin decline, surrounding homes to which they can downsize. As affordable alternatives communities will continue to see increased demand for affordable homeownership. 160How do HOME rents / Fair Market Rent compare to Area Median Rent? How might this impact your strategy to produce or preserve affordable housing? Fair Market Rents (FMR) and HOME rents are intended to reflect the average cost of renting a standard‐ quality housing unit in a specific area. HUD calculates and publishes these values annually for different regions, influencing payment standards and rent limits in U.S. housing programs. The FMR and HOME rents listed in Table 6 are consistent with rents reported in the American Community Survey (ACS) and lower than market rents, which is typical as HUD rent surveys lag market increases. The discrepancy between FMR and market rents does not change the City’s existing strategies to address the needs for affordable rentals. The current strategy and investments have made preservation of existing affordable rentals a priority. Research conducted for the 2019 Housing Market Analysis provided information about the geographic areas in the City that are at risk of losing market affordable units, which informed preservation activities. According to the 2022 Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint Scorecard, the City of Austin is on‐track to meet its goal to preserve 10,000 affordable housing units over ten years. Since 2018, 5,725 units of affordable housing have been preserved, ensuring that they would remain affordable for residents over the coming decades. 161MA‐20 Housing Market Analysis: Condition of Housing – 91.210(a) Introduction This section provides information about the condition of housing units in Austin. It is important to note that secondary data on housing condition is limited; much of the data in the MA‐20 tables are based on Census data that only report units in the most severe condition (e.g., lacking complete plumbing). Describe the Jurisdictions definition for “substandard condition” and “substandard condition but suitable for rehabilitation”. Definitions Definition of Substandard and Standard Housing Chapter 25-12 of the Austin City Code establishes the following regulations for "standard" and "substandard" housing: 1. All new multi-family and commercial buildings must meet the requirements of Article 1, Division 1 (International Building Code and local amendments); Article 4 (Electrical Code); Article 5 (Mechanical Code); Article 6 (Plumbing Code); Article 7 (Fire Code); and Article 12 (Energy Code). 2. All existing multi-family and commercial buildings must be maintained in accordance with the requirements of Article 1, Division 1 (International Building Code and local amendments); Article 4 (Electrical Code); Article 5 (Mechanical Code); Article 6 (Plumbing Code); Article 7 (Fire Code); Article 9 (Housing Code); Article 10 (Dangerous Buildings Code); and Article 12 (Energy Code). 3. All new one- and two-family dwellings must meet the requirements of Article 11 (Residential Code); Article 4 (Electrical Code); Article 6 (Plumbing Code); and Article 12 (Energy Code). 4. All existing one- and two-family dwellings must be maintained in accordance with the requirements of Article 11 (Residential Codes); Article 4 (Electrical Code); Article 6 (Plumbing Code); Article 9 (Housing Code); Article 10 (Dangerous Buildings Code); and Article 12 (Energy Code). 5. Any single-family, two-family or multi-family dwelling not maintained in accordance with Article 9 (Housing Code) and Article 10 (Dangerous Buildings Code) is a "substandard building" as defined in Chapter 10 of the 1994 Uniform Housing Code published by the International Conference of Building Officials and adopted by the Austin City Council. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated PLan1621626. Any single-family, two-family, multi-family or commercial building not maintained in accordance with Article 10 (Dangerous Buildings Code) is a "dangerous building" as defined in Chapter 3 of the 1994 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings published by the International Conference of Building Officials and adopted by the Austin City Council. In addition, for properties receiving U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds provided through the City of Austin, the following clarification for definitions is provided: Substandard Housing: Housing which does not meet the minimum standards contained in the City of Austin’s Housing Code (i.e. does not provide shelter, endangers the health, safety or well‐ being of occupants). Jurisdictions may adopt more stringent local definitions of substandard housing. Substandard Suitable for Rehabilitation: Substandard units which are structurally sound and for which the cost of rehabilitation is considered economically warranted. Substandard Needs Replacement: Substandard units which are structurally unsound and for which the cost of rehabilitation is considered infeasible, such as instances where the majority of a unit has been damaged by fire. Condition of Units Year Unit Built City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated PLan163163Risk of Lead‐Based Paint Hazard Risk of Lead‐Based Paint Hazard Total Number of Units Built Before 1980 Housing Units built before 1980 with children present Table 39 – Risk of Lead‐Based Paint Default Data Source: CHAS 2016‐2020 Owner‐Occupied Number % Renter‐Occupied Number % 67,355 8,970 37% 13% 63,800 7,765 30% 12% Vacant Units Vacant Units Total Units Vacancy Rate 23,906 482,411 5% Table 40 ‐ Vacant Units Data Source: 2022 ACS 1‐Year Estimates Describe the need for owner and rental rehabilitation based on the condition of the jurisdiction's housing. The City does not currently maintain an inventory of units suitable for rehabilitation. Most of Austin’s owners‐occupied and renter‐occupied housing units were built after 1980 and the vacancy rate in Austin is consistently low. According to the ACS 2022 estimates the current vacancy rate for ownership and rental units in Austin is 5%. To the extent that there is need for owner and rental rehabilitation, the City of Austin Housing Department offers an number of home repair programs. Estimated Number of Housing Units Occupied by Low or Moderate Income Families with LBP Hazards According to the HUD table above, as many as 8,950 units that are owner‐occupied with children under six and 17,050 units that are renter‐occupied with children under six were built before 1980 and are believed to be at‐risk of lead‐based paint hazards. These comprise 21% of owner‐occupied housing and 8% of renter‐occupied housing stock in the City. 164MA‐25 Public and Assisted Housing – 91.210(b Introduction Created in 1937, the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) is a major provider of affordable housing for low‐income families, persons with disabilities and seniors in the Austin area. HACA owns, operates and/or maintains more than 2,149 affordable or low‐income subsidized housing units at 18 properties throughout Austin and administers more than 5,900 Housing Choice Vouchers for rental subsidies in the private rental market, providing housing to over 17,000 individuals each day. The characteristics of residents assisted include: Public Housing Authority (PHA) Units: 22% Non‐Hispanic White; 34% African American; 43% Hispanic; 42% Families with Children; 56% of households include a person with disabilities. Vouchers: 10% Non‐Hispanic White; 56% African American; 32% Hispanic; 47% Families with Children; 28% persons with disabilities Total Number of Units Program Type Certificate Mod‐ Rehab Public Housing Total Vouchers Project ‐based Tenant ‐based Special Purpose Voucher Disabled* Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Family Unification Program 2,149 5,907 156 5,751 442 75 387 # of units vouchers available # of accessible units 0 N/A N/A Table 41 – Total Number of Units by Program Type N/A N/A 75 N/A N/A N/A *includes Non‐Elderly Disabled, Mainstream One‐Year, Mainstream Five‐year, and Nursing Home Transition Alternate Data Source: Data from The Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) Describe the supply of low‐income subsidized housing developments: HACA was one of the first three public housing authorities created in the United States as a result of the Housing Act of 1937. HACA’s Low‐Income Subsidized Housing portfolio is comprised of 18 housing developments with 2,149 units serving more than 4,000 low‐income Austinites. These units were previously public housing developments prior to HACA’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Program, which converted the public housing to Project Based Rental Assistance housing. This will ensure that the housing stock will have future funding to continue to serve low‐income families. 165Describe the number and physical condition of low‐income subsidized housing units in the jurisdiction, including those that are participating in an approved Public Housing Agency Plan: Low‐Income Subsidized Housing Condition (Project‐Based Rental Assistance) Public Housing Development Average Inspection Score Pathways at Booker T. Washington Pathways at Bouldin Oaks Pathways at Chalmers Courts Pathways at Coronado Hills Pathways at Gaston Place Pathways at Georgian Manor Pathways at Goodrich Place Pathways at Lakeside Pathways at Manchaca II Pathways at Manchaca Village Pathways at Meadowbrook Pathways at North Loop Pathways at Northgate Pathways at Rosewood Pathways at Salina Pathways at Santa Rita Pathways at Shadowbend Pathways at Thurmond Heights 91b 98c N/A 94b 95c 97b N/A 80c 97c 98c 97c 99a 98a N/A ‐ under redevelopment 90b 82c 90b 97c Table 42 ‐ Public Housing Condition Describe the restoration and revitalization needs of public housing units in the jurisdiction: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) conducted physical inspections for each of HACA’s public housing properties. Inspection scores are calculated utilizing Uniform Physical Condition Standards (UPCS) with a 100‐point scale. HACA received high scores above 90%, indicating “high performer” status, thus reducing the frequency of the HUD required property inspections to every three years. HUD recently implemented a new inspection protocol, NSPIRE (National Standard for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate) that transitions away from the REAC inspection protocol. This new standard shifts the focus away from curb appeal, exterior appearance and building systems to resident health and safety. The scoring focuses on areas residents are in most – their units and common areas (community buildings). Describe the public housing agency's strategy for improving the living environment of low‐ and moderate‐income families residing in public housing: Through the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Program, HACA completed a full conversion of all 18 166properties in the Public Housing program and Project Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) Program which is administered through HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing. This program continues to offer HUD subsidized housing to low‐income families below 80% of the area median family income. This funding platform provides a more stable and predictable source of subsidy, having locked in the level of operating funds, capital funds and energy improvement funds, and thus making them no longer subject to the fluctuations in the federal budgeting process. In addition, it allows HACA to find additional sources of financing to fund the improvements needed at each property. Housing assistance payments are locked in through 20- year contracts and mandatory 20-year renewal periods with HUD. HACA began this conversion of properties through RAD in December 2016, wrapping up all conversions in 2020. HACA has leveraged this opportunity to make significant improvements at numerous properties, including the complete redevelopment of Goodrich Place and Chalmers Courts, and major rehabilitation work at Shadowbend, Manchaca Village, North Loop, Georgian Manor, Northgate and Gaston Place. The redevelopments and substantial rehabilitations were made feasible by layering the HUD subsidy with investment through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. Depending upon the needs identified at each property, improvements included new flooring, new appliances, the addition of washers/dryers, dishwashers and microwaves, new lighting, increased property security, playground covers and more. HACA has continued to make improvements since the RAD conversion, including the complete redevelopment of Rosewood Courts. Each of these items had a significant impact on improving the quality of life for residents. Through RAD conversion, HACA established a 20-year plan for replacement and improvements to ensure the property is kept in good condition for years to come. Additionally, during conversion, HACA placed funds into a replacement reserve account to fund the 20-year plans. Each year, the property continues to add to that account while also using those funds to make repairs, improvements, and replacements as necessary. This process allows HACA to strategically plan and implement capital projects that will provide modern necessities for low-and moderate-income families. 167Discussion: In order to protect HUD and PHA investments and respond to the affordable rental housing demand, PHAs must address standard inventory improvements, modernize or replace obsolete units, and curtail the loss of stock from private sector partners choosing to opt‐out of affordable housing programs. RAD is designed to preserve public and assisted housing by increasing access to private debt, equity capital and management techniques. Funding is used for the incremental cost of converting public and other assisted housing programs to an improved form of long‐term, project‐based Section 8 contracts called Project Based Rental Assistance (PBRA). The process helps to assure the physical and financial sustainability of properties, and enable owners to leverage private financing, address immediate and long‐term capital needs, improve operations, and implement energy efficiency improvements. To further meet the need for affordable housing, HACA’s subsidiary, Austin Affordable Housing Corporation (AAHC), currently operates 19,589 affordable multifamily units at 76 properties in Austin, which are not federally subsidized. Of the 19,589 units, 3,473 are in various stages of construction. AAHC is working on new partnerships that could potentially increase units by more than 2,085 in the next year. 168MA‐30 Homeless Facilities and Services – 91.210(c) Introduction The following chart is based on the 2023 Housing Inventory Chart (HIC) count of the number of beds as of the date of the Point in Time Count (PIT) on January 26, 2023, with a few exceptions. Additionally, the final column is based on current local estimates for PSH development. Facilities and Housing Targeted to Homeless Households Emergency Shelter Beds Year Round Beds (Current & New) Voucher / Seasonal / Overflow Beds Transitional Housing Beds Current & New Permanent Supportive Housing Beds Current & New Under Development Households with Adult(s) and Child(ren) Households with Only Adults Chronically Homeless Households Veterans Unaccompanied Youth 403 607 0 10 10 300 0 0 292 253 54 0 32 1304 1476 852 16 1062 1062 225 50 10 Table 43 ‐ Facilities and Housing Targeted to Homeless Households 43 17 0 Alternate Data Source: Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Describe mainstream services, such as health, mental health, and employment services to the extent those services are used to complement services targeted to homeless persons Several service providers across Austin provide SSI/SSDI, Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) services to households experiencing homelessness. Some of these are supported with City funds, but several of these programs have been created with the use of ARPA funding. Integral Care, the local mental health authority (LMHA), provides SOAR services as well as low- or no-cost behavioral health services to the unhoused community. Central Health, the local hospital district, provides a medical access plan (MAP) to households ineligible for Medicaid. MAP is accepted by a variety of local healthcare providers and pharmacies, including CommUnityCare, Central Health's federally qualified health center (CuC). 169Homeless service providers work closely with local agencies such as Integral Care and CommUnityCare to ensure persons experiencing homelessness receive the services needed most. Integral Care staff are placed at several emergency shelters to ensure mental health services are accessible. Integral Care also manages the interdisciplinary Homeless Outreach Street Team (HOST) which works with unhoused households to address healthcare and behavioral health needs through compassionate outreach efforts. Additionally, Goodwill employment specialists are located across the City and have co‐located staff with a variety of HRS programs. Providers also work closely with CommUnityCare health centers to provide services at 23 locations across the City and Travis County. CommUnityCare provides outpatient primary healthcare, dental care, limited specialty care, behavioral health services, and care for income‐ qualified individuals throughout the community. List and describe services and facilities that meet the needs of homeless persons, particularly chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth. If the services and facilities are listed on screen SP-40 Institutional Delivery Structure or screen MA-35 Special Needs Facilities and Services, describe how these facilities and services specifically address the needs of these populations. Emergency Shelter can be defined as "any facility with overnight sleeping accommodations, the primary purpose of which is to provide temporary shelter for the homeless in general or for specific populations of homeless persons. The length of stay can range from one night up to three months.” According to the 2023 HIC, there were 1,100 emergency shelter beds in Austin/Travis County. HUD defines transitional housing as "a project that is designed to provide housing and appropriate support services to homeless persons to facilitate movement to independent living within 24 months.” The Austin community has a wide variety of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) units serving the needs of the homeless and chronically homeless communities. According to the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO), the total PSH inventory in the city is 1,718 units. More than 1,000 more PSH units are in construction or development and are expected to open within the next three years. There are also hundreds of additional PSH units that use tenant-based vouchers in market-rate units or were developed by other partners. Many of these PSH programs also include additional services that help to meet basic and critical needs, such as food and housing, as well as other services to assist the homeless population in becoming self-sufficient. Supportive services include assistance with health and substance abuse issues, employment, education, childcare, transportation, case management, and counseling in areas such as life skills and mental health. Outreach services including mortgage, rental and utilities assistance, counseling and advocacy, and legal assistance are also available. Many of these services are available to participants on the same site as their housing. 170MA‐35 Special Needs Facilities and Services – 91.210(d) Introduction The City of Austin continues to work with the Continuum of Care (CoC), Austin Public Health, Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA), Community Advancement Network (CAN), United Way and other community partners to identify gaps and needs for both special needs facilities and services. HOPWA Assistance Baseline Table Type of HOPWA Assistance Number of Units Designated or Available for People with HIV/AIDS and their families TBRA PH in facilities STRMU ST or TH facilities PH placement 32 0 109 20 18 Table 44a– HOPWA Assistance Baseline Default Data Source: FY 2022‐23 HOPWA CAPER Describe the supportive housing needs for special needs populations, including the elderly, frail elderly, persons with disabilities (mental, physical, developmental), persons with alcohol or other drug addictions, persons with HIV/AIDS and their families, public housing residents and any other categories the jurisdiction may specify. The table below provides the estimates of total Austin households in certain special needs categories, as well as the portion of these households that face housing problems. The future estimates for 2025 are based on population forecasts from the City of Austin Demographer (from 2023) and several assumptions. The projected total population for the City of Austin in 2025 is 1,049,333. This total population is then divided by an average household size to estimate the total number of households, 499,682. This assumes an average household size of 2.1 people, which is the most recent figure for Austin according to 2018-2022 ACS data. Lastly, the table below assumes that the proportion of households in each category and the proportion of households in need in each category remain the same between 2020 and 2025. 171Current and Five‐Year Needs Projections Current Future Total With Housing % Need Households (2020) Needs Housing Need in 5 years (2025) 53,410 43,765 82% 55,364 45,545 37,695 83% 47,787 70,595 35,140 50% 44,621 40,945 10,670 26% 13,458 215,385 100,100 179,895 83,770 42,025 29,155 46% 23% 35% 125,247 52,305 37,064 22,350 Unknown Unknown Unknown 27,295 10,705 39% 13,457 29,420 28,320 24,730 13,655 13,495 11,370 46% 48% 46% 17,108 17,184 14,381 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Extremely Low‐Income Households (≤30% HAMFI) Very Low‐Income Households (>30% and ≤50% HAMFI) Low-Income Households (>50% and ≤80% HAMFI) Moderate-Income Households (>80% and ≤100% HAMFI) Renter Households Owner Households Elderly Households (HH contains at least one person 62+) Limited English Proficiency (LEP) households Residents with hearing or vision impairment Residents with ambulatory limitation Residents with cognitive limitation Residents with self‐care or independent living limitation Victims of domestic violence (includes rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner) Single person households 134,069 Unknown Unknown Unknown Large families 26,755 13,685 51% 17,249 Table 44b – Current and Five-Year Needs Projections Alternate Data source: 2016‐2020 ACS Table C16002; HUD CHAS Tables 4‐6; City of Austin Demographer Population Forecasts. 172Describe programs for ensuring that persons returning from mental and physical health institutions receive appropriate supportive housing Austin Public Health and the Homeless Strategy Office work with the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) and Continuum of Care (CoC) leadership to develop strategies that align customized support services with PSH to optimize services for the chronically homeless and persons with mental and physical disabilities. The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) coordinates the projects funded with Continuum of Care (CoC) dollars and prepares the annual CoC application required by HUD. ECHO works with the Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable, Travis County Criminal Justice Center, Central Health's Psychiatric Stakeholders, Integral Care leadership, the PSH Healthcare Collaborative, and other community planning organizations. ECHO also convenes ongoing conversations that address discharge planning from hospitals, treatment facilities, and jails in order to connect persons leaving mental/physical health facilities with support services and housing, and persons with mental/physical health challenges leaving other institutions to do the same. Central Health, the local healthcare taxing agency, has identified Permanent Supportive Housing as a top 10 strategy for improving mental health in Travis County. Specify the activities that the jurisdiction plans to undertake during the next year to address the housing and supportive services needs identified in accordance with 91.215(e) with respect to persons who are not homeless but have other special needs. Link to one year goals. 91.315(e) Please see SP‐25 for information on projects the City of Austin plans to undertake to address the service needs of persons who are not homeless but have other special needs. For entitlement/consortia grantees: Specify the activities that the jurisdiction plans to undertake during the next year to address the housing and supportive services needs identified in accordance with 91.215(e) with respect to persons who are not homeless but have other special needs. Link to one year goals. (91.220(2)) Please see SP‐25 for information on activities the City of Austin plans to undertake during the next year to address the housing and supportive needs of community members. 173MA‐40 Barriers to Affordable Housing‐91.210(e) Negative Effects of Public Policies on Affordable Housing and Residential Investment An analysis of barriers to the development of affordable housing and residential investment was conducted for the regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI). This review was based on guidance from HUD’s Fair Housing Planning Guide, Chapter 5, and focused on the types of regulations and policies in land development codes that are indicators of impediments. Building codes were reviewed to determine nationally recognized building codes that have been adopted, and the relationship of those codes to HUD-accepted codes (called “safe harbor” codes). This review found the following potential barriers to affordable development in Austin: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. In multifamily districts, the required site area is based on the number of bedrooms in each dwelling unit. This may limit the production of family-friendly dwelling units with two or more bedrooms. Condominium residential is allowed in SF-5 and SF-6, but multifamily is not, prohibiting 3- and 4- unit buildings from these two zones. Compatibility regulations that establish the distance between single-family homes and tall buildings impact the amount and location of apartments in Austin. The code has no definition of manufactured, modular, or industrial housing. Clarification is needed in the code to establish where manufactured and modular homes are allowed. The code could be more flexible in accommodating emerging uses that facilitate affordable living environments, such as tiny home communities. Nonetheless, the code is very progressive in its definitions of family: dwelling unit occupancy limits range from three to six unrelated adults based on housing type, zone district, and date that use is established or building permit is issued. Ten (10) unrelated adults are allowed if the majority of them are 60 years of age or older, self- sufficient, and live as a single, nonprofit housekeeping unit. In December 2023, the City Council passed the HOME amendments which addressed several previously identified barriers to affordable housing: removing restrictions on occupancy limits, increasing the number of units allowed in single-family districts, and allowing the construction of tiny homes on single- family zoned parcels. While this policy only went into effect in February 2023, it does address several previously identified barriers to affordable development in Austin. AP-75 also contains a detailed discussion of additional actions the city is taking to ameliorate the negative effects of public policies like land use controls that serve as barriers to affordable housing. Community members report that one of the most significant barriers is the requirement by landlords for renters to demonstrate they earn three times the rent in monthly income. Many landlords reportedly do not count unearned income, such as child support or federal disability payments, toward this threshold, creating barriers for renters who rely on such income (often single mothers and persons with disabilities) to assist with their rent. 174The most critical barriers noted in the AI were related to state regulations that prohibit local solutions that have been shown to be effective in other high-cost communities, such as inclusionary zoning and source of income protections. The following are some funding factors that impact affordable housing development in Austin: ● ● ● ● The State of Texas Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program is one of the community’s largest affordable housing funding tools for non-profit and for-profit developers, creating reliance on a program with strong competition. Compared to its peer cities, Austin lacks sophisticated private lenders and philanthropic foundations that fund affordable housing. The City plans to continue to work with the lending community to educate and encourage funding of affordable housing. As the Housing Market Study highlights, land values in the City of Austin have rapidly appreciated particularly in the inner city, making geographic dispersion of affordable housing a challenge. Due to rising land and construction costs, more gap financing is required to make a project financially viable. In response to these barriers, the City has provided an update to the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice as an attachment to this Consolidated Plan Attachment II F: Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice Progress Report. Some of the progress includes: ● The City of Austin recently provided $5 million to help fund Austin Community Foundation's Housing Accelerator Fund. ● 2018 affordable housing bonds provided the Housing Department with $100 million for land acquisition, which has resulted in more than 60 acres of vacant land (located in both High Opportunity and gentrifying areas) for future affordable housing. ● The Housing Department administers both $300 million in Project Connect Anti-Displacement funding and $350 million in 2022 affordable housing bonds. Both of these funding sources provide gap financing for affordable housing and funding for preservation and land acquisition. 175MA-45 Non-Housing Community Development Assets – 91.215 (f) Economic Development Market Analysis Introduction Business Activity Business by Sector Number of Workers Number of Jobs Share of Workers % Share of Jobs % Jobs less workers % Accommodation and Food Services Administration & Support, Waste Management and Remediation Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation Construction Educational Services Finance and Insurance Health Care and Social Assistance Information Management of Companies and Enterprises Manufacturing Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction Other Services (excluding Public Administration) Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Public Administration Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Retail Trade Transportation and Warehousing Utilities Wholesale Trade Total 36,809 31,866 713 5,822 21,479 41,927 21,592 50,206 20,108 6,800 22,713 1,194 13,875 63,861 22,992 10,076 39,131 9,858 2,380 19,728 443,130 55,466 55,250 340 9,300 35,570 56,885 35,671 86,689 37,958 13,729 38,459 1,091 22,112 117,612 62,073 62,706 13,618 4,643 26,874 751,755 15,709 8% 7% 0% 1% 5% 9% 5% 11% 5% 2% 5% 0% 3% 14% 5% 2% 9% 2% 1% 4% 7% 7% 0% 1% 5% 8% 5% 12% 5% 2% 5% 0% 3% 16% 8% 2% 8% 2% 1% 4% -1% 0% 0% 0% 0% -2% 0% 0% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 3% 0% 0% 0% 0% -1% Table 1 - Business Activity Alternate Data Source: 2021 Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics 176Labor Force Total Population in the Civilian Labor Force Civilian Employed Population 16 years and over Unemployment Rate 621,332 621,332 3% Table 2 - Labor Force Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau. "Selected Economic Characteristics." American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Data Profiles, Table DP03, 2022, https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP1Y2022.DP03?t=Employment and Labor Force Status&g=160XX00US4805000. Accessed on March 28, 2024. Occupations by Sector Number of People Management, business and financial Service Sales and office Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations Production, transportation and material moving 349,949 73,563 113,356 29,589 35,952 Table 3 - Occupations by Sector Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau. "Selected Economic Characteristics." American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Data Profiles, Table DP03, 2022, https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP1Y2022.DP03?t=Employment and Labor Force Status&g=160XX00US4805000. Accessed on March 28, 2024. Travel Time Travel Time < 30 Minutes 30-59 Minutes 60 or More Minutes Total Education: Number 289,777 104,926 15,985 409,868 Table 4 - Travel Time Percentage 71% 25% 4% 100% Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau. "Commuting Characteristics by Sex." American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S0801, 2022, https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S0801?t=Commuting&g=160XX00US4805000. Accessed on March 28, 2024. Educational Attainment by Employment Status (Population 25 to 64) Educational Attainment In Labor Force Employed Unemployed Less than high school graduate High school graduate (includes equivalency) Some college or Associate's degree 20,531 42,097 76,835 1,363 2,546 3,253 Not in Labor Force 11,125 15,773 19,321 177Educational Attainment In Labor Force Employed Unemployed Bachelor's degree or higher 295,481 Table 5 - Educational Attainment by Employment Status Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau. "Employment Status." American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S2301, 2022, https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S2301?t=Employment and Labor Force Status&g=160XX00US4805000. Accessed on March 28, 2024. 4,980 Not in Labor Force 35,257 Educational Attainment by Age Less than high school graduate High school graduate, GED, or alternative Some college or associate's degree Bachelor's degree or higher 18-24 yrs 9,564 26,169 45,378 24,656 Age 25+ 51,454 89,806 139,865 419,713 High school graduate or higher Bachelor's degree or higher 18–24 yrs 96,203 24,656 25-34 213,212 150,926 Age 35–44 yrs 159,817 105,433 45–64 yrs 181,590 110,899 65+ yrs 94,765 52,455 Table 6 - Educational Attainment by Age Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau. "Educational Attainment." American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S1501, 2022, https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S1501?q=educational attainment&g=160XX00US4805000. Accessed on March 28, 2024. Educational Attainment – Median Earnings in the Past 12 Months Educational Attainment Less than high school graduate High school graduate (includes equivalency) Some college or Associate's degree Bachelor's degree Graduate or professional degree Median Earnings in the Past 12 Months 30,251 34,647 48,092 76,140 89,714 Table 7 – Median Earnings in the Past 12 Months Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau. "Educational Attainment." American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S1501, 2022, https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S1501?q=educational attainment&g=160XX00US4805000. Accessed on March 28, 2024 Based on the Business Activity table above, what are the major employment sectors within your jurisdiction? 178The five largest employment sectors, in descending order of total employment (and reflected in total jobs), are as follows: 1. Professional, Scien�fic, and Technical Services 2. Health Care and Social Assistance 3. Educa�onal Services 4. Retail Trade 5. Accommoda�on and Food Services These are somewhat misleading from an economic development perspective as they are heavily skewed by the location of public services tied to the State of Texas and the University of Texas in Austin. State employment consumes a large portion of the top three employment categories. Industries related to computer hardware, software, and semiconductor design, development, and sales are also major employers, and likely contribute heavily to the largest employment category of professional, scientific, and technical services. Describe the workforce and infrastructure needs of the business community: Primary workforce needs are related to core private sector industries in computer, semiconductor, and software development, as well as core skilled trades like skilled construction and nursing/medical professions. Major infrastructure needs include planned transportation projects around the reconstruction of I-35, construction of a new light rail system, expansion of the municipal airport, and reconstruction and expansion of the City Convention Center. Long-term infrastructure needs include improved electric and water utility resilience and sustainability in the face of growing demands and increasing climate-related disruptions. How do the skills and education of the current workforce correspond to employment opportunities in the jurisdiction? Basic indicators suggest a highly educated workforce well-suited to Austin’s economic strengths in advanced technologies and education services. However, local needs for skilled construction and medical services retain significant gaps that suggest a need for proactive apprenticeship and skills development. Describe any current workforce training initiatives, including those supported by Workforce Investment Boards, community colleges and other organizations. Describe how these efforts will support the jurisdiction's Consolidated Plan. The City of Austin is supporting a major initiative with regional workforce development agencies to invest additional funding for skilled trades related to infrastructure, to help meet the skills and jobs gaps for ongoing infrastructure projects. Additional programs have been developed to support workforce training for key local large employers in semiconductor and electric vehicle manufacturing. 179Does your jurisdiction participate in a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS)? Yes. If so, what economic development initiatives are you undertaking that may be coordinated with the Consolidated Plan? If not, describe other local/regional plans or initiatives that impact economic growth. Major economic development initiatives include the following: • • • Infrastructure Academy: Effort to reserve substan�al funding from CIP ini�a�ves to support skilled trades training and appren�ceships Chapter 380 Revision: Revising and upda�ng our primary economic tax incen�ve program to support more effec�ve u�liza�on by target industries and implement programs around affordable commercial real estate Target Industry Iden�fica�on: Review and upda�ng of City of Aus�n target industries, to priori�ze for programming and engagement • Major investments in Music and Cultural Arts Sectors: Con�nued support for local crea�ve sector businesses, nonprofits, and workers, including use of Hotel Occupancy Tax funds, and regulatory and financial incen�ves. Comprehensive District Framework: Development of a framework and process for suppor�ng economic and cultural districts to self-organize and provide more holis�c “main street” type services • 164180MA‐50 Needs and Market Analysis Discussion Are there areas where households with multiple housing problems are concentrated? (include a definition of "concentration") Multiple housing problems are often concentrated where protected classes reside. below shows the percentage households in each census tract that experience more than one housing problem including: • • • Overcrowding (more than one person per room) • Cost burden greater than 30% Lack of complete plumbing facilities Lack‐of complete kitchen facilities Map 1: Households with Housing Problems Data Source: 2016‐2020 CHAS, Table 1 181The darkest purple areas indicate census tracts where 60 to 100 percent of households experience more than one housing problem. According to the CHAS dataset, the census tracts with the most households facing one or more housing issues are: • • • • • Census Tract 22.20 in Northeast Austin (Daffan Park) Census Tract 24.12, Census Tract 24.19 in Southeast Austin (Dove Springs) Census Tract 23.24 just southeast of Ladybird Lake (Riverside) Census Tract 433, in Central Northeast Austin (St. Johns) Census Tract 407, in North Austin (Rundberg) Census Tracts 6.01, 6.05, 6.06, 6.07, 6.08, just west of the University of Texas (West Campus) Census Tract 323, just west of MoPac (Far West) • • The highest concentration of housing problems are in areas with majority Hispanic/Latino populations, and an over representation of Black residents. Census Tract 22.20 has a Black population greater than 20%, Census Tract 24.12 and 24.19 have Hispanic/Latino populations between of 60‐85%, Census Tract 23.24 has a Hispanic/Latino population of 58% and Census Tract 433 has a Hispanic population of 67%. Census Tracts 6.01, 6.05, 6.06, 6.07, 6.08, and 323 are largely populated by students. It's important to acknowledge that data for these tracts might show some distortion because a considerable number of college and graduate students are officially classified as living in poverty or encountering financial challenges, despite potentially having access to other resources and opportunities. 182Are there any areas in the jurisdiction where racial or ethnic minorities or low‐income families are concentrated? (include a definition of "concentration") The City of Austin contains census tracts where specific racial or ethnic groups dominate or are concentrated. In Austin, the predominant groups are Hispanic/Latino and Non‐Hispanic White. Map 2 delineates areas where either Hispanic/Latino or Non‐Hispanic White populations constitute over 50% of the residents. Asian and Black populations each represent roughly 7% of Austin's total population. Areas where these groups exceed 20% are highlighted in Map 2 because they contain more than double the citywide percentage. This delineation aids in identifying concentrations of these populations and provides insights into potential impacts on protected classes. Map 2: Concentrated Racial or Ethnic Group Data Source: 2022 ACS 5‐year Estimates 183Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Area of Poverty (R/ECAP) HUD defines a Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Area of Poverty (R/ECAP) as a census tract where the Non‐Hispanic White population is below 50% and the poverty rate exceeds either 40% or three times the metropolitan average, whichever is lower. Using 2022 5‐year census data there are 9 R/ECAPs that fall within the City of Austin boundary. There were 7 census tracts that met the definition above but were removed due to unique circumstances such as the University of Texas and surrounding student housing, the state prison and a state supported living center. The R/ECAPs are primarily situated east of I‐35 and north of Highway 183. Map 3: Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty (R/ECAP) 2022 Data Source: 2022 ACS 5‐year Estimates 184One observation regarding the R/ECAPs is their distribution over time. Map 4 illustrates the 2022 R/ECAPs compared to those identified in 2012. In 2012, there were 12 R/ECAPs identified using the same definition above. Though this only amounts to three additional census tracts, the geography of the census tracts were much larger and made up a good portion of far East Austin. When comparing the 2012 and 2022 data, it is evident that the percentage of non‐ Hispanic White populations has increased, and poverty rates have decreased in several tracts previously identified as R/ECAPs in 2012. The exact cause of this shift is not determinable, but various indicators suggest rising housing costs may lead to the displacement of vulnerable residents. Map 4: R/ECAP 2012 and 2022 Data Source: 2012 and 2022 ACS 5‐year Estimates 185The following map 5 overlays the 2022 RECAPS and the 2012 RECAP on the Displacement Risk Maps maintained by the City of Austin. To determine displacement risk, researchers at the University of Texas conducted a three‐part analysis: the presence of vulnerable populations, residential market appreciation, and demographic change. To determine vulnerable populations, the authors used indicators to identify residents who, according to academic research, are least able to absorb housing costs, which includes communities of color, low‐income households, heads of households without a bachelor's degree or higher, families with children in poverty, and renters. The City of Austin’s Displacement Risk Index defines four categories of displacement risk: Active, Vulnerable, Chronic, and Historic. Active and Vulnerable areas have the highest displacement risk, with Chronic and Historic representing areas that have already undergone significant displacement and neighborhood change. Map 5: RECAPs and Displacement Risk Data Source: 2012 and 2022 ACS 5‐year Estimates 186Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Area of Affluence (RECAA) HUD officially recognizes RECAPs as a key focus in policy, as outlined in the 2015 rule addressing local governments' responsibilities to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing. Academics Goetz, Damiano, and Williams advocate for equal attention to affluent White neighborhoods, termed Racially (or Ethnically) Concentrated Areas of Affluence (RECAAs). They argue that policy focus should extend to RECAAs, citing the historical and current public policies that have fostered these pockets of privilege and the ways in which they have been subsidized. For this analysis, RECAAs are defined as tracts with over 70% non‐Hispanic White population and median household incomes (MHI) exceeding $129,988, or twice the national MHI average. Using 2022 5‐year census tract data, Austin has 16 such RECAAs, all located west of I‐35, and many spilling over into the suburbs west of Austin. Map 6: Racially Concentrated Areas of Affluence (RECAA) Data Source: 2022 ACS 5‐year Estimates 187What are the characteristics of the market in these areas/neighborhoods? There are 9 RECAPs and 16 RECAAs within the full purpose jurisdiction of the City of Austin. 12 Tables 8 and 9 indicate the 2022 market characteristics for RECAPs and RECAAs in Austin. Below are key points comparing these market characteristics: • • The poverty rate in RECAAs is 8 times lower than the median poverty rate in RECAPs. • Median household income in RECAAs is nearly 4 times higher than in RECAPs. • Despite the significantly higher income in RECAAs, the median contract rent is only 1.88 times higher, indicating a substantial cost burden on residents in RECAPs. Residents in RECAPs are 5.75 times more likely to be renters compared to those in RECAAs. • Homeownership rates are 7 times higher in RECAAs than in RECAPs, with median home values in RECAPs being approximately 4 times lower than those in RECAAs. This comparison illustrates the considerable disparities in socioeconomic indicators and housing market characteristics between the census tracts represented in RECAPs and RECAAs, with RECAAs generally indicating higher values across various metrics. 2022 RECAP Census Tracts Census Tract 8.02 Census Tract 8.04 Census Tract 23.25 Census Tract 23.27 Census Tract 24.13 Census Tract 401 Census Tract 403 Census Tract 407 Census Tract 449 Median Percent Poverty Median Household Income Median Value (Dollars) Median Contract Rent Total House holds Percent Owner Occupied Percent Renter Occupied Percent Occupied Percent Vacant 36% $69,904 $639,800 $324 1586 33% $64,554 $530,500 $1,053 1181 31% $65,179 $278,300 $1,057 1571 50% $25,900 $135,800 $1,012 2317 33% $45,733 $225,000 $1,281 1157 34% $43,438 $317,200 $1,052 1954 32% $44,853 $261,000 $1,014 2491 51% $29,253 $298,700 $1,005 3374 31% 33% $65,290 $258,800 $1,248 3755 $ 45,733 $278,300 $ 1,052 1954 37% 44% 52% 9% 25% 31% 28% 19% 75% 31% 63% 56% 48% 91% 75% 69% 72% 81% 25% 69% 92% 91% 91% 91% 96% 94% 96% 88% 99% 92% 8% 9% 9% 9% 4% 6% 4% 12% 1% 8% Table 8 ‐ RECAP Market Characteristics Data Source: 2022 ACS 5‐Year Estimates 12 This tally excludes census tracts where there is City of Austin land, but no housing units appear to exist within the full purpose jurisdiction. 1882022 RECAA Census Tracts Census Tract 1.02 Census Tract 11.02 Census Tract 16.03 Census Tract 16.04 Census Tract 19.10 Census Tract 19.12 Census Tract 19.13 Census Tract 19.17 Census Tract 19.19 Census Tract 19.21 Census Tract 109.12 Census Tract 300 Census Tract 307 Census Tract 322 Census Tract 339 Census Tract 368 Median 5% 5% 4% 2% 3% 6% 4% 6% 5% 4% 4% 1% 7% 2% 1% 3% 4% Percent Poverty Median Household Income Median Value (Dollars) Median Contract Rent Total Households Percent Owner Occupied Percent Renter Occupied Percent Occupied Percent Vacant $211,042 $967,400 $2754 1559 100% $224,688 $1,158,800 $1286 1122 $167,866 - $2921 2695 $194,500 $1,279,400 $1690 1946 $233,875 $1,390,000 $1804 1867 $150,363 $1,088,100 $1829 2038 $192,569 $1,472,700 $1931 1738 $250,000 $1,382,100 $3380 1834 $240,368 $1,420,900 $2924 1306 $231,500 $1,425,700 $1984 1812 $154,560 $632,100 - 2701 $155,608 $887,700 $1664 2200 $157,500 $803,300 $3501 1849 $187,500 $802,300 $1622 934 $165,434 $736,800 $2125 2278 $175,577 $568,600 $2750 1414 $ 190,035 $1,088,100 $1,984 1,842 96% 48% 84% 88% 54% 66% 94% 89% 89% 82% 94% 70% 92% 88% 89% 97% 88% 4% 52% 16% 12% 46% 34% 6% 11% 11% 18% 6% 30% 8% 12% 11% 3% 12% Table 9 – RECAA Market Characteristics Data Source: 2022 ACS 5‐Year Estimates 87% 88% 87% 90% 90% 92% 95% 97% 91% 97% 87% 96% 96% 89% 99% 92% 13% 12% 13% 10% 10% 8% 5% 0% 3% 9% 3% 13% 4% 4% 11% 1% 8% 189Are there any community assets in these areas/neighborhoods? There are generally far fewer individual community assets in the RECAAs than in the RECAPs. The average community asset count in a RECAA is 2. There are two RECAAs with zero community assets, three with 1 asset, and three with 2 assets. The average community asset count in a RECAP is 5. RECAAs in Austin have significantly fewer supermarkets, schools, community gardens, park recreation centers, current affordable housing developments, and future affordable housing developments. This analysis primarily focused on public amenities, but it could be that areas of affluence have more private amenities such as private schools and recreation facilities. While adding affordable housing to areas of concentrated affluence is critical to affirmatively further fair housing, it is equally important to ensure that there are accessible community amenities nearby. 2022 RECAP Census Tracts Census Tract 8.04 Census Tract 8.02 Census Tract 23.25 Census Tract 23.27 Census Tract 24.13 Census Tract 401 Census Tract 403 Census Tract 407 Census Tract 449 Total Average 2 2 3 2 4 2 Daycare Super market Public School Public Recreatio n Center Library Affordable Housing Development s (Existing) Affordable Housing Development s (Planned) Parks Parkland (Acres) 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 3 2 4 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 15 11 7 1 1 2 4 1 1 3 1 1 1 5 6 2 4 1 3 2 1 1 266 18 87 10 50 5 5 9 3 15 1.5 12 1.2 9 0.9 5 0.5 2 0.2 37 3.7 12 1.2 25 2.5 454 45.4 Table 10 – RECAP Community Assets Data Source: 2022 ACS 5‐Year Estimates 190Daycare Super market Public School Public Recreation Center Library Affordable Housing Development s (Existing) Affordable Housing Developments (Planned) Parks Parkland (Acres) 1 1 1 3 1 2 1 2022 RECAA Census Tracts Census Tract 1.02 Census Tract 11.02 Census Tract 16.03 Census Tract 16.04 Census Tract 19.10 Census Tract 19.12 Census Tract 19.13 Census Tract 19.17 Census Tract 19.19 Census Tract 19.21 Census Tract 109.12 Census Tract 300 Census Tract 307 Census Tract 322 Census Tract 339 Census Tract 368 Total Average 3 5 2 2 3 1 4 1 4 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 7 0.4 2 5 5 3 4 1 3 1 5 1 1 1 7 12 29 33 111 210 645 0 200 3 90 271 1611 126.6 25 1.6 6 0.4 1 0.1 1 0.1 1 0.1 7 0.4 32 5.3 Table 11 – RECAA Community Assets Data Source: 2022 ACS 5‐Year Estimates 191Are there other strategic opportunities in any of these areas? Increasing income‐restricted housing that is deeply affordable in RECAA tracts while increasing other publicly accessible community assets in these areas could significantly further fair housing in Austin. Analysis of Austin’s RECAAs and RECAPs affirms that there is stark racial and economic segregation between the city’s west and east. Affordability is key to alleviating Austin’s segregated housing options. Segregation aside, the top housing problem is Austin is cost burden for very and extremely low‐income renter households. Providing more housing options for households earning 0‐30% HAMFI is critical, and it is also important to increase housing options for households earning above 100% HAMFI to reduce downward pressure on the market from upper income households competing for units that are more affordable. 192MA-60 Broadband Needs of Housing Occupied by Low- and Moderate-Income Households - 91.210(a)(4), 91.310(a)(2) Describe the need for broadband wiring and connections for households, including low- and moderate-income households and neighborhoods. Since the 1990’s, the Austin/Travis County area in Texas has been commonly nicknamed “Silicon Hills,” a fast-growing tech hub at the top of lists for business and employment growth. Compared to national and state percentages, Travis County has higher internet subscription and computer ownership rates (REF ACS S2801 5YR 2022). However, even in our well-connected area, not everyone is able to fully participate in the digital world to access the essential services and resources they need. When looking at different demographics and geographies across Travis County, there are large gaps between those that do and do not have internet access. The map of Travis County to the right1 shows the percent of households without an internet subscription with darker blues representing higher percentages of the population that do not have a subscription. The portions of the community that do not have an internet connection tend to be on the east side of I-35 and the outlying, more rural areas. There are an estimated 39,820 Travis County households without internet subscriptions. According to the American Community Survey (data shown below), lower-income households are less likely to have internet subscriptions in Travis County. Among households earning less than $10,000 annually, 20.6% do not have an internet subscription. Among households earning more than $75,000 annually, 3.3% do not have an internet subscription. 1 Source: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2018-2022 5-year estimates, Table(s) B28004. City of Austin 25-2029 Consolidated Plan 193Percent of Travis County households without internet subscriptions, by income2 Describe the need for increased competition by having more than one broadband Internet service provider serve the jurisdiction. Competition is a key driver of affordability, and affordability is one of the primary barriers to internet connectivity in Travis County. Travis County and the City of Austin recently hosted focus groups to learn about challenges the community is having in connecting to the internet (results shown to the right), and Affordability was the primary cause given. Enhancing competition among internet service providers could help in providing more affordable internet plan options. 2 Source: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2022 5-year estimates, Table(s) B28004 City of Austin 194MA-65 Hazard Mitigation - 91.210(a)(5), 91.310(a)(3) Describe the jurisdiction’s increased natural hazard risks associated with climate change. Summary of climate projections: Austin should continue to expect hotter summers with more frequent heatwaves and fewer but longer cold spells. Austin is also projected to experience fewer calm days; more wet days as well as windy days are to be expected. HEAT: Average, minimum, and maximum daily temperatures, and heat waves are projected to rise. Summers are expected to be hotter. Historically, temperatures above 110°F were rare, but such temperatures are expected to become more frequent in the future. Also, fewer nights with temperatures below 32°F are projected. The number of frost days per year is also expected to decrease. COLD: Austin’s cold spells are expected to decrease – however, when they do occur, it is projected to last longer. That is, increase from one day in the past to three days. Overall, the number of cold spells per year are expected to decrease from 0–2 at present to even rarer by the end of the century. Additionally, the number of consecutive cold, dry days and cold, wet days considered “extreme” are projected to decrease from 0–2 per year at present to 0 by the end of the century. The exception being, when the cold spell does occur, a longer duration is projected. PRECIPITATION: Because of the uncertainty and nature of rainfall across Austin, it is recommended that precipitation projections for Austin be interpreted based off the projections for the larger region and the state, which indicate a general increase in the rainfall and the extremes. The statewide historical climate trend indicates increasing rainfall for eastern Texas and no trend or some reduction for the western part of the state. Historically extreme precipitation has increased by 7% from 1960- 2020 and is expected to increase by 6-10% in the future relative to 1950-1999 and 2%-3% relative to 2001-2020. Key climate hazards emerge as the most critical for both short- and long-term planning efforts: (1) extreme Heat, (2) drought, (3) flooding, (4) wildfire, (5) winter storms, (6) wind/tornados. Describe the vulnerability to these risks of housing occupied by low- and moderate-income households based on an analysis of data, findings, and methods. A changing climate can negatively impact where and how we live, work, play, and learn. Climate hazards do not impact everyone equally, but disproportionally affect Austin’s most vulnerable communities. Typically residing in the northeast, east and southeast portions of Austin, these City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan196195communities are already stressed by limited resources, growth pressures, and higher rates of chronic disease. Acute weather events will exacerbate existing stressors, making communities more sensitive to future climate impacts. Low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately burdened. Here are just a few examples of climate change impacts: Floodplain Maps: The City of Austin, Travis County and other Central Texas communities have updated floodplain maps in the region based on the Atlas 14 study. Current floodplain maps show where flooding is likely to occur with 10.2 inches of rainfall in 24 hours. The updated maps reflect flooding from almost 13 inches of rain in some areas. This will impact housing in low-income communities in several ways. First, property values are lower inside floodplains than outside floodplains; second, many floodplain areas have been developed for multi-family housings, mobile homes, and single family housings in very low-income neighborhoods between 1990 and 2000; third, low-income people are more likely to live in floodplains, compared to higher-income people and the number has grown in floodplains; fourth, people with the lower income are more likely to live in the areas including more floodplain. The more serious exposure and the increase of low-income people in the floodplains could give a rationale for policy intervention in floodplain management and regulation. Heat Mapping: Factors like systemic racism and legacies of disinvestment in communities of color have exacerbated inequities and resulted in disparate health, economic, environmental, and social outcomes for our city. When combined with persistently rising housing costs, increasing cost burden, and the impacts of climate change, many Austin families have limited access to resources to help them prepare for, respond to, and “bounce back” from climate extremes, like heat. Both Satellite data and ground-level sensors show us that areas of the city with the highest social vulnerability also experience the highest heat impacts, feel hotter, and have the poorest air quality. Yet, these are also areas of the city where people have less access to or cannot afford air conditioning, are dependent on public transportation, and have outdoor jobs. City departments and partnering agencies collaborated to create Austin’s first Heat Resilience Playbook to emphasizes strategic actions the City and partners are taking to support community preparedness, prioritize cooling investments in high-heat neighborhoods, and ensure our infrastructure is resilient. Housing Stress: Since the late 1990s, Austin has seen a dramatic rise in housing costs, shifting the city from among the most affordable in the country to one where a growing share of residents can no longer afford to live. As in many cities around the county, there has been an inversion of previous demographic trends, as affluent residents increasingly move into central neighborhoods and low-income residents are pushed to the outskirts or out of the city altogether. The impacts of Austin’s rising housing costs have been particularly dramatic in the city’s “Eastern Crescent,” where historically low housing costs, produced in part through the 196city’s history of publicly-supported racial and ethnic segregation, now combine with broader social and economic trends to make these neighborhoods more desirable to higher-income households. Over the past two decades, numerous city and citizen task forces have formed to study and address the impacts of these changes on Austin’s communities of color and vulnerable households. The City of Austin has produced the Austin Climate Equity Plan which is provided as an attachment to this Consolidated Plan at Attachment II G: Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary. 197Strategic Plan SP‐05 Overview Strategic Plan Overview Austin's strategic plan is based on the City’s assessment of community needs as identified in this Consolidated Plan, and in related plans and policy documents. Successful implementation depends upon the ability to leverage funds identified in the Consolidated Plan, or to combine funding sources to meet the identified needs. To the greatest extent possible, targeted funds will be utilized for their intended purpose, while discretionary resources will be used to address other needs. For instance, while the development of affordable housing is a critical issue for Austin, not all Consolidated Plan funds will be used for the creation or preservation of affordable housing. The Housing Department has dedicated significant local resources, such as General Obligation bonds, to the creation and preservation of affordable housing. 198Throughout the City of Austin Other Citywide SP‐10 Geographic Priorities – 91.215 (a)(1) Geographic Area Area Name: 1 Area Type: Other Target Area Description: Revital Type: Other Revital Description: Identify the neighborhood boundaries for this target area. Include specific housing and commercial characteristics of this target area. How did your consultation and community member participation process help you to identify this neighborhood as a target area? Identify the needs in this target area. What are the opportunities for improvement in this target area? Are there barriers to improvement in this target area? Table 52 ‐ Geographic Priority Areas N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A General Allocation Priorities Describe the basis for allocating investments geographically within the jurisdiction (or within the EMSA for HOPWA) The City of Austin encourages production and preservation of affordable housing throughout the City to maximize choice for low‐income households. The Housing Department promotes the development of project locations that afford low‐income households the greatest access to opportunities such as jobs, quality education, parks and open space, and services. The Housing Department encourages housing developments that support community development designed to improve the quality of life in low‐income communities, and developments in locations where revitalization trends are leading to the displacement of low‐income households. The goal is to enable Austinites to stay in their neighborhoods. Access to transit is also an urgent priority, as transportation costs are second only to housing costs for a majority of low‐income households, and many low‐income households do not own a car. The City of Austin offers a range of development incentives, including density bonus programs which provide modifications and waivers to site development regulations in exchange for providing affordable housing. The majority of these policies apply to specific geographic areas throughout the City, including high opportunity areas which refer to neighborhoods with access to amenities or community attributes that can increase economic mobility for their residents. 199SP‐25 Priority Needs ‐ 91.215(a)(2) Priority Needs 1 Priority Need Name Homeless Assistance Priority Level High Population Extremely Low‐Income Low‐Income Chronic Homelessness Individuals Chronic Substance Abuse Families with Children Veterans Victims of Domestic Violence Unaccompanied Youth Persons with HIV/AIDS Citywide Geographic Areas Affected Associated Goals Homeless Assistance Description Basis for Relative Priority Homeless Assistance provides services to the City's most vulnerable populations, including persons experiencing homelessness, persons living with HIV/AIDS, victims of domestic violence, persons experiencing mental illness, unaccompanied youth, persons with chronic substance abuse, and veterans. Persons experiencing homelessness are Austin’s most vulnerable populations and therefore are a high priority for the Consolidated Plan. This decision was made based on feedback from the public engagement process, including stakeholder meetings comprised of homeless needs providers, public hearings, and the Consolidated Plan survey. Priority Need Name Special Needs Assistance 2 Priority Level High Population Extremely Low‐Income Low‐Income Moderate‐Income Elderly Individuals with HIV/AIDS Families with Children At‐Risk Youth Citywide Geographic Areas Affected 200Associated Goals Special Needs Assistance Description Basis for Relative Priority Special Needs activities will assist low‐ to moderate‐income Austinites by providing housing and support services for individuals with HIV/AIDS, mental health services for at‐risk youth, childcare services, and services for seniors. Persons with special needs are among Austin’s most vulnerable populations and therefore are a high priority for the Consolidated Plan. This decision was made based on feedback from the public process, including stakeholder meetings comprised of special needs providers, public hearings, and a Consolidated Plan survey. 3 Priority Need Name Renter Assistance Priority Level High Population Extremely Low‐Income Low‐Income Families with Children Victims of Domestic Violence Unaccompanied Youth Persons with Mental Disabilities Persons with Physical Disabilities Geographic Areas Affected Citywide Associated Goals Renter Assistance Description Basis for Relative Priority 4 Priority Need Name Priority Level Homebuyer Assistance High Population Low‐income Moderate‐income Geographic Areas Affected Citywide Associated Goals Homebuyer Assistance Renter Assistance activities provide assistance to make rent more affordable, tenants' rights services, and financial assistance for necessary rehabilitation to make homes accessible. Market rate rents have only recently started to decline, according to the latest inflation figures. Austin is experiencing some downward trend in rents, however, many lower-income families report that their rents remain unchanged or are even rising. The Market Analysis found that the most cost burdened residents are low-income renters who earn below 50% Median Family Income. The goal of this priority is to prevent displacement and homelessness. These programs are mainly funded locally, but in the event of a national emergency, we may rely on federal funds. 201Description Basis for Relative Priority Homebuyer Assistance provides counseling to renters aspiring to become homebuyers and existing homebuyers to help them stay in their homes. This category includes the Down Payment Assistance Program, which offers loans to qualifying low‐ and moderate‐income homebuyers to help them buy their first home. Betwen 2012 and 2022, home values in Austin increased by 108%, putting homeownership out of reach for many Austinites. Homeownership is a proven solution to preventing displacement, building wealth, and promoting stability. Without supportive services, homeownership would be unattainable for many Austin residents. 5 Priority Need Name Priority Level Homeowner Assistance High Population Extremely Low‐income Low‐income Moderate‐income Families with Children Elderly Geographic Areas Affected Citywide Associated Goals Homeowner Assistance Description Basis for Relative Priority Homeowner Assistance provides services for low‐ and moderate‐ income individuals who own their homes, but need assistance to make them safe, functional, and/or accessible. Preserving the safety and livability of the housing of low‐income homeowners, allowing owners to stay in their homes, improving the City’s aging housing stock, and repairing the lives of existing homeowners were highlighted by stakeholders and community members as high priority needs. Homeowner assistance is a high priority in the Consolidated Plan. 6 Priority Need Name Housing Development Assistance Priority Level High Population Extremely Low‐income Low‐income Moderate‐income Chronic Homelessness Citywide Geographic Areas Affected Associated Goals Housing Development Assistance Description Housing Development Assistance includes Housing Department programs that offer assistance to nonprofit and for‐profit 202Basis for Relative Priority developers to build affordable housing for low‐ and moderate‐income households. Rising construction and labor costs have made housing development difficult, especially in high-cost areas like Austin. The Housing Development Assistance (HDA) program leverages private funds to create deeply affordable housing. Public input and the Housing Market Analysis emphasize the need for affordable housing for low- to moderate-income renters and special needs populations. 7 Priority Need Name Other Community Development Assistance Priority Level High Population Extremely Low-Income Low‐Income Moderate Income Non‐Housing Community Development Geographic Areas Affected Citywide Associated Goals Description Infrastructure Development Small Business Assistance CHDO Operating Expense Grants Investing in low- and moderate-income communities and community based organizations to provide better services and stronger infrastructure. Basis for Relative Priority The 2024 Consolidated Plan Community Needs survey indicated investing in infrastructure, particularly in low- and moderate- income (LMI) neighborhoods, is a top priority for many Austinites. Infrastructure provides opportunity for growth, development, and community activation to prevent displacement. Table 53 – Priority Needs Summary 203Narrative (Optional) The federal programs that comprise the City of Austin’s FY 2025-29 community development and housing portfolio offers an array of affordable housing and public services through seven priority categories which serve very low‐, low‐, and moderate‐income households; all of which meet the definition of addressing obstacles to meet underserved needs. These programs are: ● Homeless Assistance ● Special Needs Assistance ● Renter Assistance ● Homebuyer Assistance ● Homeowner Assistance ● Housing Development Assistance ● Infrastructure Development ● Other Community Development Assistance 204SP‐30 Influence of Market Conditions – 91.215 (b) Influence of Market Conditions Affordable Housing Type Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Market Characteristics that will influence the use of funds available for housing type The Market Analysis demonstrated that the number of renters significantly exceeds the number of affordable units at the 0-30 percent and 0-50 percent of AMI levels. Historically low rental vacancy rates, and household incomes which are not keeping up with rising rents, high demand for Section 8 vouchers and little increase in federal funding to address demand, a gap of approximately 36,000 affordable rental units to meet need for renters earning less than $25,000/year. TBRA for Non‐ Homeless Special Needs The Market Analysis demonstrated that the number of renters significantly exceeds the number of affordable units at the 0-30 percent and 0-50 percent of AMI levels. Historically low rental vacancy rates, and household incomes which are not keeping up with rising rents, high demand for Section 8 vouchers and no increase in federal funding to address demand, a gap of approximately 36,000 affordable rental units to meet need for renters earning less than $25,000/year. New Unit Production Rehabilitation The Market Analysis demonstrated that the number of renters significantly exceeds the number of affordable units at the 0-30 percent and 0-50 percent of MFI levels. A significant decline in the proportion of affordable rental units for households earning less than $25,000 per year (5% of all rentals now versus 10% in 2012), continued rapid population growth and demand for housing in Austin, continued rapid housing absorption rates. In the City’s historically low‐income areas, increasing property taxes and other costs associated with homeownership have negatively affected vulnerable owners, those with stagnant incomes who are low‐income, the elderly and those with special needs. The tight lending market makes home improvement financing particularly difficult for these households and drives the need for owner occupied home rehabilitation programs. Disparities continue to exist for households of color in accessing mortgage‐backed home improvement loans. 205Acquisition, including preservation The Market Analysis indicated rapidly rising land values, rents and homeownership costs. Coordination around capital improvement projects may put additional pressure on the retention of affordable housing opportunities. Table 54 – Influence of Market Conditions 206SP‐35 Anticipated Resources ‐ 91.215(a)(4), 91.220(c)(1,2) Introduction In addition to HUD funding, the City of Austin allocates revenue to the Housing Department for affordable housing and community development activities. HUD's guidance regarding the inclusion of non‐federal funding sources in the Consolidated Plan is that non‐federal sources are to be included if they are reasonably expected to be made available to address the needs outlined in the plan. The FY 2024‐25 City of Austin budget is expected to be approved by City Council in August 2024. See Exhibit 1 in ES‐05, Executive Summary for a visual depiction of the federal and local allocation process. This plan is not intended to confer any legal rights or entitlements on any persons, groups, or entities, including those named as intended recipients of funds or as program beneficiaries. The terms of this plan are subject to amendment, and to the effects of applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. Statements of numerical goals or outcomes are for the purpose of measuring the success of programs and policies, and do not impose a legal obligation on the City to achieve the intended results. Actual funding of particular programs and projects identified in this plan are subject to completion of various further actions, some of which involve discretionary determinations by the City or others. These include HUD approval of this plan; appropriations by the United States Congress and Austin City Council; reviews and determinations under environmental and related laws; and results of bidding and contracting processes. Program Uses of Funds Expected Amount Available Year 1 Narrative Description Annual Allocation $ Program Income $ Prior Year Resources $ Total $ Expected Amount Available Remainder of ConPlan $ HOME Federal Acquisition $3,073,266 $800,000 $0 $3,873,266 $13,543,064 Anticipated Resources Source of Funds Homebuyer Assistance The three objectives of the HOME Program are: Expand the supply of decent, safe, sanitary, and affordable housing to very low and low‐ 207Homeowner Rehabilitation Multifamily Rental New Construction Multifamily Rental Rehabilitaiton New Construction for Ownership Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Administration and Planning Housing Economic Development Housing Public Improvement Public Services Permanent Housing Placement Hotel/Motel CDBG Federal Acquisition $7,223,591 $95,000 $0 $7,318,591 $29,274,364 HOPWA Federal $2,762,259 0 0 $11,049,036 income individuals; Mobilize and strengthen the ability of state and local governments to provide decent, safe, sanitary, and affordable housing to very low‐ and low‐income individuals; Leverage private sector participation and expand the capacity of nonprofit housing providers. The primary objective of CDBG is the development of viable communities by: providing decent housing; providing a suitable living environment; expanding economic opportunities. Any activity funded with CDBG must meet one of three national objectives: benefit low‐ and moderate‐income persons; aid in the prevention of slums or blight; meet a particular urgent need. The Housing Opportunity for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program was established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 208ESG $647,073 0 0 $647,073 $2,588,292 Short Term or Transitional Housing Facilities Federal Overnight Shelter Short Term Rent, Mortgage, Utility Assistance (STRMU) Supportive Services Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Permanent Housing in Facilities Rapid Rehousing (with Rental Assistance) Financial Assistance Rental Assistance Essential Services, including Street Outreach Table 55- Anticipated Resources Development (HUD) to address the specific needs of low‐ income persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families. HOPWA makes grants to local communities, states, and nonprofit organizations. HOPWA funds provide housing assistance and related supportive services in partnership with communities and neighborhoods. Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program is designed to be the first step in a continuum of assistance to help clients quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness. 209Explain how federal funds will leverage those additional resources (private, state and local funds), including a description of how matching requirements will be satisfied The City of Austin will satisfy its matching requirements for HOME funding through General Obligation (G.O.) Bond Funding and Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Funds. Austin Public Health matches the ESG funding dollar for dollar with general fund dollars that are allocated to subrecipients. If appropriate, describe publicly owned land or property located within the jurisdiction that may be used to address the needs identified in the plan. There are several publicly owned parcels that may be utilized to address the needs identified in this plan: • 208.16 acres on Loyola Lane (Colony Park) - Site of the HUD Community Challenge Planning Grant. The site has been master planned and zoned as a Planned Unit Development. The City is in negotiations with the selected developer to enter into a formal Master Development Agreement for the development of the site. The site will include long-term affordability on a minimum of 20% of the total residential units constructed. • 1.3 acres at Doris Drive and Hathaway Drive - this property was purchased from Austin Independent School District and is currently in the design phase. The property will include 25 townhomes, with 13 units available to households at or below 80% median family income and 7 units available to households at or below 60% median family income as part of AHFC’s Community Land Trust. The remaining 5 units may be sold to households up to 100% median family income also within the Community Land Trust. • 6909 Ryan Drive was purchased from Austin Energy, this 5.5-acre property will be developed through a request for Proposals and will include approximately 300 units of rental housing. Approximately 60 units will serve households at or below 50% median family income, 90 units at or below 80% median family income, 12- units at or below 100% median family income, and 30 units at or below 120% median family income. • 1.73 acres at 1215 Red River and 606 E. 12th Street in the northeast quadrant of Downtown has several Council directives (summarized here: https://www.austintexas.gov/department/1215-red-river-606-east-12th) to be utilize for on-site income restricted housing and/or leveraging off- site income restricted housing. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan211210• 6.14 acres at 4800-4906 Bolm Road for which Council has directed staff to prioritize deeply affordable housing over all other future uses. • 19 acres at 800 E St. Johns for which the City and developer Greystar have entered into an agreement to deliver 263 units of apartment units at less than 80% of MFI, including over 236 units affordable at less than 60% of MFI. • 5.19 acres at 411 Chicon Street currently used and occupied for City services are being analyzed to be repositioned to include a mix of uses including affordable housing within walking distance of the Plaza Saltillo Red Line Station of Capital Metro. • 6200 Menchaca is a 4.7-acre parcel in South Austin currently owned by AHFC that will be developed through a Request for Qualifications process. • Several parcels at the Northwest corner of W Slaughter Lane and Cullen Lane in South Austin have been assembled by AHFC and will be developed through a Request for Qualifications process. • Several parcels along Convict Hill Road in Southwest Austin have been assembled by AHFC and will be developed through a Request for Qualifications process. • 11225 Pecan Park Blvd is a 3.9-acre site in North Austin that will be developed through a Request for Qualifications process. • 84.5 acres at 2201 Grove Blvd and 5601 Riverside Drive will be master planned and developed through a Request for Proposal process to include mixed use and affordable housing within walking distance to a school and planned rail stop. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan212211SP‐40 Institutional Delivery Structure – 91.215(k) Explain the institutional structure through which the jurisdiction will carry out its Consolidated P lan including private industry, nonprofit organizations, and public institutions. Responsible Entity Responsible Entity Type Role Accessible Housing Austin! (AHA!) CHDO Vivent Health (formerly AIDS Services of Austin) Subrecipient Any Baby Can Austin Public Health Nonprofit organizations Government Austin Home Repair Coalition Nonprofit organizations Geographic Area Served Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Affordable Housing: Rental Homelessness Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services, Planning Affordable Housing: Ownership Rental Non‐homeless Special needs: Neighborhood improvements Planning Ownership Rental Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Planning Affordable Housing: Ownership Rental Non‐homeless Special needs: Neighborhood improvements Public services Austin Housing Coalition Affordable Housing: Jurisdiction Nonprofit organizations Austin Independent School District (AISD) Subrecipient Jurisdiction Austin Area Urban League Subrecipient Jurisdiction 212Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid Subrecipient Austin Travis County Integral Care (ATCIC) Subrecipient Blackland Community Development Corporation Blackshear Neighborhood Development Corporation CHDO CHDO Capital Metro Public Institution Caritas of Austin Casa Marianella Nonprofit organizations Nonprofit organizations Catholic Charities of Central Texas Community/ based organization Faith‐ Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System Departments and agencies Child, Inc. Subrecipient Downtown Austin Community Court Government Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) Continuum of care Economic Development Department (City of Austin) Government Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Affordable Housing: Rental Affordable Housing: Rental Ownership Planning Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Homelessness Affordable Housing: Rental Homelessness Non‐ homeless Special needs: Public services Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Homelessness Non‐ homeless Special needs: Public services Homelessness Planning Non‐homeless special needs: Economic Development Planning Affordable Housing: Rental Ownership Homelessness Housing Department (City of Austin) Government Jurisdiction 213Family Eldercare Subrecipient Foundation Communities, Inc. Nonprofit organizations Foundation for the Homeless Goodwill of Central Texas Green Doors Nonprofit organizations Nonprofit organizations Nonprofit organizations Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation (GNDC) Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) CHDO PHA HousingWorks Austin PeopleFund Meals on Wheels and More, Inc. Nonprofit organizations Subrecipient Subrecipient Project Transitions Subrecipient SafePlace Nonprofit organizations Community Development Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Affordable Housing: Ownership Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Homelessness Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Affordable Housing: Ownership Affordable Housing: Ownership Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Planning Public Housing Affordable Housing: Ownership Rental Planning Community Development: Economic Development Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Affordable Housing: Rental Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Homelessness Affordable Housing: Rental Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction 214Salvation Army Subrecipient St. Louise House The Arc of the Capital Area Homelessness Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Homelessness Affordable Housing: Rental Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction The Other Ones Foundation Homelessness Jurisdiction Nonprofit organizations Nonprofit organizations Nonprofit organizations Nonprofit organizations Trinity Center Travis County Housing Authority PHA ASHwell Subrecipient Urban Alchemy Nonprofit organizations Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Homelessness Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Planning Public Housing Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Homelessness Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Youth and Family Alliance DBA LifeWorks Nonprofit organizations Non‐homeless Special needs: Public services Homelessness Affordable Housing: Rental Community Development: Public facilities Hungry Hill Foundation Nonprofit organizations Homelessness Jurisdiction Mission Accomplished Nonprofit organization Homelessness Jurisdiction Sunrise Navigation Center Nonprofit organization Homelessness Jurisdiction Table 56 ‐ Institutional Delivery Structure Assessment of Strengths and Gaps in the Institutional Delivery System 215The Austin institutional delivery system is running at capacity and employs formal partnerships to ensure continued collaboration. Medicaid reform connects healthcare and social services; transition planning from jail and prison connects law enforcement to social services; and coordinated assessments provide a bridge between all housing‐related nonprofits. Duplication of effort is prevented through a coordinated assessment approach to housing stability administered by ECHO. The SAFE Alliance provides services for persons affected by domestic violence and abuse, with shelters for domestic violence and a children’s shelter. LifeWorks provides shelter and services to at‐risk youth, homeless youth, youth in care and those aging out of foster care. Some new providers have recently received City and ARPA funds, including the Hungry Hill Foundation, which provides street outreach and workforce development support, Sunrise Navigation Center, offering a drop-in center, a housing needs hotline, and rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing case management, and Mission Accomplished, which offers mobile laundry services to Austin’s unhoused population. The faith‐based community supports both basic needs and provides shelter and has been developing more extensive housing opportunities. There are many efforts to coordinate medical, mental health, behavioral health and housing services through outreach teams and housing navigators for the homeless, and to provide services for formerly homeless individuals in Permanent Supportive Housing. Meanwhile, there are gaps and needs in the institutional delivery system across Austin. Several organizations are at capacity and are unable to grow or expand at the necessary rate, while smaller organizations are still maturing in their ability to encumber public funds. The Homeless Strategy Office (HSO) has worked with the Innovation Office to create a capacity building program for these smaller organizations working with the unhoused population. Twenty-one small organizations joined the first cohort of this program. HSO and Innovation, in partnership with ECHO, continue to consider opportunities for building capacity in the homelessness response system. This capacity may come in the form of structured training programs, partnerships with local workforce training partners, technical assistance efforts, or other opportunities and mechanisms for growth. 216Availability of services targeted to homeless persons and persons with HIV and mainstream services Homelessness Prevention Services Available in the Community Targeted to Homeless Targeted to Persons with HIV Counseling/Advocacy Legal Assistance Mortgage Assistance Rental Assistance Utilities Assistance ✓ Law Enforcement ✓ Mobile Clinics Other Street Outreach Services ✓ Alcohol & Drug Abuse Child Care Education Employment and Employment Training Healthcare HIV/AIDS Life Skills Mental Health Counseling Transportation ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Homelessness Prevention Services ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Street Outreach Services Supportive Services ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Table 57 ‐ Homeless Prevention Services Summary Describe how the service delivery system including, but not limited to, the services listed above meet the needs of homeless persons (particularly chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth) The Emergency Solutions Grant program funds the Salvation Army’s Women and Children’s Shelter that serves women and children experiencing homelessness. Rapid rehousing programs funded by ESG receive clients from referrals through Coordinated Assessment. Austin Public Health Communicable Disease Unit provides medical case management and uses Emergency Solutions Grant funds to provide rapid rehousing to individuals who are HIV positive. Other City funding supports the City’s downtown homeless shelters and various other shelter facilities, homelessness diversion, rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, counseling and other supportive services for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The City also provides health services at clinics targeted for the homeless, mental health and substance abuse services, and other supportive services listed above. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated PLan220217Additionally, the HOPWA program focuses efforts on persons living with HIV/AIDS who are homeless or are at‐risk of becoming homeless by providing transitional housing support through a variety of providers. Describe the strengths and gaps of the service delivery system for special needs population and persons experiencing homelessness, including, but not limited to, the services listed above As with most urban areas, the demand for services outweighs the supply of supportive services for people who are homeless and at risk of becoming homeless. City‐funded programs have been successful, but there are more people needing services than can be accommodated. The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) administers the coordinated entry system which triages those in greatest need and maximizes outcomes for households in need and the services available to them. The system allows staff at different agencies to review the eligibility requirements of the different programs and make targeted referrals. Prioritization of those in greatest need focuses services on those who are the most vulnerable and facing the most housing barriers. Many of these individuals are chronically homeless and have disabilities. The other key gap in our system is the lack of affordable housing for all incomes. The City is working on strategies discussed elsewhere in the plan to address this gap. In addition to these efforts, the City and its partners at Integral Care and Central Health continue to meet to discuss opportunities to collaborate on ways to address the needs of our vulnerable community members. Integral Care has been working closely with the Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) and Travis County to open a mental health diversion center which will double as both a mental health triage center for individuals experiencing homelessness as well as a criminal justice diversion program. Additionally, Central Health is considering ways to create medical respite programs that may help triage immediate medical needs that can be addressed outside of inpatient settings. And, last, the community has convened a PSH Healthcare Collaborative, spearheaded by ECHO and local healthcare partners such as the Dell Medical School, to streamline and collectively address the medical needs of PSH tenants across Austin/Travis County. With more than 1,000 units of PSH opening in the coming years, Austin’s HRS will grow immensely and will need to meet the needs of those units and their tenants. HSO will continue to work with its partners within the City and across the community to ensure homelessness is rare, brief, and nonrecurring. Provide a summary of the strategy for overcoming gaps in the institutional structure and service delivery system for carrying out a strategy to address priority needs Pursuant to HUD guidelines outlined in the HEARTH Act, ECHO administers the Coordinated Entry System which triages the most in need and reduces the number of clients going to inappropriate referrals. Currently the HRS is fragmented and can be difficult to navigate. For persons in housing crisis who are seeking services, finding the program that best meets their needs, whether prevention services, emergency shelter, transitional housing, rapid re‐housing, permanent supportive housing, affordable housing, or other services for which they are eligible, is a challenging task. Many programs have unique and complicated 218eligibility requirements to program entry as well. The Coordinated Entry process works to remedy many of the challenges that consumers face when seeking access to the homeless services system by providing consumers with front door information regarding the most appropriate housing intervention and services that best meet their needs, the program(s) for which they are eligible, as well as timely referrals and placements. An effective Coordinated Entry System allows the community to improve strategies for systems changes based on quality data collection, evidence‐based best practices, and a thorough analysis of consumer need. Client services are evaluated using a universal assessment that prioritizes the most vulnerable, chronically homeless first, instead of the traditional “first come, first served” method. This triage approach allows the community to use data to identify the number of individuals in need of the different types of housing interventions. The system also helps providers determine which clients may be ready to exit PSH, thereby increasing capacity. Additionally, a local housing crisis hotline launched by Sunrise Navigation Center has become a central hub for information and referrals to services across the community. This program has allowed for Coordinated Assessments (CAs) to be conducted telephonically, reducing barriers to accessing services and strengthening estimates of the number and types of households experiencing housing crises. This information, along with system modeling efforts, will inform further investment and development of the HRS with the intent to identify needs before they become increasingly large gaps and to avoid or resolve homelessness as soon as possible for households in crisis. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated PLan223219SP‐45 Goals Summary – 91.215(a)(4) Goals Summary Information # Goal Name 1 Homeless Assistance Start Year 2025 Category End Year 2029 Homeless Geographic Area Throughout the City of Austin Needs Addressed Homeless Assistance Funding Goal Outcome Indicator HOME: $6,400,560 Homeless Person Overnight Shelter: 1,875 Persons Assisted ESG: $3,235,365 TBRA/Rapid Rehousing: 750 (500 TBRA; 250 Rapid Rehousing) 2 Special Needs Assistance 2025 2029 Non‐ Throughout the City of Austin Special Needs Assistance Homeless Special Needs CDBG: $5,417,695 Child Care Services: 952 HOPWA: $13,811,295 Senior Services: 575 Mental Health Services: 795 Homelessness Prevention (STRMU): 765 Households Assisted Tenant Based Rental Assistance/Rapid Rehousing: 175 Households Assisted Assisted City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated PLan224220Public service activities other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit (including HOPWA Supportive Services, Permanent Housing Placement, Housing 2213 Renter Assistance 2025 2029 Affordable Housing Throughout the City of Austin Renter Assistance $0 4 Homebuyer Assistance 2025 2029 Affordable Housing Throughout the City of Austin Homebuyer Assistance Direct Financial Assistance to Homebuyers: 75 Households Assisted 5 Homeowner Assistance 2025 2029 Affordable Housing Throughout the City of Austin Homeowner Assistance Case Management): 220 Households Assisted Other (Hotel/Motel, Master Leasing): 120 Households Assisted None. This priority need is being retained for potential use throughout the five- year FY 25-29 Consolidated Plan. HOME: $4,356,685 HOME Program Income (projected): $700,000 CDBG: $10,976,760 CDBG Revolving Loan: $200,000 HOME Program Income (projection): $350,000 Minor Home Repair: 410 Households Assisted Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program: 30 Households Assisted Architectural Barrier Removal‐ Owner: 300 2226 Housing 2025 2029 Affordable Housing Homeless Throughout the City of Austin Housing Development Assistance Development Assistance CDBG Revolving Loan: $275,000 Rental Housing Development Assistance (CHDO): 30 Households Assisted HOME Program Income (projected): $1,000,000 Ownership Housing Development Assistance (CHDO): 5 Households Assisted HOME Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO): $2,304,950 2237 Other 2025 2029 CDBG: $12,500,000 Community Development Assistance Non‐Housing Community Development Throughout the City of Austin Other Community Development Assistance 67,400 low- to moderate-income individuals served. Table 58 – Goals Summary 2241 Goal Name Homeless Assistance Goal Descriptions Goal Description Persons experiencing homelessness are Austin’s most vulnerable population, and therefore are a high priority for the Consolidated Plan. This decision was made based on feedback from the public process, including stakeholder input from homelessness needs providers, public hearings, and the Consolidated Plan survey. Homeless Assistance provides services to persons experiencing homelessness, persons living with HIV/AIDS, victims of domestic violence, persons experiencing mental illness, unaccompanied youth, persons with chronic substance abuse, and veterans. 2 Goal Name Special Needs Assistance Goal Description Special Needs activities will assist low‐ to moderate‐income Austinites by providing mental health services for at‐risk youth, childcare services and services for seniors. This decision was made based on feedback from the public process, including stakeholder input from homeless and special needs providers, public hearings, and the Consolidated Plan survey. 3 Goal Name Renter Assistance Goal Description 4 Goal Name Homebuyer Assistance Goal Description The Market Analysis found that low-income renters earning below 50% of the Median Family Income are the most cost-burdened. Renter Assistance will offer rent subsidies, tenants' right services, and financial aid for home accessibility improvements. It will also support households in acute crises to prevent displacement or homelessness. These programs are mainly funded locally, but federal funds may be used in national emergencies. Between 2012 and 2022, home values in Austin surged by 108%, making homeownership unattainable for many residents. Homebuyer Assistance offers counseling to renters aspiring to become homeoners and to current homeowners to help them retain their homes. This includes the Down Payment Assistance Program, which provides loans to qualifying low- and moderate- income homebuyers for purchasing their first home. 2255 Goal Name Homeowner Assistance Goal Description Homeowner Assistance is designed to: preserve the safety and livability of the housing of low‐income homeowners, allowing owners to stay in their homes; improve the City’s aging housing stock; and repair homes for existing homeowners. These activities were identified as high priorities by stakeholders and community members. Overall, Homeowner Assistance is a high priority in the Consolidated Plan. Goal Name 6 Goal Description Housing Development Assistance The Housing Development Assistance (HDA) program leverages private funds to create deeply affordable housing. Public input and the Housing Market Analysis emphasize the need for affordable housing for low- to moderate- income renters and special needs populations. 7 Goal Name Other Community Development Assistance Goal Description Investing in LMI communities and community based organizations to provide better services and stronger infrastructure. The 2024 Consolidated Plan Community Needs survey indicated investing in infrastructure, particularly in low- and moderate-income (LMI) neighborhoods, is a top priority for many Austinites. Infrastructure provides opportunity for growth, development, and community activation to prevent displacement. 226SP‐50 Public Housing Accessibility and Involvement – 91.215(c) Need to Increase the Number of Accessible Units (if Required by a Section 504 Voluntary Compliance Agreement) HACA is not required to increase the number of accessible units under a Section 504 Voluntary Compliance Agreement. Currently HACA has 128 fully accessible low‐income subsidized housing units under Section 504, with many more units having some accessibility features. Additionally, HACA provides reasonable accommodations for households upon request. Residents with disabilities may request that accessibility modifications be made to their assigned unit, should those accommodations be deemed necessary and reasonable. For individuals with disabilities, HACA provides grab bars, builds entry ramps, lowers cabinets, modifies doors and handles, and installs flashing doorbells and smoke detectors. In addition, HACA approves assistance animals, and makes provisions to conduct annual eligibility and in‐ home re‐examination appointments under extenuating circumstances. Individuals with disabilities are now able to mail in required documents should someone not have access to Special Transportation Services through Capital Metro. Individuals with disabilities may also be eligible for upgrades in unit size based on specific medical and accessibility needs. Finally all of HACA's low-income subsidized housing property managers and Housing Choice Voucher inspectors maintain specific information on accessible units and their unique accommodations. Activities to Increase Resident Involvements Each of HACA's housing properties have a Resident Council representing households at that development. Most Councils organize social events, participate in property safety programs including Apartment Residents on Watch (AROW) with the Austin Police Department, and assist with senior and youth activities. The President and Vice‐President of each Resident Council comprise the City‐Wide Advisory Board (CWAB), an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The purpose of the CWAB is to: ● Improve the economic, educational, social, and cultural life of residents ● Foster and develop leadership skills among residents ● Promote the safety and security of all residents ● Promote a better understanding of working together toward building a healthy community ● Encourage and assist households to become civically engaged and utilize available resources ● Promote programming to assist with resident employment and education ● Provide a forum for the consideration of issues that affect HACA communities ● Serve as a liaison between public housing communities and HACA administration HACA has programs designed to assist households with achieving self‐sufficiency. The Family Self‐ Sufficiency (FSS) program provides service coordination to households and fosters community 227partnerships. This program serves both Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Project Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) residents. Services coordinated include: life skills training, adult basic education, workforce development/job training, job placement, financial literacy, housing counseling, parenting classes, health and wellness, childcare, and transportation. Households in the FSS program maintain an escrow account that accrues funds when the individual has an increase in earned income. Upon successful completion of the FSS participant’s five‐year contract of participation, the funds are disbursed to the graduate and can be used toward education, homeownership, debt repayment or other self‐sufficiency goals. HACA’s Resident Opportunity and Self‐Sufficiency (ROSS) program is a stepping stone for the FSS program that provides connection to similar services and allows participants to complete individual goals through modules that build upon one another. HACA remains committed to providing high quality services at each property. HACA recognizes the need for all families, particularly low‐income families, to have access to information and resources through access to the internet and technology. HACA’s Digital Inclusion Program is an industry‐leading initiative that works to bridge the digital divide. Through this program, HACA helps connect residents to the internet with free or low‐cost technology solutions, bringing high speed internet, computer skills training and electronic devices (computers, tablets, laptops, etc.) to households to help them connect with various resources in the community. The Involved Dad Achieving Developing and Succeeding (iDADS) program is a fatherhood program serving fathers and father figures of HACA youth. Dads are supported, encouraged, and trained with the evidence‐ based 24/7 Dads curriculum. iDADS who complete the program become better equipped to be great men, responsible dads, and community members. The iDADS program inspired a resident led project called iMOMS (Involved Moms of Many Strengths). Established in 2023, this program’s growth and involvement in the HACA community proves to be a program with great potential. HACA’s Youth Educational Success (YES) Program is an umbrella of programs to keep children in school and help develop social skills and support networks. Programming includes on‐site tutoring at HACA communities, in‐school case management, and quality after‐school programs. HACA also offers an academic incentive program to reward students who have made the A/B honor roll and/or have perfect attendance during the school year. HACA’s award‐winning Bringing Health HOME (BHH) program trains HACA residents as certified Community Health Workers (CHWs) to improve health outcomes at Pathways at Chalmers Courts East through health assessments, nutrition education, and facilitating medical visits. A Workforce Development Program rounds out the offerings and connects residents with new and expanded career opportunities through a broad including welding and automotive certification programs. range of community partnerships Finally, HACA’s Board established the HACA Resident Scholarship Fund (now dba Austin Pathways) in 2001 to help HACA households achieve their dreams of self‐sufficiency through education. Austin Pathways has awarded more than 755 HACA scholarships, totaling over $1.5 million to HACA households. 228Is the public housing agency designated as troubled under 24 CFR part 902? No. N/A. Plan to remove the ‘troubled’ designation 229SP‐55 Barriers to affordable housing – 91.215(h) The City of Austin conducts a regular analysis of regulatory and other barriers to affordable housing in its Consolidated Planning process. The FY 2019‐2024 Consolidated Plan identified barriers to the development of affordable housing in Austin in some the following areas: land use and zoning, housing screening, state legislative barriers (e.g., prohibition of certain affordable housing tools such as inclusionary zoning and source of income protection), an over‐reliance on the state housing tax credit program and lack of private lenders and philanthropic funding focused on affordable housing, and barriers related to Austin’s strong housing market (rising land and construction costs). Considering the previous Consolidated Plan analysis and subsequent research, some of the most critical barriers that currently exist to producing and preserving more affordable housing are outlined below. These barriers pertain to housing affordability income‐restricted units at (sometimes referred to as “capital A affordable housing”) and the affordability of housing more generally in the city. including affordable housing development that seeks to produce large, 1. Historical and structural disparities hinder wealth and resources for certain protected classes. There are continuing racial wealth disparities that stem from racist denial of wealth building opportunities to people of color in the US. The legacies of practices such as slavery, Jim Crow segregation, and redlining have lasting impacts . Black and Hispanic households were excluded from much of the wealth created during the economic expansion of the mid-20th century in the US, not least because of being denied investment opportunities in real estate. Mortgage loan denial rates today for Black/African American applicants, Hispanic applicants, and other non-Asian minorities are significantly higher than for Non-Hispanic White applicants and Asian applicants. Today there are large racial wealth gaps, as well as a large gap between the richest and poorest households. The City of Austin Gini Index of Income Inequality coefficient in 2022 was 0.48, which is similar to that of Costa Rica in the same year (World Bank; ACS 5-Year Estimates). This is higher than the US coefficient of 0.40 (2021). For reference, Finland has a Gini Coefficient of .28 (2021). Austin’s Gini Coefficient value has remained steady between 2012 and 2022 (ACS 5-Year Estimates). Between 2012 and 2022, home values in Austin increased by 108% and rental costs have increased by 33%. The median family income (MFI) for all Austinites increased by 32% over the same period; the MFI increased by 22% for Non-Hispanic Whites, 45% for Black/African Americans, 17% for Asians, and 40% for Hispanic/Latinos. Despite the significant increases, especially for African American and Hispanic/Latino Austin households, there are still significant disparities by race and ethnicity. Figure 1 of the Market Analysis chapter illustrates a persistent gap between White and Asian residents and Black and Hispanic residents in Austin over the past decade. Large disparities interact with other barriers listed below, such as high land values and inequitable distribution of affordable housing options, to hinder housing affordability as well as access to opportunity. A February 2023 report by Austin’s Vision Zero team found that Black Austinites make up nearly 16% of people killed or seriously injured in crashes despite making up less than 7% of the Austin population. Black and Hispanic families in historically disadvantaged and marginalized areas have poverty rates averaging 17% 230greater than Non-Hispanic White and Asian families. The homeownership gap between Black and Non- Hispanic White households is close to 20% in many jurisdictions. There is also a significant overrepresentation of Black and Hispanic families within the population experiencing homelessness, compared to the Austin general population. Strict rental policies further limit options for groups that have suffered disparate impacts. The requirement to have income three times the rent for rental units has a disproportionate effect on persons with disabilities whose incomes are primarily Social Security and Disability Insurance, as well as renters who receive income from unearned sources such as child support. Criminal look‐back periods that do not consider the severity of a crime or the time period in which it was committed disproportionately impact persons of color and persons in recovery. State law does not allow renters to claim legal unearned income as eligible for the 3 times rent income threshold. 2. Affordable housing is not equitably distributed throughout the city. Many of the barriers discussed in this section, including land values, property taxes, restrictive land use regulations, and wealth disparities compound to create a segregated housing affordability landscape in Austin. Austin’s defacto segregation and inequitable distribution of housing that is affordable to lower-income residents create problematic social and economic barriers that contribute to housing affordability barriers. Harm caused by segregation is manifested in disproportionate housing needs and differences in economic opportunity. According to the City of Austin’s Demographer, 2020 census data showed continued racial segregation over the past decade. The Black population expanded towards the city's outskirts, including areas like Northeast Austin, the periphery of the surrounding city of Pflugerville, and far East Austin. Meanwhile, white residents are progressively residing in traditionally Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, such as East Austin, while still maintaining a significant presence in West Austin. The Market Analysis chapter of this Consolidated Plan reinforces these observations by showing the distribution of Racially and Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty (RECAPs) and Racially and Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Affluence (RECAAs) in Austin. Land values are highest and land use is most exclusionary in West Austin. West Austin census tracts also tend to have the highest opportunity index levels and most stringent environmental protections. Downtown Austin demonstrates that even an area with the most permissive land use regulations in the city can remain exclusionary to affordable housing due to extremely high land values. For Housing Choice Voucher holders, state law prohibits jurisdictions from including source of income as a protected class. Voucher holders have fewer options for using their vouchers than they did five years ago, and landlords have no requirement or incentive to accept voucher holders. Housing choice is increasingly limited for voucher holders, many of whom are persons of color. Even fewer options exist for households that are dependent on public transportation or need housing in specific areas to access jobs, schools, and services. These households often include very low-income households, refugees, and individuals with disabilities. Transportation costs are higher for households that rely on further commutes. Health costs are higher for 231households in closer proximity to pollution. The areas of Austin with the highest opportunity index values often have the least affordable housing. Such consequences of Austin’s current distribution of affordable housing reinforce ongoing societal inequities. Incomes do not match housing costs. 3. The median home price in Austin rose by 108% between 2012 and 2022, while the median household income (MHI) rose by just 33% (ACS 1-Year Estimates). Housing cost burden is the biggest housing problem in the city by far, as the Needs Assessment chapter reveals. The home price-to-income ratio for the Austin-Round Rock MSA reached a record high in 2022 according to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. In 2020, roughly 33% of all City of Austin households paid over 30% of their income on housing. Rates of cost burden are much higher for the lowest income households in Austin, as roughly 55% of households that earn less than 50% MFI pay over 30% of their income on housing (CHAS 2016-2020). Mortgage loan interest rates are currently the highest that they have been in 20 years, which creates an added barrier to home ownership. Land is expensive in the current market. 4. Land and property value appreciation has historically been one of the primary wealth builders for individuals and households in the US. Government budgets also depend heavily on property taxes, which are based on land and property value. However, this wealth building and tax revenue mechanism is also a significant barrier to housing affordability within the current context of wealth inequity. High land values contribute to making the most desirable areas of Austin the least affordable to live in, which directly contributes to the racial and economic segregation in the city. Land value appreciation is also a primary force of displacement in gentrifying areas. Most housing in Austin is exposed to speculative investment and appreciation pressures. Municipalities in Texas have limited revenue sources to decrease reliance on property taxes. 5. Construction is expensive in the current market. The costs of construction materials and labor also spiked significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic and remain high. According to the National Association of Homebuilders, construction costs account for roughly 60% of the sales price of a typical single-family home in the US (as of 2020). 6. There is high demand for housing in Austin, with supply often lacking. The City of Austin’s population grew by 16% between 2012 and 2022, and its total number of households grew by 39% (ACS 1-year Estimates). This translates to an increase of roughly 132,740 people and 127,667 households. This nearly 1:1 ratio between the absolute increase in population and households is causing a significant decrease in the average number of people per household. Austin had an increase of over 90,000 housing units between 2010 and 2020 according to the City of Austin Demographer, showing that the housing supply appears to lag behind the demand. 7. Regulatory processes are time consuming and cumbersome. A recent study conducted by a consultant showed that customers and staff are dissatisfied with the current site plan review process. The current code includes 1,800 regulations, eight technical criteria manuals and 12 232building technical codes with 1,470 steps from start to finish for a site plan review. Eleven departments operate in a siloed manner with different visions and priorities. Across the 11 departments 250‐plus staff participate in the process with varying levels of involvement. Staff administer the site plan review process prescribed by the Land Development Code through inconsistent processes, multiple and sometimes outdated technologies, and ad‐hoc cross‐departmental coordination. The average site plan review takes nearly 1 year to complete, and this lag time can significantly increase the cost of development. Carrying costs for single‐family re‐ development are approximately $9,700 per month and $546,000 for multifamily redevelopment. The carrying costs for development in previously undeveloped areas – also called greenfield developments – are about $37,000 per month. Moreover, overly complicated and difficult regulatory environments tend to benefit large developers because they have more resources to absorb high carrying costs, and these high costs reduce competition from smaller developers. 8. Public and private land use regulations and restrictions often prevent more affordable housing typologies. Public land use regulations in the form of zoning and the land development code sometimes restrict the construction of more affordable housing typologies and the location of such housing. Environmental land use regulations in the form of overlays and ordinances can also severely restrict the construction of more affordable housing typologies, particularly in West Austin. Even when public land use regulations are made more flexible to allow for more affordable housing typologies, private restrictive covenants can still maintain exclusionary conditions. There is some state level preemption that prevents certain inclusionary zoning strategies. The State of Texas does not allow municipalities to adopt any regulation that “establishes a maximum sales price for a privately produced housing unit or residential building lot,” though there are some exceptions for density bonus programs, homestead preservation districts, and land banking programs (Texas Local Government Code). 9. There is a lack of alignment between Austin’s affordable housing incentive programs. In addition, the city currently has 13 individual affordable housing incentive programs established by city ordinances. Many of these programs include multiple tiers for participation or multiple available bonuses, which results in 20 different incentives available for affordable housing development. The complexity of this approach reduces participation, adds administrative burden, and creates barriers to full compliance for units in service. These challenges make it more difficult to produce and preserve affordable housing. Moreover, the varied approach makes it difficult to properly calibrate the incentive programs, further decreasing participation as market conditions change continuously. The City of Austin’s numerous, complex incentive programs can disincentivize participation, lead to administrative and compliance challenges, and make it difficult to recalibrate programs to changing market conditions. 10. Affordable housing developers struggle to secure financing for deeper affordability. Developers who focus on constructing income-restricted housing need more resources to achieve deeper levels of affordability. It can be difficult to find enough gap financing to make projects feasible. Austin has a City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated PLan237233relative lack of private lenders and philanthropic foundations that are deeply invested in affordable housing. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit program is one of the primary funding tools for non-profit and for-profit affordable housing developers, but the award process is highly competitive. 11. Community-based affordable housing developers from historically marginalized communities lack financing, subsidies, mentorship, training, and networking opportunities. Small‐scale real estate developers in Austin, particularly those who are women or people of color, have been historically excluded or overlooked, and they often lack the tools needed to grow their businesses due to systemic racism and disinvestment. Less than five percent of housing developers in the United States are people of color, and only one-third of housing developers in this country are women. Training and access to capital are needed to help these would‐be developers be more involved in the region’s booming real estate market and, in turn, create more affordable housing and job opportunities locally. For real estate developers of color to fully participate in growth and revitalization efforts, training, mentorship, and financing are all needed. Diversifying developers and incubating smaller scale local ones can benefit affordability by distributing wealth and benefits of development in the community more equitably. Local and diverse developers may also be more personally invested in housing affordability for their community. 12. The community is unable to access clear, consolidated, updated information about available income‐ restricted housing. The City of Austin is making progress in creating income‐restricted housing, but there are barriers to residents locating and applying for it due to the lack of an easily updatable and central location for users, property managers, and developers to list, market, and apply for available housing units in real time. The current Affordable Housing Online Search Tool (AHOST) is a static tool that provides a list of all the city’s affordable housing properties, similar to a directory, and is unable to list real time active vacancies and connect people to waitlists. It also often contains outdated property information. These challenges inhibit the ease of use of the platform across stakeholders. Additionally, AHOST is currently available in English and Spanish, but additional language support is not currently provided. This is a barrier to some recently arrived immigrants searching for affordable housing. Since users are unable to apply for affordable housing directly on AHOST, it is often their responsibility to individually contact each property listed in AHOST’s directory to ask if there are units available, discover if there is an open or closed waitlist, and be connected to application forms. Improvements are needed to ensure that affordable housing providers can update information on the portal and upload accessible application forms, and that housing seekers are able to access the information seamlessly in a more centralized manner. Additional challenges to the limited software functionality include the inability to capture data that could better inform policy through downloadable reports, as well as more frequent platform updates that can highlight real‐time supply and demand for affordable housing units. 234Strategy to Remove or Ameliorate the Barriers to Affordable Housing The City of Austin’s strategy to remove and ameliorate barriers to affordable housing production and preservation can be classified into five overarching categories: (1) Affordable Housing Data, Research & Planning Initiatives; (2) Land Use & Zoning Changes to Support Affordable Housing; (3) Funding for Affordable Housing Preservation & Development; (4) Anti‐Displacement Initiatives; and (5) Capacity Building. As with the barriers discussed above, the strategies pertain to housing affordability at large, including affordable housing development that seeks to produce income‐restricted units (sometimes referred to as “capital A affordable housing”) and the affordability of housing more generally in the city. Refer to the “Progress Report: Fair Housing Action Items from the 2019 Analysis of Impediments” document in the Appendix for information on specific actions that the City of Austin is taking to address housing affordability and fair housing barriers. 235SP‐60 Homelessness Strategy – 91.215(d) Reaching out to homeless persons (especially unsheltered persons) and assessing their individual needs Please see AP‐65 for information on the Homelessness Strategy. Addressing the emergency and transitional housing needs of homeless persons Please see AP‐65 for information on the Homelessness Strategy. Helping homeless persons (especially chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth) make the transition to permanent housing and independent living, including shortening the period of time that individuals and families experience homelessness, facilitating access for homeless individuals and families to affordable housing units, and preventing individuals and families who were recently homeless from becoming homeless again. Please see AP‐65 for information on the Homelessness Strategy. Help low‐income individuals and families avoid becoming homeless, especially extremely low‐ income individuals and families who are likely to become homeless after being discharged from a publicly funded institution or system of care, or who are receiving assistance from public and private agencies that address housing, health, social services, employment, education or youth needs Please see AP‐65 for information on the Homelessness Strategy. 236SP‐65 Lead‐Based Paint Hazards – 91.215(i)  Actions to address LBP hazards and increase access to housing without LBP hazards  The  City  of  Austin  does  not  have  a  lead‐based  paint  program.  However,  the  City  addresses  lead  abatement  through  multiple  programs  and  funding  sources,  including  Housing's home  repair  grant and loan programs. Eligible  Austinites that reside in a home built prior to 1978 will have their homes tested  for the presence of l ead‐based paint and  remediated, if necessary, as part of the scope of work for each  program.  How are the actions listed above related to the extent of lead poisoning and hazards?  The  City  of  Austin  will  remediate  lead‐based  hazards  in  low‐  to  moderate‐income  homes  and  address  other  household  health  and  safety  hazards  such  as  mold,  carbon  monoxide,  fire,  tripping  hazards  and  pest  management.  This  more  holistic  approach  to  remediating  household  hazards  allows  community  members  to  remain  in  their  homes  and  benefit  from  a  healthier  environment.  The  City  will  continue  testing properties built before 1978 for lead‐based paint.   How are the actions listed above integrated into housing policies and procedures?  The  City  of  Austin’s  housing  policies  and  procedures  are  program  specific.  Monitoring  is  completed  per  the City of Austin’s Monitoring Plan, see Attachment II C: Monitoring Plan. The City’s housing programs   procedurally operate as a “one‐stop shop;” if an applicant qualifies for one program, evaluated to ensure other risk factors are addressed, such as the presence of lead‐based paint.   their housing will  be  237SP‐70 Anti‐Poverty Strategy – 91.215(j) Jurisdiction Goals, Programs and Policies for reducing the number of Poverty‐Level Families The City of Austin has a reputation for having a thriving economy. However, this disguises the pressures from factors such as income inequality, lack of affordable housing opportunities, and displacement of low-income individuals who do not benefit directly from increasing numbers of high-wage jobs. The scale of poverty in Austin may be generally understood through two metrics: the number of individuals with incomes below the federal poverty guidelines, and the number of individuals who are asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed (ALICE). ALICE households do not include those earning below the federal poverty level, meaning that these metrics can be added together. Between 2010 and 2022 the number of households earning an income below the federal poverty level declined slightly in Travis County, while the number of households below the ALICE threshold increased (Figure 22). The result with the growth in overall households is that the percent of households in poverty in Travis County has declined from 16% to 10%, but the percent of households below the ALICE thresholds has remained relatively constant at around 25% (Figure 23). In 2022 in the City of Austin, 49,507 households (11% of total) had an income below the federal poverty level and 119,003 households (26% of total) were ALICE. Together, 37% of households in the City of Austin were either ALICE or under the federal poverty level in 2022 (ACS 2022; ALICE Threshold 2022). Figure 22 -- Number of Households Below Poverty Threshold and Below ALICE Threshold in Travis County, 2010-2022 (Source: ALICE Threshold, 2010-2022; ACS 1-Year Estimates). 238Figure 23 -- Percentage of Households Below Poverty Threshold, Below ALICE Threshold, and Above ALICE Threshold in Travis County, 2010-2022 (Source: ALICE Threshold, 2010-2022; ACS 1-Year Estimates). Perhaps the best overall resource for understanding poverty in Austin in greater depth is the 2024 Travis County Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Needs Assessment. Policies There does not currently appear to be a singular unified anti-poverty strategy or set of policies in effect for the City of Austin. One recent plan that did substantially address poverty, however, was Strategic Direction 2023. This was a 3–5-year strategic plan created in 2017, and one of the strategic outcomes pursued by the plan was “economic opportunity and affordability.” This strategic outcome included several anti-poverty strategies, some of which include (from pages 10-11): • • • • • “Influence the supply of jobs to support availability of and access to middle-skill jobs and expansion of jobs/employers to benefit communities experiencing high unemployment or lacking access to jobs.” “Influence the skills of our local workforce by developing and implementing a City of Austin workforce development roadmap to meet regional goals. Align local workforce skills with needs of employers and track outcomes with a special focus on economic improvement for people of color and historically marginalized communities.” “Develop and act on recommendations to reduce the number of households and businesses displaced from Austin due to unaffordability.” “Acknowledge Austin’s history of racial segregation and counter it by applying an equity perspective to the City’s land development code and associated programs and policies, aligning with community priorities as articulated in Imagine Austin, and ensuring affordable housing options throughout Austin.” “Define and enact our response to homelessness focusing on efficient and effective use of our resources to address disparities, prevent homelessness, and support housing stability.” 239“Develop and enact recommendations for supporting successful housing and employment outcomes for individuals re-entering the community following incarceration.” “Create equitable access to quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) by supporting families who do not qualify for existing free programs and cannot afford quality programs on their own, increasing availability of quality ECE programs, and encouraging living wages for ECE providers.” “Advance economic mobility by equipping and empowering families with wraparound services over a multi-year period so that parents can succeed in the workforce and children are prepared to succeed in adulthood.” Though there is not currently a unified anti-poverty strategy adopted by the City, the municipality recognizes its role in creating economic and social wellbeing for residents, and there are many goals, programs, and policies that address poverty. Addressing poverty requires holistic strategies involving equitable access to housing, education, healthcare, economic opportunity, financial stability, safety, transportation, and more. Robust anti-poverty strategies must address homelessness as well, as it is an extreme symptom of poverty in Austin. Refer to AP-65 of the Action Plan chapter for details regarding Austin’s homelessness strategies. Goals The Community Advancement Network (CAN) is a partnership between 26 governmental and non-profit groups that collaborate to leverage resources and coordinate effort to improve wellbeing in Travis County. CAN has a brief overview of poverty in Travis County, and this information is part of a larger dashboard that tracks metrics relevant to wellbeing in the jurisdiction. CAN communicates a variety of poverty-related metrics and goals to achieve by 2025. Though these goals lack specific associated policies, they come closest to outlining a current overarching anti-poverty strategy for Austin when considered together. Some of the CAN Dashboard metrics most relevant to poverty are the following (all set goals for Travis County, which is a very similar geography to the City of Austin): Percent of residents under federal poverty level. o Goal: 10% or fewer people living under the federal poverty level by 2025. Travis County is on-target at 10.1% in 2022 (ACS 2022 Table B17002). Percent of residents living in food insecure households o Goal: 15% or fewer people living in food insecure households by 2025. Travis County is on-target at 14.6% in 2022 (Feeding America). ▪ Percent of households cost burdened. o Goal: 33% or fewer households cost-burdened by 2025. Travis County is on-target with 33% of households cost burdened in 2022 (ACS 2022 Table A10026). • Number of people identified as homeless on a given day. o Goal: 1,000 ▪ Travis County and Austin are off-target with 2,374 homeless Travis County residents identified in the January 2023 point in time count. Another estimate is that 6,683 people experienced either sheltered or unsheltered homelessness on a single day in October 2023 (ECHO). Racial disproportionality in jail bookings. o Goal: proportional jail bookings by race and ethnicity. Travis County is off-target with Black people being 8% of the total population, but 24% of jail bookings. This is one of many racial inequities that persist in Austin and the County. Percent of residents under age 65 with no health insurance. ▪ ▪ ▪ • • • • • • • • 240▪ ▪ ▪ o Goal: 12% or fewer households by 2025. Travis County is off-target with 14% of people under 65 having no health insurance as of 2021. • Annual unemployment rate. o Goal: 3.5% unemployment rate by 2025. Travis County is on-target with a 2.8% unemployment rate in 2022. The broader strategy for improving wellbeing in Austin and Travis County entails meeting the above anti- poverty goals. The metrics and goals detailed in the CAN Dashboard also provide more detail racial and ethnic disparities and set benchmarks for parity in anti-poverty outcomes. CAN also provides a valuable racial equity action framework and educational resources. Programs Anti-poverty programs in Austin address a range of issues including healthcare, housing, employment, education, food, and other basic needs. Homelessness strategies, which address the deepest poverty in Austin, are discussed in AP-65 of the Action Plan chapter. The following list highlights a sample of existing programs managed by City departments or non-profits. • Equity Office o Family Stabilization Grant Program • Housing Department o Displacement Prevention Navigator Program o Permanent Supportive Housing o Income-restricted housing requirements for voluntary density bonus programs o Down Payment Assistance o Rent Assistance o Home Repair Loans • Austin Public Health o Neighborhood Centers (which allocate a variety of resources) These centers are managed by the Neighborhood Services Unit and connect residents including emergency assistance, in need with a wide variety of resources health/wellness, assistance, childcare income/financial, and jail/prison reentry. The 2024 Travis County Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Needs Assessment outlines the various partners and resources that these Neighborhood Centers coordinate (pp. 36-40). employment, education, housing, o Free vaccines and sexually transmitted infection testing (for residents experiencing homelessness) • Office of Sustainability o Food Justice Mini Grants o Food Environment Analysis o Healthy Food Access • United Way of Greater Austin o 2-1-1 Resource Hotline • Central Texas Food Bank o Home Delivery Program o Community Kitchen o Fresh Food for Families 241o Mobile Food Pantry o Social Services and Education • Sustainable Food Center o Double Up Food Bucks o Fresh for Less Helpful Anti-Poverty Resources • Strategic Documents o Displacement Mitigation Strategy o Strategic Housing Blueprint o Austin’s Homeless Strategy o Strategic Direction 2023 o United Way for Austin Focus Areas and Goals • Data and Assessments o 2024 Travis County Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Needs Assessment o 2022 Community Health Assessment o Central Texas Food Bank – Food System Dashboard o Austin Public Health 2023 Year in Review o Community Advancement Network Dashboard o 2022 Travis County Poverty Brief o Texas – ALICE Maps 2022 o Point in Time Presentation/Report 2023 (austinecho.org) o The Community Needs Survey, Needs Assessment, and Market Analysis chapters from this Consolidated Plan contain data and analysis relevant to poverty in Austin. How are the Jurisdiction poverty reducing goals, programs, and policies coordinated with this affordable housing plan? Coordinating Affordable Housing and Other Anti-Poverty Initiatives: Anti-poverty goals, programs, and policies are generally coordinated with affordable housing through collaborative partnerships with non-profit groups. For example, a permanent supportive housing (PSH) development such as Espero Rutland in North Austin has deeply income-restricted apartments for individuals at risk of or transitioning from homelessness. Espero, like other PSH developments in Austin is equipped with a suite of on-site social services that are overseen by a non-profit managing entity, Caritas of Austin in this case. There are case workers on-site and residents receive “personalized support in housing, education, employment, food, and connection to mental health and physical health services” (City of Austin). Another prominent partnership is between the City of Austin and the non-profit Foundation Communities, which develops and manages income-restricted affordable housing communities. Foundation Communities often coordinates services such as financial planning training and childcare for residents. SAFE Alliance is another Austin non-profit that provides an array of anti-poverty services that are built into affordable housing. They specialize in supporting victims of child abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault and exploitation, maintaining several shelter and housing developments as a critical support to those they serve. Another way that the City of Austin coordinates anti-poverty goals, programs, and policies with affordable 242housing is through collaboration between City departments. The Housing Department, Austin Public Health, Economic Development, Homeless Strategy Office, and others do work that addresses poverty in Austin, and they must sometimes collaborate across specialties to carry out programming. Planning documents such as Strategic Direction 2023 can offer unifying direction to different departments in addressing goals as well, so it may be an ideal time to update Austin’s strategic anti-poverty initiatives. 243SP‐80 Monitoring – 91.230 Describe the standards and procedures that the jurisdiction will use to monitor activities carried out in furtherance of the plan and will use to ensure long‐term compliance with requirements of the programs involved, including minority business outreach and the comprehensive planning requirements . The goal of the City of Austin’s monitoring process is to assess subrecipient/contractor performance in the areas of program, financial, and administrative compliance with applicable federal, state and municipal regulations, as well as current program guidelines such as affordability periods. The City of Austin’s monitoring plan consists of active contract monitoring and long-term monitoring for closed projects. For more information including a copy of the City of Austin's Monitoring Plan, please see Appendix III. The Housing Department’s procurement process aligns with the City’s Small and Minority Business Resources (SMBR) Department’s mission to promote and encourage minority, women, and disadvantaged business owners to participate in business opportunities with the City. The SMBR Department administers the Minority-Owned, Women-Owned, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Procurement Programs for the City of Austin. SMBR also provides developmental opportunities and resources for small (for-profit) businesses so that they can have affirmative access to City procurement opportunities and show productive growth. SMBR revised their rules effective March 4, 2019, including program exemptions for City of Austin contracts. The Housing Department uses these exemptions, where applicable, for certain contracts. 244Expected Resources AP‐15 Expected Resources – 91.220(c)(1,2) Introduction In addition to HUD funding, the City of Austin allocates revenue to the Housing Department for affordable housing and community development activities. HUD's guidance regarding the inclusion of non‐federal funding sources in an Annual Action Plan is that non‐federal sources are to be included if they are reasonably expected to be made available to address the needs outlined in the plan. The FY 2024‐25 City of Austin budget is expected to be approved by the Austin City Council in July 2024. See Exhibit 1 for a visual depiction of the federal and local allocation process. This plan is not intended to confer any legal rights or entitlements on any persons, groups, or entities, including those named as intended recipients of funds or as program beneficiaries. The terms of this Annual Action Plan are subject to amendment, and to the effects of applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. Statements of numerical goals or outcomes are for the purpose of measuring the success of programs and policies, and do not impose a legal obligation on the City to achieve the intended results. Actual funding of particular programs and projects identified in this Plan are subject to completion of various further actions, some of which involve discretionary determinations by the City or others. These include HUD approval of this Plan; appropriations by the United States Congress and Austin City Council; reviews and determinations under environmental and related laws; and results of bidding and contracting processes. Program Uses of Funds Expected Amount Available Year 1 Narrative Description Anticipated Resources Source of Funds Annual Allocation$ Program Income $ Prior Year Resources $ Total $ Expected Amount Available Remainder of ConPlan $ $13,543,064 HOME Federal Acquisition $3,073,266 $800,000 $0 $3,873,266 The three objectives of the HOME Program are: Expand the supply of 245Homebuyer Assistance Homeowner Rehabilitation Multifamily Rental New Construction New Construction for Ownership Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Administration and Planning Housing Economic Development Housing decent, safe, sanitary, and affordable housing to very low and low‐income individuals; Mobilize and strengthen the ability of state and local governments to provide decent, safe, sanitary, and affordable housing to very low‐ and low‐income individuals; Leverage private sector participation and expand the capacity of nonprofit housing providers. The primary objective of CDBG is the development of viable communities by: Providing decent housing; Providing a suitable living environment; Expanding economic opportunities. Any activity funded with CDBG must meet one of three national objectives: Benefit low‐ and moderate‐income persons; Aid in the prevention of slums or blight; Meet a particular urgent need. CDBG Federal Acquisition $7,223,591 95,000 $0 $7,318,591 $29,274,364 246HOPWA Federal Permanent $2,762,259 $0 $0 $2,762,259 $11,049,036 The Housing Opportunity for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program was established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address the specific needs of low‐income persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families. HOPWA makes grants to local communities, states, and nonprofit organizations. HOPWA funds provide housing assistance and related supportive services in partnership with communities and neighborhood. ESG Federal Overnight $647,073 $0 $0 $647,073 $2,588,292 Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program is designed to be the first step in a continuum of assistance to help clients quickly regain stability in Housing Placement Short Term Rent, Mortgage, Utility Assistance (STRMU) Supportive Services Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Permanent Housing Facilities Short Term or Transitional Housing Facilities Shelter Rapid 247Rehousing permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness. Table 59 ‐ Expected Resources – Priority Table City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan249248Explain how federal funds will leverage those additional resources (private, state and local funds), including a description of how matching requirements will be satisfied The City of Austin will satisfy its matching requirements for HOME funding through General Obligation (G.O.) Bond Funding and Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Funds. Austin Public Health matches the ESG funding dollar for dollar with general fund dollars that are allocated to homeless provided to subrecipients. If appropriate, describe publicly owned land or property located within the jurisdiction that may be used to address the needs identified in the plan There are several publicly owned parcels that may be utilized to address the needs identified in this plan: • 208.16 acres on Loyola Lane (Colony Park) - Site of the HUD Community Challenge Planning Grant. The site has been master planned and zoned as a Planned Unit Development. The City is in negotiations with the selected developer to enter into a formal Master Development Agreement for the development of the site. The site will include long-term affordability on a minimum of 20% of the total residential units constructed. • 1.3 acres at Doris Drive and Hathaway Drive - this property was purchased from Austin Independent School District and is currently in the design phase. The property will include 25 townhomes, with 13 units available to households at or below 80% median family income and 7 units available to households at or below 60% median family income as part of AHFC’s Community Land Trust. The remaining 5 units may be sold to households up to 100% median family income also within the Community Land Trust. • 6909 Ryan Drive was purchased from Austin Energy, this 5.5-acre property will be developed through a request for Proposals and will include approximately 300 units of rental housing. Approximately 60 units will serve households at or below 50% median family income, 90 units at or below 80% median family income, 12- units at or below 100% median family income, and 30 units at or below 120% median family income. • 1.73 acres at 1215 Red River and 606 E. 12th Street in the northeast quadrant of Downtown has several Council directives (summarized here: https://www.austintexas.gov/department/1215-red-river-606- east-12th) to be utilized for on-site income restricted housing and/or leveraging off-site income restricted housing. • 6.14 acres at 4800-4906 Bolm Road for which Council has directed staff to prioritize deeply affordable housing over all other future uses. • 19 acres at 800 E St. Johns for which the City and developer, Greystar, have entered into an agreement to deliver 263 units of apartment units at less than 80% of MFI, including over 236 units affordable at less than 60% of MFI. 249• 5.19 acres at 411 Chicon Street currently used and occupied for City services are being analyzed to be repositioned to include a mix of uses including affordable housing within walking distance of the Plaza Saltillo Red Line Station of Capital Metro. • 6200 Menchaca is a 4.7-acre parcel in South Austin currently owned by AHFC that will be developed through a Request for Qualifications process. • Several parcels at the Northwest corner of W Slaughter Lane and Cullen Lane in South Austin have been assembled by AHFC and will be developed through a Request for Qualifications process • Several parcels along Convict Hill Road in Southwest Austin have been assembled by AHFC and will be developed through a Request for Qualifications process. • 11225 Pecan Park Blvd is a 3.9-acre site in North Austin that will be developed through a Request for Qualifications process. • 84.5 acres at 2201 Grove Blvd and 5601 Riverside Drive will be master planned and developed through a Request for Proposal process to include mixed use and affordable housing within walking distance to a school and planned rail stop. 250Annual Goals and Objectives AP‐20 Annual Goals and Objectives Goals Summary Information # Goal Name 1 Homeless Assistance Start Year 2024 Category End Year 2025 Homeless Geographic Area Needs Addressed Throughout Homeless the City of Austin Funding ESG: $647,073 HOME: $1,280,112 Goal Outcome Indicator Homeless Person Overnight Shelter: 375 Persons Assisted TBRA/Rapid Rehousing: 150 (100 TBRA; 50 Rapid Rehousing) 2 Special Needs 2024 2025 Special Needs Throughout Assistance Assistance Special Needs HOPWA: HOPWA: the City of Austin $2,762,259 CDBG: $1,083,439 Homelessness Prevention (Short Term Rent, Mortgage, and Utility Assistance: 153 Households 251 Public Service Activities Other Than Low/ Moderate Income Housing Benefit: - Housing Placement: 5 Households - Short Term Supportive Housing: 24 Households - Supportive Services: 44 Households - Housing Case Management: 35 Households - Tenant-Based Rental Assistance: 35 Households - Facility-Based Housing: 44 Households CDBG PUBLIC SERVICES: Childcare: 192 Senior Services: 125 Mental Health Services: 159 None. This priority need was retained for potential use throughout the five-year FY 25-29 3 Renter Assistance 2024 2025 Affordable Housing Throughout the City of Austin Renter Assistance $0 2524 Homebuyer Assistance 2024 2025 Affordable Housing Throughout the City of Austin Homebuyer Assistance HOME: $871,337 5 Homeowner Assistance 2024 2025 Affordable Housing Homeowner Assistance CDBG: $2,195,334 Minor Home Repair: 82 Throughout the City of Austin 6 Housing Development Assistance 2024 2025 Affordable Housing Homeless Throughout the City of Austin Housing Development Assistance Rental Housing Development Assistance: 6 Consolidated Plan. Direct Financial Assistance to Homebuyers: 15 Households Assisted Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program (HRLP): 6 Architectural Barrier Removal‐ Owner: 60 Ownership Housing Development Assistance: 1 HOME Program Income: $400,000 HOME Program Income (projected): $200,000 CDBG Revolving Loan: $40,000 CDBG Revolving Loan: $55,000 HOME Program Income (projected): $200,000 HOME – 2537 Other Community Development 2024 2025 Non‐Housing Community Development Throughout the City of Austin Infrastructure Development CDBG: $2,500,000 13,480 low- to moderate-income individuals served. Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO): $460,990 HOME Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) Expense Grants: $180,000 Table 60 – Goals Summary 2541 Goal Name Homeless Assistance Goal Descriptions Goal Description Persons experiencing homelessness are Austin’s most vulnerable population, and therefore are a high priority for the Consolidated Plan. This decision was made based on feedback from the public process, including stakeholder input from homelessness needs providers, public hearings, and the Consolidated Plan survey. Homeless Assistance provides services to persons experiencing homelessness, persons living with HIV/AIDS, victims of domestic violence, persons experiencing mental illness, unaccompanied youth, persons with chronic substance abuse, and veterans. 2 Goal Name Special Needs Assistance Goal Description Special Needs activities will assist low‐ to moderate‐income Austinites by providing mental health services for at‐risk youth, childcare services and services for seniors. This decision was made based on feedback from the public process, including stakeholder input from homeless and special needs providers, public hearings, and the Consolidated Plan survey. 3 Goal Name Renter Assistance Goal Description 4 Goal Name Homebuyer Assistance Goal Description The Market Analysis found that low-income renters earning below 50% of the Median Family Income are the most cost-burdened. Renter Assistance will offer rent subsidies, tenants' right services, and financial aid for home accessibility improvements. It will also support households in acute crises to prevent displacement or homelessness. These programs are mainly funded locally, but federal funds may be used in national emergencies. Between 2012 and 2022, home values in Austin surged by 108%, making homeownership unattainable for many residents. Homebuyer Assistance offers counseling to renters aspiring to become homeoners and to current homeowners to help them retain their homes. This includes the Down Payment Assistance Program, which provides loans to qualifying low- and moderate- income homebuyers for purchasing their first home. 2555 Goal Name Homeowner Assistance Goal Description Homeowner Assistance is designed to: preserve the safety and livability of the housing of low‐income homeowners, allowing owners to stay in their homes; improve the City’s aging housing stock; and repair homes for existing homeowners. These activities were identified as high priorities by stakeholders and community members. Overall, Homeowner Assistance is a high priority in the Consolidated Plan. Goal Name 6 Goal Description Housing Development Assistance The Housing Development Assistance (HDA) program leverages private funds to create deeply affordable housing. Public input and the Housing Market Analysis emphasize the need for affordable housing for low- to moderate- income renters and special needs populations. 7 Goal Name Other Community Development Assistance Goal Description Investing in LMI communities and community based organizations to provide better services and stronger infrastructure. The 2024 Consolidated Plan Community Needs survey indicated investing in infrastructure, particularly in low- and moderate in-income (LMI) neighborhoods, is a top priority for many Austinites. Infrastructure provides opportunity for growth, development, and community activation to prevent dislacement. 256Projects Introduction AP‐35 Projects – 91.220(d) The City of Austin's planned projects are based on the City’s assessment of community needs as identified in this Consolidated Plan, in related plans and policy documents, and on the ability of funds identified in the Consolidated Plan to be leveraged or combined with other funds to meet the identified needs. To the greatest extent possible, targeted funds will be used while resources with more discretionary latitude will be used to address needs and activities that lack their own targeted funding source. For instance, while the development of affordable housing is a critical issue for Austin, not all Consolidated Plan funds will be used for the creation or preservation of affordable housing. 257The City of Austin plans to undertake the following projects throughout FY 2024‐25: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 ESG: Shelter, Rapid Re‐housing, HMIS and Administration # Project Name Child Care Services Senior Services Mental Health Services HOPWA: AIDS Services of Austin HOPWA: Project Transitions HOPWA: Integral Care HOPWA: ASHwell HOPWA: Administration Tenant‐Based Rental Assistance Down Payment Assistance (DPA) Architectural Barrier Removal (ABR) ‐ Owner 13 Minor Home Repair Program Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program (HRLP) Rental Housing Development Assistance (RHDA) Ownership Housing Development Assistance (OHDA) Infrastructure Development CHDO Operating Expense Grants Family Business Loan Program (FBLP) Debt Service CDBG Administration HOME Administration Table 61 – Project Information 258Describe the reasons for allocation priorities and any obstacles to addressing underserved needs Allocation priorities are based on the feedback received during the Community Needs Assessment period, staff identified needs, market analyses, and guidance from other local planning efforts. The top priorities identified by the community in the survey were: availability of affordable housing, services to prevent the homelessness, affordable childcare, mental health and counseling, and job training, job opportunities or a living wage. The result of the survey influenced the selection of the programs and activities outlined in the FY 2025-29 Consolidated Plan and FY 2025 Action Plan and will impact household affordability and community development initiatives. 2591 Project Name Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description Child Care Services Throughout the City of Austin Special Needs Special Needs CDBG: $758,308 The City of Austin contracts with childcare providers for services that increase the supply of quality childcare. The programs provide services to children (ages: 0‐5 years) from low‐income families with gross incomes at or below 80% of Median Family Income limits who reside within the Austin City limits. 9/30/2025 Public Service Activities Other Than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit: 192 Persons Assisted. Target Date Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Location Description Planned Activities Throughout the City of Austin Child Care Services will increase the supply of childcare for low‐income families. Social service contracts through APH will provide: 1) direct childcare services for teen parents who are attending school; and 2) direct childcare services through the Early Head Start child development program. 2 Project Name Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Senior Services Throughout the City of Austin Special Needs Special Needs Funding Description CDBG: $129,052 The City of Austin contracts with a sub‐recipient to provide services that help prevent and protect seniors from becoming victims of abuse, neglect, or include case management; money financial exploitation. Services management services such as bill payer; general public benefits enrollment assistance or specialized assistance for SSI/SSDI income; and housing stabilization services including, homelessness prevention, and housing retention. Persons must meet income, age, and residential eligibility requirements. 260Target Date 9/30/2025 Public Service Activities Other Than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit: 125 Persons Assisted. Throughout the City of Austin Senior Services provides legal protection for low‐income seniors at risk of abusive, neglectful, or financially exploitative situations. Mental Health Services Throughout the City of Austin Special Needs Special Needs CDBG: $196,179 The Mental Health Services program provides access to holistic, wraparound services and support to youth designated as at‐risk and their families. The program's three components provide different levels of intervention: school‐based community‐based wraparound services, and summer camps. The program, in partnership with the youth and their families, addresses the needs and challenges of each youth's situation to improve his or her functioning in school, the community, and at home. 9/30/2025 Public Service Activities Other Than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit: 159 Persons Assisted. intensive wraparound services, Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Location Description Planned Activities 3 Project Name Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description Target Date Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Planned Activities Location Description Throughout the City of Austin Mental Health Services will serve at‐risk youth and their families. The services and support are customized to the needs of the youth and family and are delivered utilizing the wraparound model. The interventions focus on areas of basic needs, mental health services, educational support and social enrichment. Services will continue to be accessed through designated schools and community centers. 4 Project Name ESG: 1) Rapid Rehousing Relocation & Stabilization Services; 2) Shelter Operations & Maintenance; 3) HMIS; and 4) ESG Administration Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Throughout the City of Austin Homeless Homeless 261Funding Description Emergency Solutions Grant: $647,073 Shelter Operations and Maintenance: APH contracts with a private nonprofit organization to operate the Women and Children's Shelter. All clients served in the shelter have low- to moderate-income and are at or below 50% or MFI. Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) funds are used to provide maintenance and operations for this program. Rapid rehousing programs: There are two ESG-funded rapid rehousing programs connecting homeless individuals referred through Coordinated Entry system with safe and stable housing: 1) Communicable Disease Unit of Austin Public Health (targeted to homeless persons with HIV/AIDS); and 2) Downtown Austin Community Court. Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) funding will support HMIS licenses for the ESG Shelter program. This project also includes funding for Administration of the ESG program. Target Date Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities 9/30/2025 Homeless Person Overnight Shelter: 375 Persons Assisted Tenant‐Based Rental Assistance/Rapid Re‐housing: 50 Households Assisted Location Description Throughout the City of Austin Planned Activities Shelter Operations and Maintenance: The Women and Children's Shelter will serve women and children and single women experiencing homelessness. All clients will be entered into the HMIS database. The Rapid Re-Housing program provides housing location, housing stability case management and direct financial assistance to rapidly rehouse homeless persons who are receiving services from ESG-funded programs at the Communicable Disease Unit of Austin Public Health and the Downtown Austin Community Court. HMIS funding will support the costs of contributing data to the HMIS system, including the purchase/lease of the computer hardware at the Women and Children's Shelter. Administration all of the above. City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan2632625 Project Name Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description HOPWA: AIDS Services of Austin Throughout the City of Austin Special Needs Special Needs HOPWA: $1,053,977 The City of Austin contracts with AIDS Services of Austin to deliver services for the HOPWA program. The goal of the HOPWA program is to prevent homelessness and to support independent living of persons living with HIV/AIDS. AIDS Services of Austin works with a collaborative of housing and HIV/AIDS service providers to achieve this goal. Target Date 9/30/2025 Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Public Service Activities other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit (Housing Case Management): 35 Persons Assisted Tenant Based Rental Assistance/Rapid Rehousing: 35 Households Assisted Homelessness Prevention (Short‐term Rent, Mortgage, and Utility Assistance): 116 Persons Assisted Location Description Planned Activities Throughout the City of Austin AIDS Services of Austin will provide Housing Case Management, Tenant Based Rental Assistance, Permanent Housing Placement Services, Hotel/Motel, and Short‐Term Rent, Mortgage and Utility Assistance. 6 Project Name Target Area HOPWA: Project Transitions Throughout the City of Austin Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description Special Needs Special Needs HOPWA: $1,405,303 The City of Austin contracts with Project Transitions to deliver services for the HOPWA program. The goal of the HOPWA program is to prevent homelessness and to support independent living of persons living with HIV/AIDS. Project Transitions has 90 apartments located in two agency‐ owned facilities and other apartments are leased throughout the community. Target Date 9/30/2025 263Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Location Description Planned Activities Facility Based Housing: 44 Households Assisted Public Service Activities other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit (Supportive Services): 44 Persons Assisted Throughout the City of Austin Project Transitions will provide Tenant Based Rental Assistance, Facility‐ Based Housing, Master Leasing, and Supportive Services. 7 Project Name Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description HOPWA Integral Care (ATCIC) Throughout the City of Austin Special Needs Special Needs HOPWA: $158,481 The City of Austin will contract with Integral Care to deliver services for the HOPWA program. The goal of the HOPWA program is to prevent homelessness and to support independent living of persons living with HIV/AIDS. Target Date Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities 09/30/2025 Public Service Activities other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit (Permanent Housing Placement): 5 Public Service Activities other than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit (Short Term Supportive Housing): 24 Homelessness Prevention (Short‐Term Rent, Mortgage, and Utility Assistance): 22 Location Description Planned Activities Throughout the City of Austin Integral Care will provide Permanent Housing Placement, Short Term Supportive Housing, and Short‐term Rent, Mortgage, and Utility Assistance. 8 Project Name Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description HOPWA ASHwell Throughout the City of Austin Special Needs Special Needs HOPWA: $61,631 The City of Austin will contract with ASHwell to deliver services for the HOPWA program. The goal of the HOPWA program is to prevent homelessness and to support independent living of persons living with HIV/AIDS. Target Date 09/30/2025 City of Austin FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan2652649 Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Location Description Planned Activities Project Name Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description Target Date Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Location Description Planned Activities 10 Project Name Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description Homelessness Prevention (Short‐term Rent, Mortgage, and Utility Assistance): 15 Throughout the City of Austin ASHwell will provide Short‐Term Rent, Mortgage, and Utility Assistance. HOPWA Administration Throughout the City of Austin Special Needs Special Needs HOPWA: $82,867 Funds provide administrative costs for program 9/30/2025 N/A‐ Funds provide administrative costs for programs. Throughout the City of Austin Administration of federal programs Tenant‐Based Rental Assistance Throughout the City of Austin Homeless Assistance Homeless Assistance HOME: $1,280,112 The Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) program provides up to 24 months of rental housing subsidies and security deposits to eligible individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The Housing Department contracts with The Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) to manage the TBRA program. Through an MOU, HACA works with the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO), the Continuum of Care for the City of Austin, to refer individuals and families that have been screened for eligibility and are prioritized based on vulnerability. This allows the HOME TRBA program to serve households experiencing homelessness, by leveraging existing funds for supportive services and funding a Rapid Rehousing Program (RRH). In partnership with current direct service providers, such as Caritas of Austin and The Salvation Army, the HOME TBRA program works to ensure that at least 65 households move into permanent housing and and are served through the program annually. 265Target Date 9/30/2025 Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Tenant‐Based Rental Assistance: 65 Households Assisted. Location Description Throughout the City of Austin Planned Activities The Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) will oversee the TBRA program and will contract with The Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) to administer the program. 11 Project Name Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description Down Payment Assistance (DPA) Throughout the City of Austin Homebuyer Assistance Homebuyer Assistance HOME: $871,337 HOME Program Income (PI) : $400,000 The purpose of the Down Payment Assistance (DPA) program is to assist low- and moderate-income first-time homebuyers by providing them with down payment and closing cost assistance. The program increases housing opportunities to eligible households. Eligible income is at or below 80% of MFI. 09/30/2025 Direct Financial Assistance to Homebuyers: 15 Households Assisted Target Date Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Planned Activities Location Description Throughout the City of Austin The DPA program provides an Option I DPA in the form of a 0% interest, deferred-forgivable loan in an amount of no less than $1,000 and up to a maximum of $14,999, with a minimum affordability period of five years. Option II DPA provides funding no less than $15,000 and up to a maximum of $40,000, with a minimum affordability period of ten years. The loan will be forgiven at ten years. A lien will be placed on the property to ensure repayment. All DPA loans include two components: a purchase option, and right of first refusal. 26612 Project Name Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description Architectural Barrier Removal (ABR) ‐ Owner Throughout the City of Austin Homeowner Assistance Homeowner Assistance CDBG: $1,210,594 The Architectural Barrier Removal (ABR) program for owners modifies or retrofits the living quarters of eligible, low-income elderly and disabled homeowners. The program increases the accessibility of the residences through the removal of architectural barriers to mobility. ABR modifications allow clients to remain in their homes and increase self- sufficiency. No more than $20,000 per home per year can be provided to a single home through the program. Eligible income is at or below 80% of MFI. 9/30/2025 Homeowner Housing Rehabilitated: 60 Housing Units Target Date Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Location Description Planned Activities Throughout the City of Austin The Architectural Barrier Removal (ABR) program for homeowners funds physical improvements in housing units; funded activities are limited to improvements that remove architectural barriers that restrict mobility and accessibility, and that are part of the structure and permanently affixed, such as wheelchair ramps, handrails and more. 13 Project Name Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description Minor Home Repair Throughout the City of Austin Homeowner Assistance Homeowner Assistance CDBG: $619,405 The Minor Home Repair Program makes repairs to alleviate life- threatening life conditions, and health and safety hazards for low- to moderate-income homeowners. Households residing within Austin City limits and with income at or below 80% of MFI are eligible. Eligible households can receive up to $7,500 for home repairs per year. Target Date 9/30/2025 267Homeowner Housing Rehabilitated: 82 Housing Units Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Planned Activities Location Description Throughout the City of Austin The Minor Home Repair Program provide minor home rehabilitation activities related to maintaining a healthy, safe, affordable and sustainable housing stock for low- to moderate-income homeowners. Eligible program services include electrical, plumbing, roof, heating/cooling systems, structural carpentry, and other interior and exterior minor home repairs. 14 Project Name Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program (HRLP) Throughout the City of Austin Homeowner Assistance Homeowner Assistance CDBG: $365,335 CDBG Revolving Loan (RL): $40,000 HOME Program Income (PI): $200,000 The purpose of the Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program (HRLP) is to assist low- and moderate-income homeowners with bringing their homes up to building code standards, with repairs to the foundation, roof, plumbing, HVAC system, electrical system, and other major interior and exterior repairs. The property must be located within the City limits of Austin. The program provides financial assistance to address substandard housing conditions that exist on a homeowner's property. The result is that decent, safe and sanitary housing is restored. Eligible income is at or below 80% of MFI. 9/30/2025 Homeowner Housing Rehabilitated: 6 Housing Units Target Date Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Location Description Planned Activities Throughout the City of Austin The Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program (HRLP) assists low-income homeowners in the form of a 0% interest, deferred-forgivable loan, in an amount not less than $7,500 and up to a maximum of $75,000 for rehabilitation, and $110,000, for historical preservation. If it is determined that it is economically feasible to rehabilitate a property, reconstruction is necessary. For reconstruction, assistance is provided up to a maximum amount of $350,000 or 125% loan-to-value based on the after reconstruction appraised market value. A twenty (20) year lien will be placed on properties reconstructed. There will be a shared equity, purchase option, and right of first refusal component to the lien. 26815 Project Name Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description Rental Housing Development Assistance (RHDA) Throughout the City of Austin Housing Development Assistance Housing Development Assistance HOME PI: $200,000 HOME CHDO: $230,495 The Rental Housing Development Assistance (RHDA) Program works to expand the community's supply of affordable rental housing for low- income households and to increase the availability of permanent supportive housing for persons experiencing homelessness or low-income households with special needs. Applicants must also participate in the S.M.A.R.T. Housing Program to receive City support. Target Date 9/30/2025 Rental Housing Units Constructed: 6 Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Planned Activities Location Description Throughout the City of Austin The Rental Housing Development (RHDA) program provides below-market- rate financing to nonprofit and for-profit developers for the acquisition, new construction, or rehabilitation of affordable rental housing. RHDA serves households at or below 50% of MFI with a target of serving households at or below 30% of MFI. The City currently has four certified Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) developing rental housing through the use of HOME CHDO funds: Blackland Community Development Corporation, Accessible Housing Austin (AHA), Austin Revitalization Authority, and Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation (GNDC). 16 Project Name Ownership Housing Development Assistance (OHDA) Target Area Throughout the City of Austin Goals Supported Housing Development Assistance Needs Addressed Housing Development Assistance Funding Description CDBG RL: $55,000 HOME CHDO: $230,495 The Ownership Housing Development Assistance (OHDA) Program provides funding to private and nonprofit developers, including Community Housing 269Development Organizations (CHDOs) for the acquisition, rehabilitation, and new construction of affordable ownership housing for low- to moderate- income homebuyers. Applicants must also participate in the S.M.A.R.T. Housing Program to receive City support. Target Date 9/30/2025 Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Ownership Housing Units Constructed: 1 Location Description Throughout the City of Austin Planned Activities The Ownership Housing Development Assistance (OHDA) program works with lenders, and nonprofit and for-profit developers to leverage City and federal funds to increase homeownership opportunities for low- and moderate-income buyers. Activities include: 1) the acquisition of and development of land; 2) the acquisition and rehabilitation of residential structures; 3) the acquisition of new or existing housing units; and 4) the construction of new housing, all for sale income-eligible households at or below 80% of MFI. 17 Project Name Infrastructure Development Target Area Throughout the City of Austin Goals Supported Other Community Development Assistance Needs Addressed Other Community Development Assistance Funding $2,500,000 Description Investing in LMI communities and community based organizations to provide better services and stronger infrastructure. The 2024 Consolidated Plan Community Needs survey indicated investing in infrastructure, particularly in low- and moderate-income (LMI) neighborhoods, is a top priority for many Austinites. Infrastructure provides opportunity for growth, development, and community activation to prevent displacement. Public Facility or Infrastructure Activities Other Than Low/Moderate Income Housing Benefit: 13,480 Persons Assisted. Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Location Description Throughout the City of Austin. 270Planned Activities The City of Austin has prioritized the development of the Colony Park neighborhood. Federal funds will be used for the design and construction of horizontal infrastructure in the initial years such as roads and public works infrastructure, and for vertical infrastructure in the later years, such as community parks and facilities. Federal funds will be leveraged with local funds and private fund brought by the development partner. Project Name 18 Target Area CHDO Operating Expense Grants Throughout the City of Austin Goals Supported Other Community Development Assistance Needs Addressed Other Community Development Asssitance Funding Description HOME: $153,500 The Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) Operating Expenses Grant program provides financial support to eligible, City-certified CHDOs actively involved in housing production or expected to begin production within 24 months. Under the terms of the grant, CHDOs must access CHDO set-aside funds to produce affordable housing for the community. Funding can only be used for the organization's operating expenses and cannot be used on project-related expenses. Target Date 9/30/2025 2 Households Assisted. Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Planned Activities Location Description Throughout the City of Austin. Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) Operating Expense Grants are used to supplement a CHDO's operating funds. Eligible CHDOs will receive financial assistance to support their operations as affordable housing providers. Financial support to CHDOs allows them to maintain or increase capacity to create affordable rental and homeownership units. 19 Project Name Family Business Loan Program (FBLP) Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description Throughout the City of Austin Other Community Development Assistance Other Community Development Assistance Section 108 Loan Amount: $1,750,000 The FBLP is a public‐private partnership between the City of Austin, HUD, and participating private lenders to offer low-interest loans to qualified small businesses that are expanding and creating jobs. Target Date 9/30/2025 271Jobs created/retained: 50 Businesses assisted: 3 Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Location Description Planned Activities Throughout the City of Austin The Family Business Loan Program (FBLP) makes low‐interest loans to qualified Austin small business owners who are ready to expand their businesses and create jobs. 20 Project Name Debt Service Target Area Goals Supported Needs Addressed Funding Description Throughout the City of Austin Other Community Development Assistance Other Community Development Assistance Section 108 Program Income: $300,000 East 11th and 12th Street Debt Service: The City secured a $9,035,000 HUD Section 108 Loan Guarantee to implement the East 11th and 12th Streets revitalization project. A portion of these funds were used by the City of Austin for acquisition, relocation, demolition and other revitalization expenses on East 11th and 12th Street. Funds were also loaned to the Austin Revitalization Authority (ARA) for construction of the Street-Jones and Snell Buildings on E. 11th Street. The debt service will be paid from small business loan repayments through 2026. 9/30/2025 N/A - Funds provide debt servicing for revitalization. Target Date Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Location Description Planned Activities 21 Project Name Goals Supported Throughout the City of Austin Debt servicing for revitalization. CDBG Administration Special Needs Assistance Renter Assistance Homebuyer Assistance Homeowner Assistance Housing Development Assistance Other Community Development Assistance 272Needs Addressed Special Needs Renter Assistance Homebuyer Assistance Homeowner Assistance Housing Development Assistance Other Community Development CDBG: $1,444,718 Funds provide administrative costs for programs 9/30/2025 N/A ‐ Funds provide administrative costs for programs Funding Description Target Date Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Location Description Throughout the City of Austin Planned Activities Administration of federal programs. 22 Project Name HOME Administration Target Area Throughout the City of Austin Goals Supported Needs Addressed Homebuyer Assistance Homeowner Assistance Housing Development Assistance Other Community Development Assistance Homebuyer Assistance Homeowner Assistance Housing Development Assistance Other Community Development Assistance Funding HOME: $307,327 Description Funds provide administrative costs for programs N/A ‐ Funds provide administrative costs for programs Target Date 9/30/2025 Estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities Location Description Throughout the City of Austin Planned Activities Administration of federal programs. 273AP‐50 Geographic Distribution – 91.220(f) Description of the geographic areas of the entitlement (including areas of low‐income and minority concentration) where assistance will be directed The City of Austin does not currently direct its investments in specific target areas. Geographic Distribution Target Area Percentage of Funds Throughout the City of Austin Table 62 ‐ Geographic Distribution 100 Rationale for the priorities for allocating investments geographically The City of Austin does not currently direct its investments in specific geographic areas. Discussion While the City of Austin does not currently target investments to specific geographic areas, it considers the geographic dispersion of affordable housing to be a key core value in the investment of affordable housing‐ related activities with federal and local funds. The City supports providing affordable housing in areas outside of low‐income neighborhoods, thereby reducing racial and ethnic segregation, deconcentrating poverty, and providing for more economic opportunities for low‐income households. The City’s Housing Department provides funding preference through a scoring matrix system which awards points to projects that assist in the dispersion of affordable housing stock throughout the community, to focus on areas in Austin where there is a shortage of affordable housing. As a results of this focus, the Housing Department has achieved greater geographic dispersion in the units it has funded in recent years. 274Affordable Housing AP‐55 Affordable Housing – 91.220(g) Introduction Affordable housing is a critical priority for the City of Austin. The need for affordable housing for extremely low‐, low‐ and moderate‐income renters, special needs populations, and homebuyers is evident in the 2019 Housing Market Analysis and in public input received from the community. Feedback received during the FY 2025-29 Consolidated Plan community needs assessment period makes clear that this is still a need in Austin. Housing affordability in Austin has continued to decline among many segments of the population but particularly among very low‐income households making between 30% and 50% MFI, and extremely low‐income households making between 0% and 30% MFI. Many service providers cited the lack of affordable housing as having a ripple effect, negatively impacting the ability to provide a stable foundation of opportunity for the clients they serve. The 2019 Housing Market Analysis showed a gap of approximately 36,000 units of affordable housing units for renter households making less than $25,000 annually. The analysis identified top housing needs as: ● Deeply affordable rental units ● Geographically dispersed opportunities ● Preservation of affordable housing in neighborhoods where long‐time Austinites are being displaced due to redevelopment ● Affordable housing near transit and other services The Action Plan must specify goals for the number of homeless, non‐homeless, and special needs households to be provided with affordable housing within the program year. The plan must also indicate the number of affordable housing units that will be provided by program type, including rental assistance, production of new units, rehabilitation of existing units, or acquisition of existing units. For the purpose of this section, the term “affordable housing” is defined in the HOME regulations at 24 CFR 92.252 for rental housing and 24 CFR 92.254 for homeownership. The goals in the following tables reflect federally funded projects that do not include the provision of emergency shelter, transitional shelter, or social services and that meet the definition of households provided affordable housing units within the program year. In accordance with guidance from HUD, units must be brought up to standard in order to be counted in the tables below. Therefore, programs that only offer services for each of the categories below, but do not bring a unit up to standard, are not counted in this section. 275One year Goal for the Number of Households to be Supported Homeless Non-Homeless Special Needs Total Table 9 – One Year Goals for Affordable Housing by Support Requirements One year Goal for the Number of Households to be Supported Through Rental Assistance Produc�on of New Units Rehabilita�on of Exis�ng Units Acquisi�on of Exis�ng Units Total Table 10 – One Year Goals for Affordable Housing by Support Type 65 28 142 235 65 7 148 15 235 The following is a breakdown of the values featured in Table 9 – One Year Goals for Affordable Housing by Support Requirement. Homeless Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (HOME) Homeless Subtotal Non-Homeless Rental Housing Developer Assistance (HOME) Ownership Housing Developer Assistance (CDBG & HOME) Home Rehabilita�on Loan Program (CDBG & HOME) Down Payment Assistance (HOME) Non-Homeless Subtotal Special Needs Minor Home Repair (CDBG) Architectural Barrier Program – Owner (CDBG) Subtotal Grand Total 65 65 6 1 6 15 28 82 60 142 235 276The following is a breakdown of the values featured in Table 10 – One Year Goals for Affordable Housing by Support Type. Rental Assistance Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (HOME) Rental Assistance Subtotal Produc�on of New Units Rental Housing Developer Assistance (HOME) Ownership Housing Developer Assistance (CDBG & HOME) Produc�on of New Units Subtotal Rehabilita�on of Exis�ng Units Architectural Barrier Program – Owner (CDBG) Minor Home Repair (CDBG) Homeowner Rehabilita�on Loan Program (CDBG & HOME) Rehabilita�on of Exis�ng Units Subtotal Acquisi�on of Exis�ng Units Down Payment Assistance Acquisi�on of Exis�ng Units Subtotal Grand Total 65 65 6 1 7 60 82 82 148 15 1 235 277Discussion Long-Term Affordability The Housing Department and AHFC use restrictive covenants, deed restrictions, and other legal tools to preserve affordable housing. These tools bind the property for as much as 99 years for ownership units through restrictions on resale price and eligibility requirements for subsequent sales. The income- eligible owner will receive a guaranteed return at the sale of the property while the unit will remain affordable for the next generation of owners. The City has prioritized resources for its long-term affordability programs through expanding AHFC’s portfolio of Community Land Trust homes. A Community Land Trust (CLT) preserves public investment in affordability, allowing preservation into perpetuity. The CLT retains ownership of the land, while the homeowner owns the home and its improvements. The CLT limits the sales price and requires subsequent buyers be income-eligible. CLT homeowners receive a predetermined share of the appreciation when the unit is re-sold. This model provides opportunities for low- to moderate-income households to buy the home at an affordable price. The Austin Community Land Trust (ACLT) was designed with polices to further the City's obligation to affirmatively further fair housing and includes a method to prioritize applicants affected by gentrification and displacement. ACLT has implemented a lottery and application process for the available homes through its website, ACLT-home.org. This online platform serves to educate the community on the Austin Community Land Trust, how to apply, and how to move through the home-buying process. 278AHFC receives a 100% property tax exemption on all land it owns. AHFC occasionally chooses to partner with affordable housing developers through purchase of land and a long‐term leasehold deed of trust held by AHFC. The benefit of AHFC's property tax exemption helps sustain the project viability and affordability. This structure is typically used when the affordable housing development meets several key criteria, among them: location on/near a transit‐oriented development or core transit corridor, proximity to critical services and amenities, placement in a high‐opportunity area, and a commitment to serve low‐income households. Preservation of Affordable Housing The Housing Department regularly examines the loss of existing affordable housing stock in the community, and recently joined the Texas Affordable Housing Preservation Coalition. The City will continue to follow the recommendations of the most current reports by: ● Developing and sharing data to strengthen intergovernmental coordination, and increase opportunities for preservation in high opportunity areas (which refer to neighborhoods with access to amenities or community attributes that can increase economic mobility for their residents). ● Maximizing the use of partnerships to promote existing programs and services, and preserve existing affordable housing stock. ● Exploring educational and outreach initiatives to ensure low‐income households have reasonable avenues through education to remain in affordable housing. ● Pursuing new strategies to bring forward alternative resources and incentives, and to increase ● Developing data regarding the condition of Austin's housing units, including unit counts for long‐term, permanent affordability. subsidized properties. The Housing Department is working to produce a comprehensive strategy to preserve affordability by coordinating with local partners to identify and preserve affordable housing. Geographic Dispersion The City balances investment in gentrifying areas with the need for creating affordable housing in high opportunity areas, a strategy recommended in the report on gentrification and displacement in Austin, Uprooted: Residential Displacement in Austin’s Gentrifying Neighborhoods and What Can be Done About It. Investment in affordable housing in areas outside of low‐income neighborhoods is being prioritized, with the goal of reducing racial and ethnic segregation, deconcentrating poverty, and providing more economic opportunities for low‐income households. 279The City offers development incentives which provide modifications and waivers to site development regulations in exchange for affordable housing. The majority of these policies apply to specific geographic areas including within high opportunity areas. The City is considering opportunities to further expand density bonuses as part of the ongoing revision to the Land Development Code. The 2019 Housing Market Analysis estimated a gap of 36,000 units of affordable housing for households making less than $25,000 a year. To assist in closing that gap, the City continues to prioritize resources to affordable housing projects that serve very low‐income households. Deeper Levels of Affordability Other Initiatives In 2017, the Austin City Council adopted the Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint, a ten-year community plan to align resources, ensure a unified strategic direction, and facilitate community partnerships to reach the City’s affordable housing goals. The Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint established a goal of 135,000 housing units created or preserved by 2028, with housing available at each level of income distributed across the council districts. In 2019, Council adopted geographic affordable housing goals by Council District and by 2016 Mobility Bond Corridors. These goals have informed revisions to program guidelines to ensure affordable housing is created. 280AP‐60 Public Housing – 91.220(h) Introduction The City of Austin’s jurisdiction is served by two Public Housing Authorities (PHAs): the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) and the Housing Authority of Travis County (HATC). These agencies are not departments of the City or county, respectively, but work independently of the City of Austin and Travis County. Both HACA and HATC share updates on agency progress through regular contacts and meetings with City staff. As one of two PHAs serving the City of Austin boundaries, input from and coordination with HACA is valuable to address community needs efficiently. HACA is a partnering agency in the development of the FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan. HACA was consulted in order to provide information on its activities and needs relating to low‐income subsidized housing to develop these regional plans, on an ongoing basis. Community organizations will collaborate with HACA in FY 2025-2029 to provide homeownership classes for low‐income, subsidized housing households in support of HACA’s down payment assistance program. These courses will help potential homebuyers to qualify for down payment assistance and provide valuable education such as money management techniques, understanding credit and budgeting, and one‐on‐one counseling. HACA’s PHA Annual and Five‐Year Plan provide comprehensive information on actions that HACA has planned or considered for implementation in the next year to address the need for low‐income subsidized housing. HACA’s PHA Annual and Five‐Year plans can be found on the Housing Authority of the City of Austin’s website at: https://www.hacanet.org/pha‐plans/ Actions planned during the next year to address the needs to public housing Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) The Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) continues to be successful in moving families toward self-sufficiency; to date, 111 families have become homeowners through its down payment assistance program. The program provides qualified families participating in the low-income, subsidized housing or Housing Choice Voucher programs with a $10,000 forgivable loan to be applied towards the down payment on a new or existing home. If the applicant meets all program criteria for the first five years, then the loan is forgiven. Each of HACA’s 18 low-income subsidized housing properties maintains a Resident Council that serves as the voice of the households at that development. All property residents are considered members of their Resident Council and are encouraged to participate in meetings and decision-making at their properties. The opportunity to become leaders at their properties, voice concerns about program operations, and advocate for necessary changes often serves as a springboard for households to become further involved in the community and plan specific goals for achieving economic and housing self-sufficiency. 281Actions to encourage public housing residents to become more involved in management and participate in homeownership The City of Austin collaborates closely with local PHA officials to ensure that City housing programs are responsive and linked to the needs of public housing households. As previously noted, each of HACA’s 18 low‐income subsidized housing properties maintains a Resident Council designed to directly involve individuals in their community’s management and decision‐making process. Participation in community management and operations prepares and empowers households to become further involved in their communities, and to plan specific goals for achieving economic and housing self‐sufficiency. Through a partnership with JP Morgan Chase, HACA residents are encouraged to participate in a three‐ week financial literacy workshop offered at various points throughout the year. These classes are designed to familiarize participants with topics such as budgeting, goal setting, and credit repair. The final class of the series provides a deeper dive into available homeownership opportunities. These opportunities include local, city, and federal first‐time homebuying resources which include Prospect Heights at Rosewood, a HACA and Habitat for Humanity initiative where twelve townhomes will be made available for purchase in the East Austin area to eligible current and past HACA residents. Residents interested in pursuing homeownership opportunities meet with the HACA Homeownership team where they can review information, ask questions, determine eligibility, and take the appropriate steps toward reaching their homeownership goals. Resources are readily available for residents interested in improving their credit, increasing their household income, or paying down debt to improve their debt‐to‐ income ratio. HACA has a dedicated website for residents interested in learning more about homeownership opportunities at https://www.hacanet.org/?s=homeownership. If the PHA is designated as troubled, describe the manner in which financial assistance will be provided or other assistance Neither the Travis County Housing Authority nor the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) is designated as troubled. 282AP‐65 Homeless and Other Special Needs Activities – 91.220(i) Introduction In December 2020, the City hired its initial Homelessness Strategy Officer to coordinate between public housing agencies, mental health agencies, and service organizations who provide homelessness prevention and housing services. In the winter of 2021, a large consortium of community stakeholders came together at the local Summit to End Unsheltered Homelessness, which was launched with the intent to identify issues and opportunities surrounding the unprecedented number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Austin. Several goals were developed from that summit, including the development of more than 1,000 site-based permanent supportive housing units and adding more than 1,300 new affordable units for unhoused households. In December 2023, the City’s Homelessness Strategy Office (HSO) separated from Austin Public Health to become a standalone office. The HSO coordinates with city departments, public agencies, community organizations, and other stakeholders to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring. The City coordinates the administration of the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) with local and state funding of homeless services. ESG is used to provide emergency homeless shelter for adult single women and women with children. It also provides rapid rehousing to single adults experiencing homelessness. As the TX-503 Continuum of Care (CoC) Collaborative Applicant and Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Lead Agency, the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) completes the CoC’s Notice of Funding Availability Collaborative Application and annual reports. ECHO also coordinates the Point in Time (PIT) Count and several other system-related reports and responsibilities. In addition to receiving a planning grant through the CoC, the City allocates general fund dollars to support ECHO staff and programs, including management of the Coordinated Entry (CE) system. The CE system simplifies the client referral process for permanent housing and ESG funded programs. ECHO follows the CoC CE Written Standards. The Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) works to address the quality-of life issues of all residents in Austin through swift sentencing of public order offenders. DACC’s Case Management provides long term services to individuals experiencing homelessness. Austin Public Health (APH) currently oversees DACC’s ESG funded rapid rehousing program (RRH). Through RRH, DACC serves individuals experiencing homelessness through basic needs provision, financial assistance, housing relocation and stabilization assistance, and support services so clients can stay in permanent housing. The City subsidized the creation of 1,500+ permanent supportive housing (PSH) units since 2017. Between 2017 and 2023, the City of Austin created 472 PSH units through tenant-based and project- based subsidies. There is expected to be an additional 300 PSH site-based units and 30+ Continuum of Care units (i.e., reserved for referral from programs utilizing CE) leasing up before the end of 2024. An additional estimated 960 units of PSH and more Continuum of Care units are in development and are expected to lease up by the end of 2026. Several City staff work closely with ECHO in promoting the development of site-based and tenant-based PSH. 283The Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint also supports the production of 100 PSH units each year, with half of those units housing people experiencing homelessness. For Austin to address homelessness, all programs across the system strive to achieve performance benchmarks; programs target resources to households that would become homeless if assistance were not provided; and persons in emergency shelter and transitional housing are supported so they may rapidly exit into permanent housing within 12 months. In 2020, the City began converting hotels to help reach the goal of generating PSH units. The Housing Department worked with the Office of Real Estate Services (ORES) to acquire existing hotel properties to convert to PSH. The first of the acquisitions was the 85 room Rodeway Inn at 2711 S. I-35. The hotel was acquired in April 2020, renovated to allow for use as a protective lodge during the pandemic, and began to house individuals at risk for contracting COVID-19 in July of 2020. A Candlewood Suites property was purchased in August 2021 for $9.5 million. In June 2022, the City entered into an agreement with Family Eldercare in the amount of $3.9 million to renovate the Candlewood Suites into 78 units of PSH for seniors experiencing homelessness. The hotel project was renamed to Pecan Gardens and is scheduled to begin lease up in Summer 2024. The project was awarded 78 HACA-managed project based vouchers to ensure rental assistance is provided to tenants on an ongoing basis.. The Texas Bungalows Hotel was purchased in February 2021 for $6.5 million. In June 2022, the City entered an agreement with Integral Care in the amount of $1.6 million to renovate The Texas Bungalows into 60 units of PSH for adults experiencing homelessness. The hotel project was renamed Bungalows at Century Park and is scheduled to begin lease up in Fall 2024. Renovations have been delayed due to structural issues which were unknown at purchase. This work should be completed soon. The project was awarded 50 Project Based Vouchers through HACA in March 2021. Balcones Terrace, a partnership with Foundation Communities, was awarded $16 million for acquisition in August 2021. Balcones Terrace will include 123 affordable units, with 60 units of PSH for adults experiencing homelessness which are also supported by HACA-managed project based vouchers. Describe the jurisdictions one‐year goals and actions for reducing and ending homelessness including reaching out to homeless persons (especially unsheltered persons) and assessing their individual needs In order to identify and engage with people experiencing homelessness in the Austin/Travis County area, the City partners with up to ten different street outreach teams and mobile navigation programs, and 13 local emergency shelters. Coordination with these partners occurs through the CoC’s Coordinated Entry System (CE) and the shared Homeless Management Information (HMIS) database. Additionally, HSO hosts weekly calls with street outreach partners and bi-monthly in-person meetings with emergency shelter operators. The calls and meetings allow partners to coordinate their services, discuss opportunities and challenges, and rapidly change program delivery methods as needed to support better client outcomes. 284Street Outreach teams, Navigation Center staff, and Emergency Shelter staff are trained to administer the CE assessment to add clients to the shared community By-Name-List to prioritize the most vulnerable clients for housing. One of these street outreach teams is the City-funded Homeless Outreach Street Team (HOST), an interdisciplinary outreach collaborative composed of representatives from law enforcement, mental health, and the court system. HOST is dedicated to engaging the highest-need clients in the downtown area. Housing resources are prioritized based upon vulnerability, and the CoC has developed a CE system that uses Street Outreach teams to proactively document eligibility and keep households engaged while accessing services. The City is also launching a pilot program in the summer of 2024 focused on alleviating heat-related needs of unsheltered households. This pilot will test opportunities to better coordinate services across the community through mechanisms such as geographic assignments and shared training and technical assistance. Many outreach and shelter programs prioritize hard-to-reach populations such as unsheltered families, chronically homeless veterans, unaccompanied youth, persons with HIV/AIDS, refugees/asylees, and clients with mental health needs. Austin also coordinates with diverse community partners to identify homeless individuals, such as libraries, community centers, schools, clinics, hospitals, law enforcement, and the local mental health authority. When necessary, Street Outreach teams complete the CE assessment directly in the field using mobile technology, and they can request help from other Street Outreach teams if an area of high need is identified. These teams meet weekly with HSO to discuss coverage areas, frequency of outreach, emerging practices and concerns, and individual cases. Austin’s Action Plan to End Homelessness14 identified several objectives regarding outreach and shelter. They include: 1. Outreach programs engage all persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness and connect them to crisis services as well as to stable housing. 2. All persons in unsheltered situations can access crisis services and can end their homelessness. 3. Persons in unsheltered situations can meet their basic daily survival needs (i.e., a comfortable and safe place to be during the day including services to end their homelessness, access to showers and bathrooms during the day, and access to 24-hour storage space). Last, a local nonprofit organization, Sunrise Navigation Center, has been operating a hotline since early 2022 which offers information and service referral to callers at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness. The City is closing a solicitation process over the summer of 2024 to fund a hotline program at a larger scale, covering more hours and tracking more outcomes to inform both the hotline’s services as well as those across the continuum. Addressing the emergency shelter and transitional housing needs of homeless persons Austin Public Health (APH) funds the Salvation Army to operate a low-barrier shelter for homeless adult 14 This action plan can be found online at http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=292841 285women and women with children using ESG and general fund dollars. ESG funds are used to provide maintenance and operations for this program. The City also funds other shelters, transitional housing, and homeless services, supporting nearly 1,000 year-round emergency shelter beds through its General Fund. All clients served in these shelters are literally homeless, have low- to moderate-income, and are at or below 50% of MFI. In 2023, the HSO assessed the City’s shelter system and found several opportunities for improving outcomes for shelter participants, increasing training and support for shelters and staff, and the overall need to add more shelter beds for single adults to the system. This last point was based on a system model that was built by Barbara Poppe and Associates in 2019. While that model is currently being updated through a collaboration of ECHO, the HSO, and HUD-funded technical assistance, the HSO is currently seeking options for expanding shelter in the near term. In addition to the emergency shelter services directly funded by ESG, the City and CoC have collaborated to create common strategies and systems to document unmet emergency shelter needs and to expedite the exit from emergency shelter to housing. These strategies include: ● Using the CE system to assist all shelter residents in applying for all possible housing programs ● Leading shelter transformation toward the housing-focused model ● Increasing documentation of exit data in HMIS for all projects, including emergency shelters where there are high rates of missing exit destination information ● Monitoring project performance by housing outcomes ● Partnering with landlords for prompt access to units that become available ● Training case managers to implement best practices that promote housing attainment and ● Coordinating shelter resources more closely to reduce barriers to access while increasing trust and retention safety Helping homeless persons (especially chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth make the transition to permanent housing and independent living, including shortening the period of time that individuals and families experience homelessness, facilitating access for homeless individuals and families to affordable housing units, and preventing individuals and families who were recently homeless from becoming homeless again DACC and APH’s Communicable Disease Unit (CDU) administer ESG Rapid Rehousing (RRH) funds in coordination to move individuals experiencing homelessness from the streets and shelters into permanent housing. This program brings together housing location, financial assistance, and housing stability case management, and leverages other funding sources like the General Fund dollars, to bring housing resources to unhoused households. The programs work with specific populations: DACC works with justice-involved individuals while the CDU works with individuals who are HIV-positive. 286In conjunction with the CoC, the City uses two primary strategies to get clients into housing as quickly as possible: rapid identification and assessment through the CE system, or rapid matching of RRH households with service‐enriched housing programs (driven by active household choice in determining which combination of options is best suited to meet clients’ needs). The CE system creates a by‐name list of individuals and households experiencing homelessness using HMIS data to affirmatively target households for engagement and housing. The CoC adopted Written Standards for Service Delivery, including the Coordinated Entry Written Standards, which establish consistent prioritization and referral to permanent housing interventions as well as service delivery across intervention types. The CoC and City of Austin staff work closely to ensure the finalization of community service delivery standards. These standards expanded housing location efforts using a Housing First approach to minimize time spent homeless. Upon housing, these programs utilize nationally recognized best practices to ensure that households with higher needs receive more intensive services to stabilize them. The CoC has established formal partnerships for needs such as mental health, substance use, HIV/ AIDS, veteran services, SSI/SSDI SOAR applications, employment training, and medical care (through MAP, a locally funded indigent health program). Staff also market services such as subsidized childcare (through the local Workforce Solutions system), education services, SNAP, TANF, WIC, subsidized housing waitlists, and Medicaid. Austin’s Action Plan to End Homelessness proposes 72 actions across five strategies – Outreach and Shelter, Housing and Services, Addressing Disparities, System Effectiveness, and Community Commitment. The Plan recognizes that Austin’s high occupancy and high‐cost rental market are challenging when locating affordable, low barrier units. Housing objectives include for persons experiencing homelessness having immediate access to existing rental housing units that are affordable, low barrier, and geographically dispersed including high opportunity areas; all persons who have exited homelessness can maintain housing stability; and persons experiencing homelessness have access to recovery services, mental healthcare, and other healthcare services and increase access to sustainable employment for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. In 2024, the HSO began to connect permanent housing programs operating within the CoC directly to properties offering affordable housing units. These units are predominantly created through the City’s own affordable housing development financing tools. These mechanisms offer incentives in exchange for commitments to units prioritized for certain populations, including unhoused households. The HSO will continue to collaborate with its partners in the Housing Department and the CoC to ensure rapid and continued access to this, and other, affordable housing. Last, later in 2024 the HSO expects to solicit for a new program to recruit property owners and managers through a variety of training and financial support. This program will look to align properties in the community with interest in serving Austin’s unhoused population with the processes, requirements, and opportunities associated with permanent housing and similar supportive programs. Helping low‐income individuals and families avoid becoming homeless, especially extremely low‐income individuals and families and those who are: being discharged from publicly funded institutions and systems of care (such as health care facilities, mental health facilities, foster 287care and other youth facilities, and corrections programs and institutions); or, receiving assistance from public or private agencies that address housing, health, social services, employment, education, or youth needs The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) coordinates the Continuum of Care funded projects and submits the annual application to HUD. ECHO works with the Reentry Roundtable, Travis County Criminal Justice, Integral Care’s Behavioral Health Advisory Committee, ATCIC leadership, and other community planning organizations. ECHO also convenes ongoing conversations addressing discharge planning from hospitals, treatment facilities, and jails to assist persons leaving mental/physical health facilities to locate support services and housing, and persons with mental/physical health challenges leaving other institutions to do the same. Central Health, the local healthcare taxing district, has identified Permanent Supportive Housing as a top 10 strategy for improving mental health in Travis County. ECHO staff participate in the Austin-Travis County Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice Advisory Committee and have a voting seat. In August of 2019, ECHO began developing the Housing for Healthcare division consisting of 4-5 staff who support system-wide discharge planning and are liaisons with various institutions such as the criminal justice system and the hospital and medical systems. ECHO staff work closely with other systems of care to divert persons from entering homelessness when possible and to increase access to available resources (e.g., crisis beds, coordinated entry assessment). In addition, ECHO is one of the local SOAR Leads, which has been vital in supporting access to housing resources through increased income and benefits. The City’s ESG funds are not allocated to homelessness prevention. Outreach and shelter staff utilize diversion strategies to find alternative housing options to prevent entries into homelessness and shelters. Hospital patients are offered and referred to transitional housing programs and/or respite beds. The City funds several anti-displacement and neighborhood-based rental assistance programs administered by the Housing Department and Austin Public Health. These efforts do not specifically prioritize households experiencing homelessness, but assist in the prevention of homelessness and maintenance or relocation of housing. Additionally, in 2024 the Austin City Council provided new funding for the HSO to both bolster shelters with diversion and rapid exit funding and launch a new diversion program. The solicitation for the new diversion program is currently underway and a new program is expected to be launched before the end of the calendar year. This program will be supported by a third-party program evaluator, who will guide the provider and City through a continuous quality improvement (CQI) approach to implementing this new program and ensuring that it meets the community’s needs and achieves the expected outcomes. As part of the joint work through the CoC, Austin/Travis County was also selected in 2017 as one of the first ten communities to participate in the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project (YHDP), a newly funded initiative from HUD intended to test new and innovative housing interventions targeting unaccompanied, transition-aged youth experiencing homelessness. Austin/Travis County was awarded an initial, two-year, renewable grant of $5.2 million in programmatic funding, and a portion of this grant has been assigned to a “Deeper Diversion” program intended to prevent youth from entering homelessness from the Foster Care/Department of Family and Protective Services System, the Juvenile Justice system, and the Austin Independent School District system. During the FY19 CoC NOFA Competition, YHDP projects were transitioned into the CoC program funding competition for the first time since being 288awarded during the FY17 Round 1 YHDP Competition. All 3 youth dedicated projects were awarded as CoC-funded renewals and work in conjunction with each other to provide a diverse range of interventions to prevent and end youth homelessness. The YHDP recipient agency, LifeWorks, closely works with schools, foster care, Texas Child Protective Services (CPS), and juvenile justice to coordinate discharge planning to divert and prevent youth from entering homelessness, and offers PH interventions to successfully exit youth into permanent housing solutions. These services are coordinated through partnerships with each of the respective agencies; and services comprise a combination of individualized case management, minimal financial assistance, and family-based mediation and counseling services. The community is dedicated to ending youth homelessness through achieving functional zero for this population. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the community to reassess its goal end date and providers are confident ending youth homelessness will be achieved. 289AP‐70 HOPWA Goals ‐ 91.220 (l)(3) One year goals for the number of households to be provided housing through the use of HOPWA for: Short‐term rent, mortgage, and utility assistance to prevent homelessness of the individual or family Tenant‐based rental assistance Units provided in permanent housing facilities developed, leased, or operated with HOPWA funds Units provided in transitional short‐term housing facilities developed, leased, or operated with HOPWA funds (Hotel/Motel and Master Leasing)) Total 153 35 104 24 316 290AP‐75 Barriers to affordable housing – 91.220(j) Introduction: The Consolidated Plan includes a detailed overview of barriers to affordable housing in Sections SP-55. Those barriers include: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Historical and structural disparities hinder wealth and resources for certain protected classes. Affordable housing is not equitably distributed throughout the city. Incomes do not match housing costs. Land is expensive in the current market. Construction is expensive in the current market. There is high demand for housing in Austin, with supply often lacking. Regulatory processes are time consuming and cumbersome. Public and private land use regulations and restrictions often prevent more affordable housing typologies. There is a lack of alignment between Austin’s affordable housing incentive programs. Affordable housing developers struggle to secure financing for deeper affordability. Community-based affordable housing developers from historically marginalized communities lack financing, subsidies, mentorship, training, and networking opportunities. The community is unable to access clear, consolidated, updated information about available income- restricted housing. 9. 10. 11. 12. Actions planned to remove or ameliorate the negative effects of public policies that serve as barriers to affordable housing such as land use controls, tax policies affecting land, zoning ordinances, building codes, fees and charges, growth limitations, and policies affecting the return on residential investment. Currently, city staff from various departments are working together to draft amendments to the Land Development Code aimed at removing obstacles to affordable housing development. Among the recent code changes approved by the City Council since June 2023 are measures such as bolstering tenant protections in multifamily housing, improving fencing safety, allowing taller buildings along Sixth Street in return for affordable housing provisions, streamlining residential review processes for up to four units, eliminating minimum parking requirements, permitting up to three units per lot in single-family zones. In the Spring of 2024, the Council reduced minimum lot sizes in single-family zones, revising compatibility standards, and setting maximum parking standards in Downtown. Additionally, the City is in the process of establishing three new density bonus programs to encourage the construction of affordable housing in exchange for extra entitlements. In February 2024, the Council approved DB90, a zoning category that grants entitlements and allows mixed uses in commercial zones in exchange for affordable housing, modeled after the successful Vertical Mixed-Use program. 291In the Spring of 2024, the City Council passed two density bonus programs in primarily high- opportunity areas. The establishment of the Equitable Transit-Oriented Development overlay is intended to incentivize development in non-single-family zoning areas within a half-mile radius of the Phase 1 Austin Light Rail alignment and its projected extensions in exchange for affordable housing. Also under consideration in May 2024 is the creation of the South Central Waterfront Combining District and Density Bonus Program. This initiative would permit increased density across the river from Downtown, contingent upon meeting specific design criteria and providing community benefits like requiring on- site affordable housing. Later in 2024, the City plans to undertake a comprehensive strategy aimed at streamlining all density bonus programs to increase participation and introducing new missing-middle zoning districts. Furthermore, alongside the expansion of housing opportunities through zoning reform, the City of Austin executed a $2.5 million contract with McKinsey & Company in 2023 to conduct a comprehensive analysis and provide recommendations for re-envisioning the site plan review process. This contract spurred the implementation of a program aimed at enhancing process efficiency and fostering a culture of change management across departments involved in development procedures, including plan reviews, permit issuance, and inspections to ensure adherence to safety, sustainability, and zoning guidelines. The expected outcome is to unify the efforts of the 13 participating departments involved in development processes under a common vision, promote effective collaboration, and cultivate a culture of continual enhancement. Already, there has been tangible progress in reducing the time required for site plan reviews, with the average duration (for both initial and updated reviews) decreasing from 137 days in March, 2023 to 47 days in December, 2023. 292AP‐85 Other Actions – 91.220(k Introduction: Federal regulations require that participating jurisdictions include in their Annual Action Plans how they will use HUD grant funds in conjunction with other HUD funding and local resources in order to improve the lives of low‐ and moderate‐income households. Federally mandated guidelines are outlined below, along with a brief description of a best practice, or an initiative underway or planned to begin in FY 2025‐ 29, to meet the specific directive. Actions planned to address obstacles to meeting underserved needs Affordable housing remains an underserved need within the City of Austin. The 2019 Housing Market Analysis showed a gap of approximately 36,000 units of affordable housing units for renter households making less than $25,000 annually. To assist in closing that gap, the City will continue to prioritize resources to affordable housing projects. Through the City of Austin's Housing Development Assistance (HDA) programs, the Housing Department has partnered with various nonprofit and for‐profit developers to increase and preserve the supply of affordable rental and homeownership opportunities that will benefit low‐ and moderate‐income households. In 2018, Austin voters approved $250 million in general obligation bonds for affordable housing; in 2022, Austin voters approved an additional $350 million in general obligation bonds for affordable housing. Approximately half of these totals has been directed toward the HDA programs. As this is a competitive process, developers are incentivized to provide deeper affordability levels and more affordable units that will help to meet the identified needs. Actions planned to foster and maintain affordable housing Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) are nonprofit housing providers whose organizational mission includes the development of affordable housing for low‐ and moderate‐income households. The City is able to work closely with CHDOs to help them meet their housing development goals. The City provides CHDO Operating Expenses Grants to help increase organizational capacity and will continue to work closely with CHDOs in FY 2025 to increase opportunities that will foster and maintain affordable housing. The Housing Department administers a range of home repair programs, including Architectural Barrier Removal (ABR) ‐ Rental and Owner, Minor Home Repair Program (formerly known as Emergency Home Repair), Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program (HRLP), and the G.O. Repair! Program. The Minor Home Repair program provides up to $5,000 in home repair assistance. The G.O. Repair! Program is funded with general obligation bonds and provides up to $20,000 in home repair assistance. These programs are administered by the City’s nonprofit partners who comprise the Austin Housing Repair Coalition. The remaining programs, ABR Owner, ABR Renter, and HRLP, are administered by AHFC staff. All home repair programs serve households at or below 80% MFI. 293In addition to providing direct assistance to low‐ and moderate‐income homeowners, the Housing Department collaborates with Austin Energy, Austin Water Utility and the City's Code Compliance department to offer comprehensive services promoting healthier homes. All of these City departments participate in the Austin Housing Repair Coalition and are actively involved in cross‐departmental referrals and collaboration. The Housing Department is actively working to produce a comprehensive strategy to preserve affordability. HD coordinates with local partners, including Affordable Central Texas (ACT), to identify and preserve affordable housing. ACT is a 501(c)(3) organization that manages an open‐ended social impact private equity fund for investment in moderate and middle‐income housing affordability. ACT’s mission is to purchase and preserve multifamily properties to maintain affordable rental rates for the Austin workforce, including teachers, first responders, medical professionals and others vital to Austin’s day‐to‐ day livability and success. According to ACT, in 2018, they acquired three properties totaling nearly 800 units of naturally occurring (unrestricted) affordable housing. Households in ACT’s properties average less than 80% MFI. HD is working with ACT to determine whether HD could subsidize deeper affordability in future acquisition and preservation transactions. Actions planned to reduce lead‐based paint hazards The City of Austin does not have a lead‐based paint program. However, the City addresses lead abatement through multiple programs and funding sources, including HD’s home repair programs and rehabilitations funded through HD's Rental Housing Development Assistance program. Eligible Austinites that reside in a home that was built prior to 1978 will have their homes tested for the presence of lead‐based paint and remediated, if necessary, as part of the scope of work for each program. The City of Austin will remediate lead‐based hazards in low‐ to moderate‐income homes and address other household health and safety hazards such as mold, carbon monoxide, fire, tripping hazards and pest management. This more holistic approach to remediating household hazards allows community members to remain in their homes and benefit from a healthier environment. The City will continue testing properties built before 1978 for lead‐based paint. Actions planned to reduce the number of poverty‐level families All programs administered by the City of Austin aim to address critical needs of eligible households, including those in poverty, through housing, community development, and public services designed to increase their opportunities for self‐sufficiency. HOPWA, ESG, and CDBG activities in particular assist households that fall under the special populations category outlined in the FY 2025-29 Consolidated Plan. Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Activities Austin Public Health (APH) administers all HOPWA activities for the City of Austin. These programs provide housing assistance for income‐eligible persons living with HIV/AIDS, and their families. The goals of these programs are to prevent homelessness and to support independent, self‐sufficient living among persons living with HIV/AIDS. 294These programs ensure clients have improved access to primary medical care and other supportive services. Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG Activities Austin Public Health administers all ESG activities for the City of Austin. These programs are designed to be the first step in a continuum of assistance to help clients quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness. ESG can also assist with the operational costs of the shelter facility, and for the administration of the grant. Public Service Activities The Housing Department administers the public services contracts funded with CDBG funds. Public services offer supportive services to households with gross incomes less than 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines. Childcare Services provides childcare vouchers for homeless and near‐ homeless families and directs childcare services for teen parents who are attending school. Youth Services provides access to holistic, wraparound services and support to youth and their families designated as at‐ risk. Senior Services offers services that prevent and protect seniors from becoming victims of abuse, neglect, and/or financial exploitation. Austin's Tenants' Council is another community partner that provides public services that focus on housing discrimination, tenant‐ landlord education and information, and housing repair and rehabilitation. Actions planned to develop institutional structure City of Austin ‐ Interdepartmental Coordination The Housing Department administers housing, community, and economic development programs, which require interdepartmental coordination. Many City of Austin departments coordinate efforts to provide program services and projects outlined in the Annual Action Plan. The City of Austin contracts with the Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) to develop affordable rental and homeownership opportunities, and housing rehabilitation of owner‐occupied homes. APH provides housing support and related support services to Austinites living with HIV/AIDS, and their families, through the use of HOPWA grant funds. APH also provides assistance to help clients quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness using Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds. The Economic Development Department fosters small business expansions in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods to stimulate job creation through the Family Business Loan Program (FBLP). Numerous non-federally funded housing programs and activities offered by the Housing Department rely on the coordination of other City departments, including: Austin Energy, Austin Water, City Manager's Office, Intergovernmental Relations, Law Department, Office of Sustainability, Parks and Recreation Department, Development Services Department, Capital Contracting Office, Financial Services Department, Planning, Transportation and Public Works, Austin Resource Recovery, and Watershed Protection Review. 295Below are initiatives and programs that require interdepartmental coordination and that will be underway in FY 2025-29: ● East 11th and 12th Streets Revitalization ● Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan, Household Affordability Priority Program and ● Strategic Direction 2028 Economic Opportunity and Affordability Strategic Implementation Outcomes ● Implementation of Strategic Housing Blueprint Development Incentive Programs ‐ The following regulating activities provide incentives for the inclusion of affordable housing or community/economic development. ● S.M.A.R.T. Housing Program ● Development Density Bonuses Redevelopment of Publicly‐Owned Land ● Colony Park Sustainable Communities Initiative ● Agreements between the City of Austin and developers that include affordable housing as a community benefit ● AHFC Land Acquisition and Disposition Program ● AHFC Community Land Trust and Long‐Term Affordability Program Home Repair and Other Initiatives ● Austin Energy developed a referral tool for weatherization that will enable both the Housing Department and Austin Energy to coordinate leads and referrals for home repair services targeted to low‐ and moderate‐income households. ● Austin Water Utility provides funding for plumbing repairs and Private Lateral repairs/ replacement for low‐ and moderate‐income homeowners. HD administers the Private Lateral grant program, utilizing funding from Austin Water Utility. HD layered Austin Water Utility’s funding for plumbing repairs onto the G.O. Repair program, which is administered by seven nonprofit partners. ● Code Compliance utilizes a referral system to identify and address homes needing substantial and costly repairs. ● Austin Public Health, Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) and other key agencies collaborate on activities that support the Community Plan to End Homelessness City of Austin Interdepartmental Partnership: Austin Water Utility P-Lat Private Lateral Program assists in replacing aging water infrastructure for eligible homeowners. The Housing Department administers the program through a partnership with Austin Water Utility. This 296collaboration leverages home repair services offered by the department, by supporting the department’s outreach and construction expertise through cross‐promotion. Additionally, this program furthers the City’s commitment to HUD’s Healthy Homes Initiative which takes a comprehensive approach to reducing housing‐related hazards in a coordinated fashion, rather than addressing a single hazard at a time. The program provides the opportunity for homeowners to maintain a safe environment for themselves and their families, free of health hazards and safety concerns. For more information visit: http://www.austintexas.gov/department/private‐lateral‐program. Actions planned to enhance coordination between public and private housing and social service agencies Development Commission The Housing Department (HD) will continue to work closely with the following organizations to overcome gaps and enhance coordination efforts: African American Resource Advisory Commission (AARAC), (CAN), Community Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs), Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO), Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA), Housing Authority of Travis County (HATC), HousingWorks, and the Urban Renewal Agency, as well as other key stakeholders and organizations. HD will also remain engaged with housing finance agencies, the National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies (NALHFA) and the Texas Association of Local Housing Finance Agency (TALHFA), to connect with other agencies whose missions address critical housing needs. (CDC), Community Advancement Network 297AP‐90 Program Specific Requirements – 91.220(l)(1,2,4) The following information is being included in response to the Annual Action Plan Review Checklist provided by HUD. Additional program‐related information can be found in Attachment II. Introduction Monitoring The goal of the City of Austin’s monitoring process is to assess subrecipient/contractor performance in the areas of program, financial and administrative compliance with applicable federal, state and municipal regulations, and current program guidelines. The City of Austin’s monitoring plan consists of active contract monitoring and long‐term monitoring for closed projects. For more information, including a copy of the City of Austin's Monitoring Plan, please see Attachment II C. 20% CDBG Administrative Cap ● CDBG Entitlement: $7,223,591 ● Allowable 20% CDBG Administrative Cap = $1,444,718 ● Projected CDBG Administrative Expense = $1,444,718 15% CDBG Public Service Cap ● CDBG Entitlement: $7,223,591 ● Allowable 15% CDBG Public Service Cap = $1,083,539 ● Projected CDBG Public Services Expense = $1,083,539 10% HOME Administrative Cap ● HOME Entitlement: $3,073,266 ● Program Income: $800,000 ● Total: $3,873,266 ● Allowable 10% HOME Administrative Cap = $387,327 ● Projected Administrative Expense = $307,327 15% HOME CHDO Set Aside ● HOME Entitlement: $3,073,266 ● 15% CHDO Set Aside: $ 460,990 2983% HOPWA Administrative Cap ● HOPWA Entitlement: $2,762,259 ● Allowable 3% HOPWA Administrative Cap = $82,867 7.5% ESG Administrative Cap ● ESG Entitlement: $647,073 ● Allowable 7.5% ESG Administrative Cap = $48,530 ● Projected Administrative Expense = $29,999 299Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) Reference 24 CFR 91.220(l)(1) Projects planned with all CDBG funds expected to be available during the year are identified in the Projects Table. The following identifies program income that is available for use that is included in projects to be carried out. 1. The total amount of program income that will have been received before the start of the next program year and that has not yet been reprogrammed 2. The amount of proceeds from section 108 loan guarantees that will be used during the year to address the priority needs and specific objectives identified in the grantee's strategic plan. 3. The amount of surplus funds from urban renewal settlements 4. The amount of any grant funds returned to the line of credit for which the planned use has not been included in a prior statement or plan 5. The amount of income from float-funded activities Total Program Income: $1,000 $73,526 $0 $0 $0 $74,526 Other CDBG Requirements 1. The amount of urgent need activities 2. The estimated percentage of CDBG funds that will be used for activities that benefit persons of low- and moderate-income. Overall Benefit - A consecutive period of one, two or three years may be used to determine that a minimum overall benefit of 70%of CDBG funds is used to benefit persons of low- and moderate-income. Specify the years covered that include this Annual Action Plan. 0 70.00% FY 2025300HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) Reference 24 CFR 91.220(l)(2) (cid:1005)(cid:856) A description of other forms of investment being used beyond those identified in Section 92.205 is as follows: The City does not anticipate utilizing and other forms of investment beyond those identified in Section 92.205. (cid:1006)(cid:856) A description of the guidelines that will be used for resale or recapture of HOME funds when used for homebuyer activities as required in 92.254, is as follows: To view the City's Resale and Recapture Policy,please see Attachment II A: Recapture and Resale Policy. (cid:1007)(cid:856) A description of the guidelines for resale or recapture that ensures the affordability of units acquired with HOME funds. See 24 CFR 92.254(a)(4) are as follows: Cities receiving HOME Investment Partnership Funds are required to comply with a designated affordability period. The affordability period of any project is contingent upon the amount-per- unit subsidy received and may be five, ten, or fifteen years long. Participating jurisdiction are required to utilize the recapture or resale provisions to ensure continued affordability and the wise stewardship of federal funds. The following Housing Department programs use HOME funds to assist homebuyers, developers, or homeowners; thus, recapture and resale provisions are incorporated in program guidelines: Down Payment Assistance (DPA), Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program (HRLP), and Ownership Housing Development Assistance (OHDA). Resale In cases where HOME funding was provided to the developer, but not directly to the homebuyer the resale method is used. The affordability period is enforced through a Restrictive Covenant signed by the homebuyer at closing and is recorded in the County Clerks' Official Public Records. The Restrictive Covenant details the length of the affordability period and the specific resale requirements that must be satisfied should the owner wish to sell the property prior to the end of the affordability period. Both recapture and resale options have distinct advantages; the decision regarding which option to use is a matter of weighing factors such as trends in the marketplace, the availability of homeownership opportunities for lower-income households in the community, and the homebuyer program's local objectives. 4. Plans for using HOME funds to refinance existing debt secured by multifamily housing that is rehabilitated with HOME funds along with a description of the refinancing guidelines required that will be used under 24 CFR 92.206(b), are as follows: The City has no plans to utilize HOME funds to refinance existing debt secured by multifamily housing rehabilitated with HOME funds. 301Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Reference 91.220(l)(4) 1.) Include written standards for providing ESG assistance (may include as attachment) Please see ESG Program Standards attached in Attachment II B: ESG Program Standards, Policies, and Procedures. 2.) If the Continuum of Care has established a centralized or coordinated assessment system that meets HUD requirements, describe that centralized or coordinated assessment system. The Austin/Travis County Continuum of Care, composed of representatives of agencies and individuals dedicated to ending homelessness as well as individuals with lived experience of homelessness, have adopted the Coordinated Entry Written Standards, which guides the local centralized assessment system. ECHO, the collaborative applicant and HMIS lead of the CoC, has been charged by the CoC to facilitate and operate the CE system. The system was first opened in November of 2014, and the CoC Leadership Council, the CoC Board, most recently adopted updated Coordinated Entry Written Standards in December 2022 that meet all CE requirements established by HUD CE Notice CPD-17-01, Prioritization Notice CPD-16-11, and 24 CFR 578. All CoC and ESG programs participate in this system, in compliance with the 2012 CoC Program interim rule (24 CFR 578), the 2011 Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) interim rule (24 CFR 576), and the HUD Equal Access Rule (24 CFR 5.105(a)(2) and 5.106(b)). The CE system consolidates and simplifies the process by which clients can request ESG and COC assistance, as well as additional community resources which have voluntarily agreed to the same minimum standards and practices. In order to affirmatively engage clients in the greatest need with the CE system, the CoC has developed an integrated Outreach, Navigation, and Emergency Shelter system that actively engages and assesses individuals in the greatest need, then proactively documents eligibility and keeps households engaged. Street Outreach teams, Navigation Center staff, and Emergency Shelter staff are trained to administer the CE assessment to add clients to the community By Name List for referral to permanent housing programs. The CoC provides assessment staff on a supplemental and temporary basis to close assessment need gaps, while partners develop internal assessment capacity supported in training and ongoing mentorship by ECHO. CoC and City-funded providers prioritize permanent housing resources based upon the vulnerabilities captured by this common vulnerability and eligibility assessment system. To further ensure the system reaches people least likely to apply unassisted, dedicated walk-in locations are co-located with complementary services such as career services, family medical services, and drop-in day resources. The CoC also publishes a public web portal which includes a direct contact section where clients or community members can request a phone appointment or a personalized location appointment. Many of the street outreach and community partner organizations are specifically dedicated to hard-to-reach populations such as unsheltered families, chronically homeless veterans, unaccompanied youth, individuals living with HIV/AIDS, refugees/ asylees, and individuals with mental health challenges. 3023.) Identify the process for making sub-awards and describe how the ESG allocation available to private nonprofit organizations (including community and faith-based organizations). Austin Public Health (APH) conducted a solicitation in 2022 for Homeless Crisis Response Services. The Request for Proposals (RFP) solicita�on was informed by the Homeless Strategy Office of the City of Aus�n and released on March 31, 2022. The funding for this RFP included City of Austin general funds and ESG funds. The process for an RFP includes APH creating a unique solicitation website for each RFP, which is listed in the Open Funding Competitions section of the APH Social Services Competitions website (APH Social Services Compe��ons | Aus�nTexas.gov). The RFP was also advertised in the local paper for two consecutive weeks - one day per week. A notarized affidavit of publication from the newspaper(s) was included in the official RFP file. APH maintains a current and potential vendors email distribution list with over 800 entries consisting of non-profit agencies, faith-based organizations, individuals, and governmental agencies. APH follows grant requirements for notification to the community. The application was open for six to eight weeks. Pre-bid meetings were held to answer questions from potential applicants and the Q&A documents generated from those meetings were posted on the APH Competitions website. Agencies that submitted applications, and who were deemed eligible to apply for funding via a standardized threshold review document, had their applications scored by an evaluation committee that includes internal APH staff with expertise in the issue area being solicited as well as external issue area experts when needed. The evaluation committee members must provide a signed Non-Disclosure and Conflict of Interest Agreement that includes an attestation that the evaluation member has no conflict of interest with any of the bidders. Evaluators were provided an orientation training and were then provided with proposals to be reviewed. The evaluation committee rated Proposals, provided strengths and weaknesses for each rated section and for the overall Proposal, and recommended one or more applicants for the funding award (may require multiple meetings to complete the evaluation process). Each evaluation team member reviewed each Proposal adhering to the rules and guidelines set by the RFP official contact. The team submitted their scoring in a manner specified and the official contact for the RFP convened a consensus meeting with evaluators to share their ratings as well as come to a consensus about the strengths and weaknesses of each Proposal. The solicitation program officer calculated a score for each Proposal based on the ratings of the evaluation team. The applicants receiving the highest scores, or who meet criteria above a specific score threshold were recommended for funding. Based on the results of the evaluation, an award was made to The Salvation Army’s Women and Children’s Shelter program for ESG funds in the amount of $341,006 for Shelter Operations and HMIS for the term beginning October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023, with four authorized 12-month extension options. Additionally, ESG funds that were not competed were provided to other City units or departments to provide Rapid Rehousing services. These include the Communicable Disease Unit of APH, and the Downtown Austin Community Court. See the ESG Subawards table at the end of this section for details on all programs. Please see the attached ESG Program Standards for the Grant Subaward Process. 3034.) If the jurisdiction is unable to meet the homeless participation requirement in 24 CFR 576.405(a), the jurisdiction must specify its plan for reaching out to and consulting with homeless or formerly homeless individuals in considering policies and funding decisions regarding facilities and services funded under ESG. The CoC Board maintains 2 seats dedicated to individuals with lived expertise of homelessness. City of Austin Homeless Strategy Office staff and Austin Public Health staff work closely with the CoC as required in 24 CFR 576. 5.) Describe performance standards for evaluating ESG. All City of Austin homeless contracts have, at a minimum, the following performance measures: - Number of unduplicated clients served. - Percentage of case-managed households that transition from homelessness into housing. In addition, all ESG recipients must provide demographic information to reflect the IDIS report screens. Please also see attached ESG Program Standards in Attachment II B. ESG Sub-awards FY 23-24 Programs Agency Program The Salvation Army APH Communicable Disease Unit Downtown Austin Community Court APH Low-barrier Homeless Shelter, HMIS Rapid Rehousing Rapid Rehousing Renewal Renewal Administration N/A New Contract, Renewal, or Competitive Process Renewal 304NOTICE OF REPROGRAMMING OF FUNDS Housing Department proposes to reprogram the following CDBG funds through the FY2023-24 Action plan process according to the guidelines established in the City of Austin Citizen Participation Plan. Exhibit 1 outlines the reprogramming of these funds. From Administration Community Development Housing Housing To Community Development Community Development Community Development Housing Discussion Exhibit 1 CDBG Amount 30,000 1,700,000 70,000 2,155,500 3,955,500 NOTE: Amounts are based on current estimates and actual funds reprogrammed will be supported by September 30, 2024 year end balances. 305Discussion Maximum Sale Price for HOME-Assisted Homeownership Units For services fund by the HOME Investment Partnerships grant, such as the Down Payment Assistance Program, federal regulation restricts the maximum allowable purchase price of homeownership units to 95% of the area median purchase price for single family housing. The process sets an upper limit for the allowable price of housing assisted with HOME funds. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) outlines the process for cities and other jurisdictions to determine this maximum purchase price based on the area's median area purchase price for single family housing in 25 CFR 92.254(a)(2)(iii). The following paragraphs outline how the home sale price dataset provided to HUD by the City of Austin for the purpose of determining the maximum home sale price for FY 2025 fulfills the requirements listed in 24 CFR 92.254. Through the FY 2022 Action Plan process, the City successfully petitioned for the maximum sale price for homeownership unit assisted with HOME funds to be increased from $318,000 (maximum sale price determined by HUD for Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area), to $565,250. The updated sale price was based on a dataset listing the location and closing ale price for all single-family homes sold in the City of Austin from May 1, 2021 - to May 31, 2021, provided by the Austin Board of Realtors. (ABOR). For FY 2023, a new maximum sale price was calculated using data provided ABOR for all single family home sold in the City of Austin from March 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022. The dataset included 1,221 home sales. Based on the sale price data, the median sale price was $647,426, putting 95% of the median sale price at $615,054.70. Thus, the maximum median sale price for HOME-assisted home purchases for FY 2023 was $615,054.70. Utilizing the same methodology that was employed in FY 2023 to determine the maximum sale price for homeownership units assisted with HOME funds for FY 2024, the City received data from ABOR for all single-family homes sold in the City of Austin from March 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023. The dataset included 923 home sales. Based on the sale price data, the median sale price was $553,000, putting 95% of the median sale price at $525,350. Thus, the maximum home sale price for FY 2023 was $525,350. Utilizing the same methodology that was employed in FY 2024 to determine maximum sale price for homeownership units assisted with HOME funds for FY 2025, the City received data from ABOR all single- family homes sold in the City of Austin from May 1, 2024 to May 31, 2024. The dataset included 1067 home sales. Based on the sale price data, the median sale price was $609,500, putting 95% of the median sale price at $579,025. Thus, the maximum home sale price for FY 2025 will be $579,025. More information is provided in Attachment II E: HOME Sale Price Information. 306Attachment I: Citizen Participation Attachment I A: Citizen Participation Plan CITY OF AUSTIN CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN A. PURPOSE Participating Jurisdictions (PJs) that receive U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) entitlement grant funds must develop a Citizen Participation Plan (CPP). The CPP describes efforts that will be undertaken to encourage community members to participate in the development of the City’s federal reports: Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH), Consolidated Plan, Annual Action Plan, and the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). The CPP is designed to encourage the participation of city residents in the development of the federal reports listed above, particularly those residents who are predominantly low- and moderate-income. For purposes of CDBG funding, a resident is considered to be low-income if their family income equals 50% or less of median family income (MFI), as estimated by HUD. A person is considered to be moderate-income if their family income is between 50% and 80% of MFI. Predominately low-to moderate-income neighborhoods are defined as any neighborhood where at least 51% of the residents have incomes equal to or below 80% of the MFI for any given year. The determination of whether a neighborhood meets the low-to moderate income definition is made by the City at the time a project of area-wide benefit is funded based on current data provided by HUD. The CPP also encourages local and regional institutions and other organizations (including businesses, developers, and community and faith-based organizations) to participate in the process of developing and implementing the Consolidated Plan and related reports. The City takes appropriate actions to encourage the participation of persons of minority backgrounds, persons with limited-English proficiency, and persons with disabilities. It is important to note that HUD’s use of the statutory term “citizen participation” does not in any way limit engagement and consultation with community members based on legal status or country of origin. Any person that resides in the Austin metro area is encouraged to provide input about the federal reporting process as outlined in this CPP. The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. The City of Austin does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities. The City of Austin considers it the right of all Austin’s residents to have the opportunity to provide input and comment on the use of public funds and the community’s needs related to affordable housing and community and economic development. 1 Revised May 2024 The CPP applies to six areas of planning for the use of affordable housing, community and economic development made possible through HUD funding: 1) Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH); 2) The Consolidated Plan; 3) The Annual Action Plan; 4) The Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER); 5) Substantial amendments to a Consolidated Plan and/or Annual Action Plan; and 6) Amendments to the CPP. The City of Austin’s program/fiscal year begins October 1 and ends September 30. In order to receive entitlement grant funding, HUD requires jurisdictions to submit a Consolidated Plan every five years. This plan is a comprehensive strategic plan for community planning and development activities. The Annual Action Plan serves as the City’s application for these HUD grant programs. Federal law also requires that community members have opportunities to review and comment on the local jurisdiction’s plans to allocate these funds. The purpose of programs that are covered by this CPP is to improve the Austin community by providing: decent housing, a suitable living environment, and growing economic opportunities – all principally for low- and moderate- income households (as defined in Section A). This document outlines how members of the Austin community may participate in the six planning areas listed above. General requirements for all or most activities are described in detail in Section E of the CPP. B. HUD PROGRAMS The City of Austin receives four entitlement grants from HUD, to help address the City’s affordable housing, community and economic development needs. The four grant programs are described below: 1. Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG): Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (PL 93-383) created the CDBG program. It was reauthorized in 1990 as part of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act. The primary objective of the CDBG program is to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic development opportunities for persons of low-and moderate income. The City develops locally defined programs and funding priorities for CDBG, but activities must address one or more of the national objectives of the CDBG program. The three national objectives are: (1) to benefit low- and moderate- income persons; (2) to aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight; and/or (3) to meet other urgent community development needs. The City of Austin’s CDBG program emphasizes activities that directly benefit low- and moderate-income persons. 2 Revised May 2024 2. 3. 4. HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME): HOME was introduced in the Cranston- Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 and provides funding for housing rehabilitation, new housing construction, acquisition of affordable housing, and tenant-based rental assistance. A portion of the funds (15 percent) must be set aside for community housing development organizations (CHDOs) that are certified by the City of Austin. Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG): The ESG Program is authorized by the Steward B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 and was amended by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009. ESG has six objectives: 1) Engage homeless individuals and families living on the street; 2) Improve the number and quality of emergency shelters for homeless individuals and families; 3) Help operate these shelters; 4) Provide essential services to shelter residents; 5) Rapidly re-house homeless individuals and families; and 6) Prevent families and individuals from becoming homeless. Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA): HOPWA funds may be used to assist housing designed to meet the needs of persons with HIV/AIDS, including the prevention of homelessness. Supportive services may also be included. HOPWA grants are allocated to Eligible Metropolitan Statistical Areas (EMSAs) with a high incidence of HIV/AIDS. The City of Austin receives a HOPWA grant on behalf of a five-county EMSA (Bastrop, Hays, Travis, Williamson, and Caldwell Counties). LEAD and RESPONSIBLE AGENCIES C. The Housing Department is designated by the Austin City Council as the single point of contact for HUD, and is the lead agency for CDBG, HOME, HOPWA, and ESG grant programs. The Housing Department administers the CDBG affordable housing and community development programs and the HOME programs; Austin Public Health (APH) administers the CDBG Public Services, HOPWA, and ESG programs; and the Economic Development Department (EDD) administers the CDBG economic development programs and the Section 108 Family Business Loan Program (FBLP). As the lead agency, the Housing Department is responsible for developing the Consolidated, Annual Action Plans, and the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). The Housing Department coordinates with APH, EDD, boards and commissions, and other community agencies to develop these documents. Needs and priorities for funding for the ESG and HOPWA grants are developed by APH in consultation with community agencies. 3 Revised May 2024 D. PLANNING ACTIVITIES SUBJECT TO CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN ACTIVITY 1 – ASSESSMENT OF FAIR HOUSING. The Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) is a planning document prepared in accordance with HUD regulations at 24 CFR 91.105 and 24 CFR 5.150 through 5.166, which became effective June 30, 2015. This AFH includes an analysis of fair housing data, assesses fair housing issues and contributing factors, and identifies the City’s fair housing priorities and goals for affirmatively furthering fair housing. 1. Stakeholder Consultation and Outreach. In the development of the AFH, the City will consult with other public and private agencies including, but not limited to, the following: ● Local public housing authorities ● Other assisted housing providers ● Social service providers including those focusing on services to minorities, families with children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, persons with HIV/AIDS and their families, homeless persons, and other protected classes ● Community-based and regionally based organizations that represent protected class members and organizations that enforce fair housing laws ● Regional government agencies involved in metropolitan-wide planning and transportation responsibilities ● Financial and lending sector partners ● Businesses or organizations that specialize in broadband access, especially for low- to moderate-income households ● Organizations that specialize in resilience and disaster recovery ● Individual contributors A variety of mechanisms may be utilized to solicit input from these entities. These could include telephone or personal interviews, mail surveys, internet-based feedback and surveys, focus groups, and/or consultation workshops. 2. Publishing Data. City staff shall make any proposed analysis and the relevant documents, including the HUD-provided data and any other data to be included in the AFH, available to the public in a manner that affords diverse residents and others the opportunity to examine the content. 3. Public Hearing. To obtain the views of the general public on AFH-related data and affirmatively furthering fair housing in the City’s housing and community development programs, the City will conduct at least one public hearing before the Community Development Commission (CDC) during the development of the AFH. 4. Public Display and Comment Period. The draft AFH will be placed on display in physical and online form for a period of no less than 30 calendar days to encourage public review and comment. The public notice shall include a brief summary of the content and purpose of the draft AFH, the dates of the public display and comment period, the locations where copies of the proposed document can be examined, how comments will be accepted, and the anticipated submission date to HUD. The draft AFH will be made available at public libraries, public housing 4 Revised May 2024 authorities, neighborhood at the Housing Department's office, and on the Housing Department's website (www.austintexas.gov/housing). In addition, upon request, federal reports will be provided in a form accessible to persons with disabilities. centers, 5. Comments Received on the Draft Assessment of Fair Housing. Comments will be accepted by the City contact person, or a designee, during the 30-day public comment period. The City will consider any comments or views received in writing, or orally during public hearings. A summary of these comments or views, and a summary of any comments or views not accepted and the reasons why, will be attached to the final AFH for submission to HUD. 6. Submission to HUD. All written or oral testimony will be considered in preparation of the final AFH. The AFH will be submitted to HUD 270 days before the Consolidated Plan is due. 7. Revisions to AFH. A HUD-accepted AFH must be revised and submitted to HUD for review when either of the following situations occurs: a. A material change occurs. A material change is one that both; i) impacts the circumstances in the City which may include natural disasters, significant demographic changes, new significant contributing factors, and civil rights findings and, ii) causes alterations to the AFH’s analyses, contributing factors, priorities, and/or goals. b. The City receives a written notification from HUD specifying a material change. Whenever a revision to the Assessment of Fair Housing is proposed, the revision will be available for public comment for a period of thirty (30) days before submission to HUD. A revision to the Assessment of Fair Housing will not be implemented until the conclusion of the 30-day public comment period. A summary of all comments or views received in writing, or orally during the comment period will be attached to the revision upon submission to HUD. ACTIVITY 2 – CONSOLIDATED PLAN. The City of Austin’s Consolidated Plan is developed through a collaborative process whereby the community establishes a unified vision for Austin’s affordable housing, and community and economic development initiatives. Community member participation is an essential component in the development of the Consolidated Plan, including amending the plan as well as reporting on program performance. Consultations, public hearings, community meetings, surveys and opportunities to provide written comment are all a part of the strategy to obtain community member input. The City will make special efforts to solicit the views of community members who reside in the designated CDBG-priority neighborhoods of Austin, and to encourage the participation of all community members including minorities, the non-English speaking population, and persons with disabilities. Actions for public participation in the Consolidated Plan follow: 1. Consultations with Other Community Institutions. In developing the Consolidated Plan, the City will consult with public and private agencies, both for-profit and non-profits that either provide or have direct impact on the broad range of housing, health, and social services needed by Austin residents. Consultations may take place through meetings, task forces or committees, or other means with which to coordinate information and facilitate communication. The purpose of these meetings is to gather information and data on the community and economic development needs of the community. The City will seek specific input to identify the needs of persons experiencing 5 Revised May 2024 homelessness, persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families, persons with disabilities and other special populations. 2. Utilize Quantitative and Qualitative Data on Community Needs. City staff shall review relevant data and conduct necessary evaluation and analysis to provide an accurate assessment of community needs and priorities on which to base strategic recommendations. 3. Initial Public Hearings. There will be a minimum of two public hearings at the beginning stages of the development of the Consolidated Plan before the Community Development Commission (D) in order to gather information on community needs from community members. The CDC are policy advisers to the City who are either appointed by the City Council or elected at the neighborhood-level to represent low-income households. There will be two more hearings sponsored by organizations working with low- and moderate-income populations. An additional hearing will be held before the City Council. Based on public testimony received, the CDC will make recommendations to City Council on the community needs. 4. Written Comments. Based on public input and quantitative analysis, City staff will prepare a draft Consolidated Plan, which includes proposed allocations of first-year funding. A period of 30 calendar days will be provided to receive written comments on the draft Consolidated Plan. The draft plan will be made available at public libraries, public housing authorities, neighborhood centers, at the Housing Department’s office, and on the Housing Department web site (www.austintexas.gov/housing). In addition, upon request, federal reports will be provided in a form accessible to persons with disabilities. 5. Draft Consolidated Plan Public Hearings. There will be a public hearing held before the City Council to receive oral public comments on the draft. An additional hearing will be held before the Community Development Commission (CDC). These hearings will be scheduled during the 30- day written comment period on the draft plan. The CDC will be given the opportunity to make recommendations to Council on the draft Consolidated Plan/Action Plan. 6. Final Action on the Consolidated Plan. All written or oral testimony provided will be considered in preparing the final Consolidated Plan. A summary of testimony received, and the City’s reasons for accepting or not accepting the comments must be included in the final document. The City Council will consider these comments, CDC recommendations, and the recommendations of the City Manager before taking final action on the Consolidated Plan. Final action by the City Council will occur no sooner than fifteen calendar days following the second City Council public hearing on the draft plan. When approved by City Council, the Consolidated Plan will be submitted to HUD by no later than August 15 each year. 6 Revised May 2024 ACTIVITY 3 – ONE-YEAR ACTION PLAN. Each year the City must submit an annual Action Plan to HUD, reporting on how that year’s funding allocation for the four HUD entitlement grants will be used to achieve the goals outlined in the Consolidated Plan. 1. City staff will gather input from community members and from community consultations to prepare the draft Action Plan and report progress on the Fair Housing Action Plan. There shall be two public hearings: one before the Community Development Commission (CDC) and one before the City Council to receive community member input on the community needs, including funding allocations. 2. City staff will gather public input and statistical data to prepare the draft Action Plan. A draft Action Plan will be available for 30 days for public comment after reasonable notice to the public is given. 3. During this comment period, the CDC and the City Council shall conduct two additional public hearings to receive public comments on the draft Action Plan and Consolidated Plan, if it is during a Consolidated Planning year. 4. The CDC will be given the opportunity to make recommendations to the City Council prior to its final action. 5. Final action by the City Council will occur no sooner than fifteen calendar days following the second Council public hearing on the draft Action Plan. 6. When approved by City Council, the Action Plan will be submitted to HUD. ACTIVITY 4 – SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENTS TO CONSOLIDATED/ACTION PLAN. Recognizing that changes during the year may be necessary to the Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan after approval, the Citizen Participation Plan allows for “substantial amendments” to plans. These “substantial amendments” apply only to changes in CDBG funding allocations. Changes in funding allocation for other HUD grant programs received by the City of Austin – HOME, ESG, and HOPWA – are not required to secure public review and comment. The CPP defines a substantial amendment as: ● ● ● A proposed use of CDBG funds that does not address a need identified in the governing Consolidated Plan or annual Action Plan; or A change in the use of CDBG funds from one eligible program to another. The eligible programs defined in the City of Austin’s investment plan either fall into the category of “Housing” or “Community Development.” A cumulative change in the use of CDBG funds from an eligible activity to another eligible activity that decreases an activity’s funding by 20% or more OR increases an activity’s funding by 20% or more during fiscal year. An activity is defined as a high priority need identified in the Consolidated Plan that is eligible for funding in the Action Plan. 7 Revised May 2024 In the event that there are substantial amendments to the governing Consolidated Plan or annual Action Plan: 1. The City will draft the amendment and publish a brief summary of the proposed substantial amendment(s) and identify where the amendment(s) may be viewed 2. After reasonable notice, there will be a 30-day written public comment period 3. During the 30-day comment period, the City Council shall receive oral comments in public 4. The CDC will be given the opportunity to make recommendations to City Council prior to its final hearings. action. 5. Upon approval by Council, the substantial amendment will be posted in the official City Council minutes and available online and in the City Clerk’s office. Final action by the City Council will occur no sooner than fifteen calendar days following the second Council public hearing on the draft plan. Disaster Response and Recovery Funds In the event of a declared city-wide, state-wide or national emergency (as proclaimed by the Mayor, Governor, or President of the United States), it may be necessary for the City to apply for new emergency grant funding from HUD, such as CDBG-Disaster Recovery grants, or any other grants issued to jurisdictions in the event of a disaster which requires an urgent response to address the needs of the community. In order to expedite the distribution of emergency funding during a disaster response situation the City Council, City Manager, or HUD may determine it is necessary to waive certain substantial amendment provisions described in Section D, Activity 4 or certain General Requirements Provisions described in Section E. Any such waiver is subject to the requirements of the respective emergency funding appropriation. The criteria HUD used to qualify local “urgent needs” (e.g., events of “particular urgency'' because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community for which other funding is not available) can be found at 24 CFR 570.483(d). To comply with the national objective of meeting community development needs having a particular urgency, a project must alleviate existing conditions which: 1. Pose a serious and immediate threat to the health and welfare of the community; 2. Are of recent origin or recently became critical within 18 months preceding the certification by the grantee; 3. Are unable to be financed by the City on its own; and 4. Other funding resources are not available to completely carry out the activity. In the event of a disaster that requires a response to address local urgent needs, the City will: 1. Notify HUD at least five (5) days before implementing changes or amendments to the Consolidated Plan and/or Action Plan; and 2. Make reasonable efforts to provide the public opportunity to comment on changes and amendments to the Consolidated Plan and/or Action Plan. 8 Revised May 2024 These actions do not require the City to comply with all of the substantial amendment provisions related to the citizen participation requirements described in Section D, Activity 4 or all of the General Requirements Provisions described in Section E. HUD Waiver Process Upon determination of good cause, HUD has the authority to waive certain regulatory provisions of the CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA programs subject to statutory limits. The City reserves the right to submit waiver notifications to HUD when expedited assistance is offered through programs covered by the Consolidated Plan. Following completion of a waiver process as determined by HUD, the City may carry through actions as prescribed by the approved waiver determinations authorized by HUD. ACTIVITY 5 – CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATION REPORT (CAPER). The City is required to submit annually by December 30 a CAPER to HUD that describes the City’s progress in meeting the goals in the Consolidated Plan. 1. City staff prepares the draft CAPER. 2. After reasonable notice is provided, the CAPER is available for 15 days for written public comment. 3. The final CAPER and public comments will be submitted to HUD. 4. The CAPER and public comments will be presented at a CDC meeting. ACTIVITY 6 – AMENDMENTS TO CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN. The City will review the Citizen Participation Plan (CPP) at least every 5 years for potential enhancement or modification; this review will occur as a component of the Consolidated Planning process. In the event that changes to the CPP are necessary, City staff shall draft them. 1. After reasonable notice, these will be available to the public for 15 days for written comment. 2. The CDC and City Council shall each hold a public hearing to receive oral public comments on 3. The CDC will be given the opportunity to make recommendations to City Council prior to its the proposed change. final action. 4. Upon approval by City Council, the substantial amendment will be posted in the official City Council minutes and available online on (www.austintexas.gov/housing) and in the City Clerk’s office. the Housing Department website E. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. The City of Austin does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities. In the event of a disaster which requires an urgent response to address the needs of the community as described in the Disaster Recovery and Response section, the City will make reasonable efforts to provide the public opportunity to comment on federal reports. 9 Revised May 2024 1. Public Hearings. Public hearings before the Austin City Council, the Community Development Commission (CDC), and other appropriate community organizations will be advertised in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the notification section below. The purpose of public hearings is to provide an opportunity for community members, public agencies, and other interested parties to provide input on the City of Austin’s affordable housing, community and economic development needs. Public hearings will be held in locations accessible to low- and moderate- income residents and persons with disabilities. Spanish translation and interpretation for individuals with hearing impairments will be provided upon request. 2. Public Meetings. Public meetings of the Austin City Council, Community Development Commission (CDC), and other boards and commissions overseeing HUD-funded programs provide opportunities for community member participation and comment on a continuous basis. Public meeting notices are posted at the Office of the City Clerk at least three days (72 hours), prior to the meeting date, in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act. Public meetings are held in locations accessible to persons with disabilities. Spanish translation and interpretation for individuals with hearing impairments will be provided upon request. Notification. The Housing Department will provide the community advance notice of public hearings and/or public comment periods. The notice will be provided at least two weeks prior to the public hearing date and the start date of comment periods. Related to the CPP specified federal documents, the Housing Department will provide public notifications by utilizing City of Austin publications and media (television, print, electronic) that will maximize use of City resources and reach an increased number of Austin residents by direct mail. Related to federal publications referenced above, the Housing Department will notify the public about public hearings, comment periods, public meetings, and additional opportunities for public feedback through communications outlets that are designed to increase public participation and generate quantifiable feedback/results. The Housing Department will utilize the following notification mechanisms as available: City of Austin utility bill inserts; City of Austin website; and Channel 6, the municipally owned cable channel. In addition, the Housing Department will use other available media (print, electronic, television) to promote public feedback opportunities. Notifications will be published in English and Spanish. The Housing Department will coordinate with the Community Development Commission, Urban Renewal Board, other governmental agencies, public housing authorities, key stakeholders, and the general public during the development of the Assessment of Fair Housing, Consolidated Plan and an annual Action Plan. 3. Document Access. Copies of all planning documents, including the following federal reports: City’s Citizen Participation Plan (CPP), Assessment of Fair Housing, Consolidated Plan, annual Action Plan, and the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER), will be available to the public upon request. Community members will have the opportunity to review and comment on applicable federal reports in draft form prior to final adoption by the Austin City Council. These documents will be made available at public libraries, public housing 10 Revised May 2024 authorities, certain neighborhood centers, at the Housing Department office, and on the Housing Department website (www.austintexas.gov/housing). In addition, upon request, federal reports will be provided in a form accessible to persons with disabilities. 4. Access to Records. The City will provide community members, public agencies, and other interested parties reasonable and timely access to information and records relating to the Citizen Participation Plan (CPP), Assessment of Fair Housing, Consolidated Plan, annual Action Plan, and CAPER, and the City’s use of assistance under the four entitlement grant programs, as stated in the Texas Public Information Act and the Freedom of Information Act. 5. Technical Assistance. The City will provide technical assistance upon request and to the extent resources are available to groups or individuals that need assistance in preparing funding proposals, provided that the level of technical assistance does not constitute a violation of federal or local rules or regulations. The provision of technical assistance does not involve re- assignment of City staff to the proposed project or group, or the use of City equipment, nor does technical assistance guarantee an award of funds. F. COMMUNITY MEMBERS’ COMPLAINTS Written complaints related to Housing Department programs and activities funded through entitlement grant funding may be directed to the Housing Department. A timely, written, and substantive response to the complainant will be prepared within 15 working days of receipt of the complaint by the Housing Department. If a response cannot be prepared within the 15-day period, the complainant will be notified of the approximate date a response will be provided. Written complaints must include the complainant’s name, address, and zip code. A daytime telephone number should also be included in the event further information or clarification is needed. Complaints should be addressed as follows: If the response is not sufficient, an appeal may be directed to the City Manager, and a written response will be provided within 30 days. An appeal should be addressed as follows: Housing Department Attn: Director City of Austin P.O. Box 1088 Austin, Texas 78767 City Manager’s Office Attn: City Manager P.O. Box 1088 Austin, Texas 78767 11 Revised May 2024 G. CITY OF AUSTIN’S RESIDENTIAL ANTI-DISPLACEMENT AND RELOCATION ASSISTANCE PLAN The City of Austin does not anticipate any displacement to occur as a result of any HUD-funded activities. All programs will be carried out in such a manner as to safeguard that no displacement occurs. However, in the event that a project involving displacement is mandated in order to address a concern for the general public’s health and welfare, the City of Austin will take the following steps: 1. A public hearing will be held to allow interested community members an opportunity to comment on the proposed project and voice any concerns regarding possible relocation. Notice of the public hearing/meeting will be made as per the procedure noted in Section E - General Requirements section of the Citizen Participation Plan. 2. In the event that a project involving displacement is pursued, the City of Austin will contact each person/household/business in the project area and/or hold public meetings, depending on the project size; inform persons of the project and their rights under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended, and respond to any questions or concerns. 3. Relocation assistance will be provided in adherence with the City’s Project Relocation Plan and the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended. The City’s Anti-Displacement and Relocation Assistance Plan may be viewed in the Housing Department’s Action Plan submitted annually to HUD. The document is available online at www.austintexas.gov/housing. The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please call 512-974-3100; TTY users’ route through Relay Texas at 711. 12 Revised May 2024 Attachment I B: Consultation/Community Engagement Summary Community Needs Assessment | Phase 1 / Preliminary Findings Summary of Community Engagement May 2024 TABLE OF CONTENTS Background .................................................01 Timeline ..........................................................02 Communications and Engagement Approach ...........................03-04 Goals, Tools & Tactics ................................05 Community Feedback ......................06-15 Exhibit A: Marketing and Outreach Materials ..........................17-25 Exhibit B: Community Consulations .............................................26 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT BACKGROUND This report details the public engagement efforts for developing the FY25- 29 Consolidated Plan. The consolidated plan is a five-year funding strategy that guides how to distribute approximately $14 million in annual grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The public services and programs from this grant address things like affordable housing, job creation, and public service needs for low- and moderate-income families, persons with disabilities, and seniors. As required by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), a community needs assessment is conducted each year to ensure that federal funding meets the needs of the Austin community. This year, we expanded the community needs assessment so that programming funded by local dollars can also benefit from the community’s feedback. Phase 1: In this first phase of the report we outline the community needs that we have heard through the engagement process so far. This input has informed the first draft of the funding strategy for federal dollars and we are now seeking feedback on that draft. Phase 2: A second phase of the report will be produced over the next few months as engagement continues. The phase 2 report will show not only how feedback is used within the finalized consolidated plan but will also include other efforts the Housing Department is making to address community needs. 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 01 TIMELINE STAFF CREATES FIRST DRAFT OF THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN APRIL 2024 FINALIZED PLAN APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL JULY 2024 COMMUNITY CONSULTATIONS AND INITIAL SURVEY FEB - MARCH 2024 COMMUNITY PROVIDEDS FEEDBACK ON DRAFT PLAN MAY - JUNE 2024 COMMUNITY FEEDBACK LOOP CONTINUES AUG - SEP 2024 NEW CONSOLIDATD PLAN BEGINS OCTOBER 1, 2024 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 02 COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT APPROACH The Housing Department engages with the community regularly at community events, through the experiences of program participants, and often for specific initiatives and projects. The engagement required for our 5-Year Federal Funding plan serves as a time to pause and assess even more intentionally and build a deeper understanding of the experiences people are having. What we learn not only guides how we make decisions, but it reminds us of why we provide the services we do and humanizes how we do the work. It also allows us to refine what ongoing engagement looks like, and continuously improve engagement based on how the community says they want to be engaged. With this mindset, while we are primarily consulting the community, as described in the spectrum below, we are also informing the community along the way about what the Housing department does, and we also begin to involve them in planning how we will continue to do that work. We commit to continuing the feedback loop, letting the community know what is happening with feedback and continuing to make changes. 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 03 ENGAGEMENT GOALS The goals outlined below guided decisions about how to engage the community during this phase of the redevelopment opportunity. Clarify & refine how we make departmental decisions about funding Inform the community about programs that have previously been funded Reflect back to the community what we understand about their needs Evaluate how needs have changed since the last consolidated plan was created Develop a deeper and expanded understanding of community needs Reach community members who are most impacted by housing challenges 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 04 GOALS, TOOLS & TACTICS The tools and tactics aligned with each goal created experiences for the neighborhood surrounding Ryan Drive to stay informed and engage in the level of discourse that was right for each individual. Goal  Tools & Tactics  Clarify & refine how we make departmental decisions about funding Inform the community about programs that have previously been funded Create materials with simple explanations about funding sources and factors that guide funding decisions. Create materials with simple explanations about programs that have been funded by federal dollars Reflect back to the community what we understand about their needs Create human-centered content for presentations that shares the needs and experiences of community members as we understand them Evaluate how needs have changed since the last consolidated plan was created Conduct a survey with the same set of questions that were asked 5 years ago. Develop a deeper and expanded understanding of community needs Encourage additional input in survey responses with open ended questions. Create space for open dialogue with individuals and organizations. Consult with organizations serving the populations that the funding is designed to support. Reach community members who are most impacted by housing challenges Materials in 7 languages Flyers in libraries Communication through community partners Paid advertising Social media posts 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 05 COMMUNITY FEEDBACK Surveys A dedicated Speak Up Austin webpage hosted a survey as well background information about federal funding at www.SpeakUpAustin.org/MyCommunityNeeds. As of April 22, the page has received nearly 1400 views and more than 470 survey responses. In addition, 155 participants left additional comments. Paper surveys were available in libraries, and these are included in the total count. Community member could also participate in the survey through text messaging, email and postal mail. The survey will remain open and consultations will continue until the Consolidated Plan is finalized. The draft of the plan uses data collected between February 6 and March 15. During that time frame 341 survey responses were received. Communiti… Speak Up Austin 46 community… 1321 views 468 Surveys Consultations & Hearings The needs assessment included consultations with community groups and 2 public hearings. Representatives from 46 organizations have participated in consultations, including stakeholder groups across the public and private sectors, City Commissions, non-profit organizations, and others. The City of Austin‘s Citizen Participation Plan (CPP) requires that the City conduct two public hearings during the Community needs assessment period: one before the Community Development Commission (CDC) and one before the Austin City Council. The public hearings were conducted before the CDC on March 12, 2024 and before the Austin City Council on March 7, 2024. 7 community members made comments during the public hearings. 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 06 COMMUNITY FEEDBACK What did we hear? Priorities include: Affordable Housing Park Space Connectivity to transit Neighborhood Amenities The graph above shows the percentage to which each need was included in someone’s top 5 choices. 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 07 WHAT WE HEARD What did we hear? Input has been sorted into the following categories which center around the experiences that people shared. The following pages detail the topics that come up in each category. Across all categories, there was a consistent plea for more collaboration among departments, agencies and organizations as well as a desire to see more creativity and innovative approaches. I WANT TO LIVE IN AN AUSTIN THAT IS FOR EVERYONE I NEED IMMEDIATE HELP I DON’T TRUST THE CITY MY NEIGHBORHOOD NEEDS MORE SUPPORT COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE S & NEEDS I NEED HELP MAINTAINING STABILITY I WANT TO BUILD LONG-TERM STABILITY I NEED BETTER ACCESS TO PROGRAMS 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 08 WHAT WE HEARD PRESERVATION OF HISTORY, CULTURE & LONG-TERM RESIDENTS RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF VULNERABLE POPULATIONS FAIR HOUSING SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES I WANT TO LIVE IN AN AUSTIN THAT IS FOR EVERYONE Priorities include: VARIETY OF HOUSING OPTIONS FOR ALL INCOME LEVELS Affordable Housing Park Space Connectivity to transit COMPASSION-LED APPROACHES POLICIES AND PROGRAMS TO PROTECT REMAINING AFFORDABILITY Neighborhood Amenities 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 09 WHAT WE HEARD HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION & INTERVENTION I NEED IMMEDIATE HELP EMERGENCY REPAIRS RENTAL ASSISTANCE Priorities include: Affordable Housing Park Space Connectivity to transit EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR UTILITIES, FOOD & OTHER BASIC NEEDS Neighborhood Amenities 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 10 WHAT WE HEARD WAGES & WORKFORCE DEVLOPMENT TENANT SUPPORT HOME REPAIR Priorities include: HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION & INTERVENTION I NEED HELP MAINTAINING STABILITY Affordable Housing ONGOING SUPPORT FOR HEALTH & WELLNESS Park Space REDUCE HOUSING-RELATED COSTS CHILD CARE ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING Connectivity to transit Neighborhood Amenities 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 11 WHAT WE HEARD FINANCIAL WELLNESS & SECURITY PATHWAYS TO HOME OWNERSHIP I WANT TO BUILD LONG- TERM STABILITY Priorities include: Affordable Housing Park Space HIGHER EDUCATION Connectivity to transit Neighborhood Amenities LEVERAGING PROPERTY FOR ADDITIONAL INCOME 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 12 WHAT WE HEARD KNOWLEDGE OF PROGRAMS Priorities include: Affordable ACCESSIBLE PROSSESES Housing I NEED BETTER ACCESS TO PROGRAMS Park Space Connectivity to transit Neighborhood Amenities SUPPORT ACCESSING RESOURCES 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 13 WHAT WE HEARD WALKABILITY INFRASTRUCTURE NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING GREENSPACE SAFETY MY NEIGHBORHOO D NEEDS MORE SUPPORT TRANSPORTATION Priorities include: Affordable Housing ACCESS TO RESOURCES Park Space Connectivity to transit Neighborhood QUALITY OF LIFE Amenities 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 14 37PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS Data on long-term impacts of programs Monitoring and evaluation of contracted partners and service providers Data on specific populations I DON’T TRUST THE CITY WHAT WE HEARD AUTHENTIC ENGAGEMENT Closing feedback loops Center voices of those most impacted Priorities include: Affordable Housing TRANSPARENT SPENDING Park Space Understanding of how funding decisions are made Connectivity to transit Transparency in process for selecting service providers Neighborhood Amenities 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 15 APPENDIX .............................................17-24 Exhibit A: Marketing Materials Promotional Graphics Flyer Website Survey Newsletter | Email Digital | Print| Radio Exhibit B: Updated funding info graphics ...................................................25 Exhibit C: Community Consultations ...........26 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | APPENDIX Promotional Graphics Option 1 – How should federal funding support local housing and public service programs? Submit your input at www.SpeakUpAustin.org/MyCommunityNeeds Option 2 – Austinities can provide feedback on how the City should use federal funding for housing and public services! Get involved today 👉 www.SpeakUpAustin.org/MyCommunityNeeds Option 3 – Share your input on how the City should use federal funding for housing & public services at the following public hearings: 📅 March 7 at 10a before Austin City Council 📅 March 12 at 6:30p before the Community Development Commission. I E X H B I T A : M A R K E T I N G & O U T R E A C H M A T E R A L S I ℹ More info at www.SpeakUpAustin.org/MyCommunityNeeds Large Promo: AustinTexas.gov/Housing 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 17 Flyer I E X H B I T A : M A R K E T I N G & O U T R E A C H M A T E R A L S I 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 18 Website I E X H B I T A : M A R K E T I N G & O U T R E A C H M A T E R A L S I 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 19 Survey Page 3 Page 1 Page 2 I E X H B I T A : M A R K E T I N G & O U T R E A C H M A T E R A L S I 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 20 Newsletter | Email The City of Austin invites community members to help guide a new 5-year plan to invest housing and community development dollars where they are needed most. This Five-Year Federal Funding Plan decides how to distribute approximately $14 million in annual grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The public services and programs from this grant address things like affordable housing, job creation, and public service needs for low- and moderate-income families, persons with disabilities, and seniors. As required by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), a community needs assessment is conducted each year to ensure that federal funding meets the needs of the Austin community. This year, the Housing Department will expand the community needs assessment so that programming funded by local dollars can also benefit from the community’s feedback. The expanded process to collect feedback on community needs to guide the next five years of funding is open through June. The public can participate online at www.SpeakUpAustin.org/MyCommunityNeeds. Developer Newsletter Subscribers: 179 Austin Utilities Now | April 2024 I E X H B I T A : M A R K E T I N G & O U T R E A C H M A T E R A L S I 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 21 Digital | Print | Radio Austin Monitor Whispers page banner and right rail all pages El Mundo Marzo 7-13 / 2024 English + Spanish Print Austin American Statesman English Print + Digital I E X H B I T A : M A R K E T I N G & O U T R E A C H M A T E R A L S I 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 22 Digital | Print | Radio City of Austin Facebook | Instagram | X | Nextdoor I E X H B I T A : M A R K E T I N G & O U T R E A C H M A T E R A L S I 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 23 Digital | Print | Radio KAZI Radio Support comes from the City’s Housing Department. Looking for input from the community to help guide a new 5-year plan to invest housing and community development dollars where they are needed most. The public services and programs from this grant address things like affordable housing, job creation, and public service needs for low- and moderate-income families, persons with disabilities, and seniors. Sharing input is at Speak Up Austin dot org slash My Community Needs. I E X H B I T A : M A R K E T I N G & O U T R E A C H M A T E R A L S I 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 24 I E X H B I T B : U P D A T E D F U N D N G I I N F O G R A P H C S I 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 25 I E X H B I T C : C O M M U N I T Y C O N S U L A T I O N S 2024 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 26 Attachment II: Grantee Unique Appendices Attachment II A: Resale and Recapture Policies City of Austin Housing Department RESALE AND RECAPTURE POLICIES Participating Jurisdictions (PJs) undertaking HOME-assisted homebuyer activities, including any projects funded with HOME Program Income (PI), must establish written resale and/or recapture provisions that comply with HOME statutory and regulatory requirements. These provisions must also be set forth in the PJ’s Consolidated Plan. The written resale and/or recapture provisions that a PJ submits in its annual Action Plan must clearly describe the terms of the resale and/or recapture provisions, the specific circumstances under which these provisions will be used (if more than one set of provisions is described), and how the PJ will enforce the provisions for HOME-funded ownership projects. HUD reviews and approves the provisions as part of the annual Action Plan process. The purpose of this section is to provide the “resale” and “recapture” policies of the City of Austin’s Housing Department and its sub-recipient, the Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC). As stated above, HOME requires that PJs utilize resale and/or recapture provisions to ensure continued affordability for low- to moderate-income homeowners and as a benefit to the public through the wise stewardship of federal funds. Housing has three programs which use HOME funds to assist homeowners or homebuyers: 1. Down Payment Assistance (DPA) - new homebuyers; and 2. Acquisition and Development (A&D) - developers of new ownership housing, and 3. Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program (HRLP) - owners of existing homes. Resale This option ensures that the HOME-assisted units remain affordable over the entire affordability period. The Resale method is used in cases where HOME funding is provided directly to a developer to reduce development costs, thereby, making the price of the home affordable to the buyer. Referred to as a “Development Subsidy,” these funds are not repaid by the developer to the PJ but remain with the property for the length of the affordability period. Specific examples where the City of Austin would use the resale method include: 1. providing funds for the developer to acquire property to be developed or to acquire affordable ownership units; 2. providing funds for site preparation or improvement, including demolition; and 3. providing funds for construction materials and labor. CITY OF AUSTIN RESALE POLICY Notification to Prospective Buyers. The resale policy is explained to the prospective homebuyer(s) prior to signing a contract to purchase the HOME-assisted unit. The prospective homebuyer(s) sign an acknowledgement that they understand the terms and conditions applicable to the resale policy as they have been explained. This document is included with the executed sales contract. (See attached Notification for Prospective Buyers on Page IV-11.) Enforcement of Resale Provisions. The resale policy is enforced through the use of a Restrictive Covenant signed by the homebuyer at closing. The Restrictive Covenant will specify: 1. 2. 3. the length of the affordability period (based on the dollar amount of HOME funds invested in the unit; either 5, 10, or 15 years); that the home remains the Buyer’s principal residence throughout the affordability period; and the conditions and obligations of the Owner should the Owner wish to sell before the end of the affordability period, including: a. the Owner must contact the Austin Housing Finance Corporation in writing if intending to sell the home prior to the end of the affordability period; b. The subsequent purchaser must be low-income as defined by HOME and occupy the home as his/her new purchaser’s primary residence for the remaining years of the affordability period. (However, if the new purchaser receives direct assistance through a HOME-funded program, the affordability period will be re-set according to the amount of assistance provided); and c. The sales price must be affordable to the subsequent purchaser; affordable is defined as limiting the Principal, Interest, Taxes and Insurance (PITI) amount to no more than 30% of the new purchaser’s monthly income. Fair Return on Investment. The City of Austin will administer its resale provisions by ensuring that the Owner receives a fair return on his/her investment and that the home will continue to be affordable to a specific range of incomes. Fair Return on Investment means the total homeowner investment which includes the total cash contribution plus the approved capital improvements credits as described below: 1. The amount of the down payment. 2. The cost of any capital improvements, documented with receipts provided by the homeowner, including but not limited to: a. Any additions to the home such as a bedroom, bathroom, or garage; b. Replacement of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems; c. Accessibility improvements such as bathroom modifications for disabled or elderly, installation of wheelchair ramps and grab bars, any and all of which must have been paid for directly by the Owner and d. which were not installed through a federal, state, or locally funded grant program; and e. Outdoor improvements such as a new driveway, walkway, retaining wall, or fence. Note: All capital improvements will be visually inspected to verify their existence. Finance Agency. The percentage of change as calculated by the Housing Price Index (HPI) Calculator of the Federal at Housing https://www.fhfa.gov/DataTools/Tools/Pages/HPI-Calculator.aspx and projects what a given house purchased at a point in time would be worth today if it appreciated at the average appreciation rate of all homes in the area. The calculation shall be performed for the Austin-Round Rock, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area. Calculator currently located The HPI is Affordability to a Range of Buyers. The City will ensure continued affordability to a range of buyers, particularly those whose total household incomes range from 65 percent to no greater than 80 percent MFI. Sales prices shall be set such that the amount of Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance does not exceed 30 percent of the new Buyer’s annual income. For FY 2018-19, the affordable sales price shall not exceed $175,000, which would be affordable to a 4-person household at 80 percent MFI at today’s home mortgage interest rates. Example: A home with a 10-year affordability period was purchased seven years ago by a person (the “original homeowner”) who now wishes to sell. The original homeowner’s mortgage was $105,000 at 4.75% interest for 30 years and has made payments for 72 months. The current mortgage balance is $93,535. The principal amount paid down so far is $11,465. Calculating Fair Return on Investment Down payment: The original homeowner was required to put down $1,000 earnest money at the signing of the sales contract. Cost of Capital Improvements: The original homeowner had a privacy fence installed four years ago at the cost of $1,500 and has receipts to document the improvement. A visual inspection confirmed the fence is still in place. Applicable Affordability Period. The original purchase price for the home was $106,000 and the amount of HOME funds used as developer subsidy was $25,000, thus requiring the 10-year affordability period. Percentage of Change. For the purposes of using the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s Housing Price Index calculator, the home was purchased in the 1st Quarter of 2010, and will be calculated using the most current quarter available, 4th Quarter 2016. Using the Housing Price Index calculator, the house would be worth approximately $165,700. Calculating the Fair Return to the Original Owner: $1,000 Down payment: $1,500 Capital Improvements: $11,465 Principal Paid: $59,700 Increase in value per HPI: $73,665 Fair Return on Investment In order to realize a fair return to the original homeowner, the sales price must be set at roughly $152,500 (i.e., $105,000 [$11,465 in principal payments made plus remaining mortgage balance of $93,535] +$1,000 down payment + $1,500 capital improvements + $59,700 HPI increase = $167,200) Affordability for a Range of Buyers. If the original homeowner sets the sales price at $167,200 to get a fair return on investment, and if 2017 assumptions are used for front/back ratios, interest rates, insurance, taxes, an 80% Loan-to-Value (LTV) Ratio, etc., the monthly PITI would be approximately $1,069. The PITI of $1,069 could, in theory, be supported by an annual household income of $42,800 and not exceed 30% of the subsequent homeowner’s monthly income. However, with an 80% LTV ratio and rapidly increasing home prices, buyers must have down payment assistance which, if HOME funds are used, would create a new affordability period based on the new HOME investment. If the subsequent homeowner does not require any HOME subsidy to purchase the home, the affordability period would end in 3 years at which time the subsequent homeowner could sell to any buyer at any price. Recapture Under HOME recapture provisions financial assistance must be repaid if it is provided directly to the buyer or the homeowner. Upon resale the seller may sell to any willing buyer at any price. The written agreement and promissory note will disclose the net proceeds percentage if any that will be allotted to the homebuyer and what proceeds will return to the PJ. Once the HOME funds are repaid to the PJ, the property is no longer subject to any HOME restrictions. The funds returned to the PJ may then be used for other HOME-eligible activities. CITY OF AUSTIN RECAPTURE POLICY Programs funded under the recapture provisions is the Down Payment Assistance Program (DPA) and Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program (HRLP). The federal assistance will be provided in the form of a 0% interest, deferred payment loan. The loans are secured by a Written Agreement, Promissory Note and Deed of Trust. The Deed of Trust will also be recorded in the land records of Travis County or Williamson County. The payment of the DPA or HRLP Promissory Note is made solely from the net proceeds of sale of the Property (except in the event of fraud or misrepresentation by the Borrower described in the Promissory Note). The City of Austin and/or AHFC/Housing may share any resale equity appreciation of HOME-assisted DPA or HRLP loans with the Borrower/Seller according to the following two recapture models: Standard Down Payment Assistance The City of Austin will calculate the recapture amount and add this to the existing payoff balance of the DPA loan. The entire payoff balance must be paid to AHFC/Housing before the homebuyer receives a return. The recapture amount is limited to the net proceeds available from the sale. However, the amount of standard Down Payment Assistance will be forgivable at the end of maturity date if the borrower met all of the program requirements. Sales Price First Lien Mortgage Mortgage Assistance Amount (prorated monthly) Capital Improvement Recapture Credit Proceeds to the Homeowner HRLP Homeowner Reconstruction Formula. Upon executing and dating the Promissory Note, Written Agreement and the Deed of Trust the parties agree that the Mortgage Assistance Amount provided to Borrower by AHFC is to be 25% of the Borrower's/Sellers equity in the Property. Equity to be Shared. The Appraised Value of the Property at time of resale, less closing costs, homeowner’s cash contribution (if any), capital improvement recapture credit, AHFC original assistance amount, calculated as follows: Appraised Value of Property or Sales Price (whichever is less) Any reasonable and customary sales expenses paid by the Borrower/Seller in connection with the sale (Closing costs) Homeowner’s Cash Contribution Capital Improvement Recapture Credit AHFC or the City of Austin Original HRLP Assistance Amount Equity to be Shared $ $ $ $ (-) (-) (-) (-) = Calculation of Shared Equity Percentage: Percentage shall remain the same as initially determined (as set forth above). Shared Equity Payment Due to AHFC or the City of Austin: Shall be (Equity to be shared) x (Shared Equity Percentage), calculated as follows: Equity to be shared Shared Equity Percentage Shared Equity Payment Due to AHFC or the City of Austin Total Due to AHFC or the City of Austin: Shall be the total of all amounts due to AHFC or the City of Austin calculated as follows: Existing Owing HRLP Mortgage Assistance Amount Shared Equity Percentage Payment Sum Total Due to AHFC or the City of Austin HRLP Homeowner Rehabilitation Formula. Equity to be shared: The Appraised Value of the Property at time of resale, less closing costs, homeowner’s cash contribution (if any), capital improvement recapture credit, AHFC or the City of Austin’s original assistance amount, calculated as follows: $ -$ -$ -$ =$ $ 25% = $ $ + $ $ Appraised Value of Property or Sales Price (whichever is less) Any reasonable and customary sales expenses paid by the homeowner in connection with the sale (Closing costs) Homeowner’s Cash Contribution Capital Improvement Recapture Credit AHFC and/or the City of Austin’s Original HRLP Assistance Amount Equity to Borrower/Seller $ $ $ $ (-) (-) (-) (-) = Net proceeds consist of the sales prices minus loan repayment, other than HOME funds, and closing costs. If the net proceeds of the sale are insufficient to fully satisfy the amounts owed on the HRLP Note the AHFC or the City of Austin may not personally seek or obtain a deficiency judgment or any other recovery from the Borrower/Seller. The amount due to Lender is limited to the net proceeds, if any, if the net proceeds are not sufficient to recapture the full amount of HOME funds invested plus allow Borrower to recover the amount of Borrower’s down-payment and capital improvement investment, including in, but not limited to, cases of foreclosure or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure. If there are no net proceeds AHFC or the City of Austin will receive no share of net proceeds. However, in the event of an uncured Default, AHFC or the City of Austin may, at its option, seek and obtain a personal judgment for all amounts payable under the Note. This right shall be in addition to any other remedies available to AHFC and/or the City of Austin. If there are insufficient funds remaining from the sale of the property and the City of Austin or the Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) recaptures less than or none of the recapture amount due, the City of Austin and/or AHFC must maintain data in each individual HRLP file that documents the amount of the sale and the distribution of the funds. This will document that: 1. There were no net sales proceeds; or 2. The amount of the net sales proceeds was insufficient to cover the full amount due; and 3. No proceeds were distributed to the homebuyer/homeowner. Under “Recapture” provisions, if the home is SOLD prior to the end of the required affordability period, the net sales proceeds from the sale, if any, will be returned to the City of Austin and/or AHFC to be used for other HOME-eligible activities. Other than the actual sale of the property, if the homebuyer or homeowner breaches the terms and conditions for any other reason, e.g. no longer occupies the property as his/her/their principal residence, the full amount of the subsidy is immediately due and payable. If Borrower/Seller is in Default, AHFC and/or the City of Austin may send the Borrower/Seller a written notice stating the reason Borrower/Seller is in Default and telling Borrower/Seller to pay immediately: the full amount of Principal then due on this Note, 1. 2. all of the interest that Borrower/Seller owes, and that will accrue until paid, on that amount, and 3. all of AHFC/or the City of Austin’s costs and expenses reimbursable Recovery against the Borrower/Seller responsible for the fraud or misrepresentation is not limited to the proceeds of sale of the Property but may include personal judgment and execution thereon to the full extent authorized by law. Affordability Periods HOME Program Assistance Amount $1,000 - $14,999.99 $15,000 – $40,000 Over $40,000 Reconstruction Projects* *City of Austin policy Affordability Period in Years 5 10 15 20 A HOME or CDBG Written Agreement, Note and Deed of Trust will be executed by the Borrower and the City of Austin and/or the Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) that accurately reflects the resale or recapture provisions before or at the time of sale. References: [HOME fires Vol 5 No 2, June 2003 – Repayment of HOME Investment; Homebuyer Housing with a ‘Recapture’ Agreement; Section 219(b) of the HOME Statute; and §92.503(b)(1)-(3) and (c)] CITY OF AUSTIN REFINANCING POLICY In order for new executed subordination agreement to be provided to the senior first lien holder, the senior first lien refinance must meet the following conditions: 1. The new senior first lien will reduce the monthly payments to the homeowner, thereby making the monthly payments more affordable; or 2. Reduce the loan term; 3. The new senior lien interest rate must be fixed for the life of the loan (Balloon or ARM loans are ineligible); 4. No cash equity is withdrawn by the homeowner as a result of the refinancing actions; 5. AHFC/Housing and/or the City will, at its discretion, agree to accept net proceeds in the event 6. Only if the borrower meets the minimum requirements to refinance, the City can re- of a short sale to avoid foreclosure; and subordinate to the first lien holder. The refinancing request will be processed according to the following procedure: 1. Submit a written request to Compliance Division to verify the minimum refinancing requirements with one month in advance from the expected closing; 2. AHFC/Housing will review the final HUD-1 Settlement Statement two weeks prior to closing the 3. refinance. If applicable, AHFC/Housing or the City of Austin will issue written approval a week prior to the closing date. AHFC/Housing will be provided with a copy of the final, executed Settlement Statement CLOSING DISCLOSURE, Promissory Note, and recorded Deed of Trust three days in advance of the closing date. 1. 2. If written permission is not granted by AHFC/Housing or the City of Austin allowing the refinance of the Senior Lien, the DPA OR HRLP Loan will become immediately due and payable prior to closing the refinance. If written permission is granted by AHFC/Housing and/or the City of Austin and it is determined that the refinancing action does not meet the conditions as stated above, the DPA OR HRLP Loan will become immediately due and payable prior to closing the refinance. 3. Home Equity loans will trigger the repayment requirements of the DPA OR HRLP Programs loans. The DPA or HRLP Notes must be paid off no later than when the Home Equity Loan is closed and funded. 4. The DPA or HRLP Notes must be paid-in-full in order for AHFC/Housing and/or the City of Austin to execute a release of lien. Basic Terminology Affordable Housing: The City of Austin follows the provisions established on 24 CFR 92.254, and consider that in order for homeownership housing to qualify as affordable housing it must: 1. Be single-family, modest housing, 2. Be acquired by a low-income family as its principal residence, and 3. Meet affordability requirements for a specific period of time as determined by the amount of assistance provided. The City: means the City of Austin’s Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Office (HOUSING) or its sub recipient, the Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC). Fair Return on Investment: means the total homeowner investment which includes the total cash contribution plus the approved capital improvements credits. Capital Improvement: means additions to the property that increases its value or upgrades the facilities. These include upgrading the heating and air conditioning system, upgrading kitchen or bathroom facilities, adding universal access improvements, or any other permanent improvement that would add to the value and useful life of the property. The costs for routine maintenance are excluded. Capital Improvement Credit: means credits for verified expenditures for Capital Improvements. Direct HOME subsidy: is the amount of HOME assistance, including any program income that enabled the homebuyer to buy the unit. The direct subsidy includes down payment, closing costs, interest subsidies, or other HOME assistance provided directly to the homebuyer. In addition, direct subsidy includes any assistance that reduced the purchase price from fair market value to an affordable price. Direct HOME subsidy for Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program: is the amount of HOME assistance, including any program income that enabled the homebuyer to repair or reconstruct the unit. The direct subsidy includes hard costs and soft cost according to 24 CFR 92.206 Net proceeds: are defined as the sales price minus superior loan repayment (other than HOME funds) and any closing costs. Recapture: The recapture provisions are established at §92.253(a)(5)(ii), permit the original homebuyer to sell the property to any willing buyer during the period of affordability while the PJ is able to recapture all, or a portion of the HOME-assistance provided to the original homebuyer. Source: 2012-03 Guidance on Resale and Recapture Provision Requirements under the HOME Program INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE BUYERS The [Five] [Ten] [Fifteen]-Year Affordability Period & The Restrictive Covenant Running with the Land I understand that because a certain amount of federal funds were used by [Developer Name] to develop the property at _____________________________________________________________ , the federal government requires that certain restrictions apply to the occupancy or re-sale of this home for a period of [five (5) ten (10) fifteen (15)] years. I understand that during that [five] [ten] [fifteen]-year period, those requirements will be enforced through a legally enforceable document called a “Restrictive Covenant Running with the Land.” If I choose to purchase this home, at the time the home is sold to me, I will sign a Restrictive Covenant Running with the Land, and it will be filed in the Official Public Records of the Travis County Clerk’s Office. The requirements of the Restrictive Covenant Running with the Land are: ● ● ● That I must occupy the home as my principal residence during the [5] [10] [15]-year period in which the Restrictive Covenant is in effect. If I wish to sell the Property before the end of that period, I am required to sell it to a subsequent buyer whose total household income is at or below 80% of the Austin area Median Family Income in effect for the year I wish to sell the home. The sales price must be set such that I receive a fair return which shall be defined as: 1. The amount of any cash contributions including the down payment and principal payments 2. The cost of any capital improvements, documented with receipts, and including but not limited made; to: a. Any additions to the home such as a bedroom, bathroom, or garage; b. Replacement of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems; c. Accessibility improvements such as bathroom modifications for disabled or elderly, installation of wheelchair ramps and grab bars, any and all of which must have been paid for directly by the Owner and which were not installed through a federal, state, or locally funded grant program; and d. Outdoor improvements such as a new driveway, walkway, retaining wall, or fence. ● ● The sales price must be set so that the monthly principal, interest, taxes and insurance to be paid by the subsequent buyer will not exceed 30% of that subsequent buyer’s monthly household income. I will notify the Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) in writing so that AHFC can assist with the compliance of this federal regulation. I/We acknowledge having received this information about the federal requirements involved if I/we decide to purchase this home. Signature Date Signature Date Attachment II B: ESG Program Standards, Policies, and Procedures City of Austin Austin Public Health Department Emergency Solutions Grant Program (ESG) / Emergency Solutions Grant CARES Act Program (ESG-CV) Program Standards, Policies, and Procedures Section 1: ESG PROGRAM STANDARDS I. Definitions The Terms used herein will have the following meanings: APH – Austin Public Health Department, City of Austin At Risk of Homelessness- 1) An individual or family who: a) Has an annual income below 30% of median family income for the area; AND b) Does not have sufficient resources or support networks immediately available to prevent them from moving to an emergency shelter or another place defined in Category 1 of the “homeless” definition; AND one of the following conditions: i) Has moved because of economic reasons 2 or more times during the 60 days immediately preceding the application for assistance; OR Is living in the home of another because of economic hardship; OR ii) iii) Has been notified that their right to occupy their current housing or living situation will be terminated within 21 days after the date of application for assistance; OR iv) Lives in a hotel or motel and the cost is not paid for by charitable organizations or by Federal, v) State, or local government programs for low-income individuals; OR Lives in an SRO or efficiency apartment unit in which there reside more than 2 persons or lives in a larger housing unit in which there reside more than one and a half persons per room; OR Is exiting a publicly funded institution or system of care; OR vi) vii) Otherwise lives in housing that has characteristics associated with instability and an increased risk of homelessness, as identified in the recipient’s approved Consolidated Plan; 2) A child or youth who does not qualify as homeless under the homeless definition, but qualifies as homeless under another Federal statute; An unaccompanied youth who does not qualify as homeless under the homeless definition, but qualifies as homeless under section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and the parent(s) or guardian(s) or that child or youth if living with him or her. CDO- Community Development Officer; Chronically homeless means: 1) A ‘‘homeless individual or family with a disability,’’ as defined in section 401(9) of the McKinney-Vento Lives in a place not meant for human habitation, a safe haven, or in an emergency shelter; and Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11360(9)), who: a) b) Has been homeless and living as described in paragraph (1)(i) of this definition continuously for at least 12 months or on at least 4 separate occasions in the last 3 years, as long as the combined occasions equal at least 12 months and each break in homelessness separating the occasions included at least 7 consecutive nights of not living as described in paragraph (1)(i). Stays in institutional care facilities for fewer than 90 days will not constitute as a break in homelessness, but rather such stays are included in the 12-month total, as long as the individual was living or residing in a place not meant for human habitation, a safe haven, or an emergency shelter immediately before entering the institutional care facility; c) An individual who has been residing in an institutional care facility, including a jail, substance abuse or mental health treatment facility, hospital, or other similar facility, for fewer than 90 days and met all of the criteria in paragraph (1) of this definition, before entering that facility; or d) A family with an adult head of household (or if there is no adult in the family, a minor head of household) who meets all of the criteria in paragraph (1) or (2) of this definition, including a family whose composition has fluctuated while the head of household has been homeless. (Updated 12-4-15) City- City of Austin; ESG- Emergency Solutions Grant program; ESG-CV- Emergency Solutions Grant CARES Act program; 1) Homeless Person(s): An individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, meaning: a) An individual or family with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground; b) An individual or family living in a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals); or c) An individual who is exiting an institution where he or she resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution; 2) An individual or family who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence, provided that: a) The primary nighttime residence will be lost within 14 days of the date of application for homeless assistance; b) No subsequent residence has been identified; and c) The individual or family lacks the resources or support networks, e.g., family, friends, faith-based or other social networks needed to obtain other permanent housing; 3) Unaccompanied youth under 25 years of age, or families with children and youth, who do not otherwise qualify as homeless under this definition, but who: a) Are defined as homeless under section 387 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (42 U.S.C. 5732a), section 637of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9832), section 41403 of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 14043e-2), section 330(h) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(h)), section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012), section 17(b) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(b)), or section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a); b) Have not had a lease, ownership interest, or occupancy agreement in permanent housing at any time during the 60 days immediately preceding the date of application for homeless assistance; c) Have experienced persistent instability as measured by two moves or more during the 60-day period immediately preceding the date of applying for homeless assistance; and d) Can be expected to continue in such status for an extended period of time because of chronic disabilities, chronic physical health or mental health conditions, substance addiction, histories of domestic violence or childhood abuse (including neglect), the presence of a child or youth with a disability, or two or more barriers to employment, which include the lack of a high school degree or General Education Development (GED), illiteracy, low English proficiency, a history of incarceration or detention for criminal activity, and a history of unstable employment; or 4) Any individual or family who: a) Is fleeing, or is attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that relate to violence against the individual or a family member, including a child, that has either taken place within the individual’s or family’s primary nighttime residence or has made the individual or family afraid to return to their primary nighttime residence b) Has no other residence; and lacks the resources or support networks, e.g., family, friends, faith-based or other social networks, to obtain other permanent housing 5) Definitions from 24 CFR 576.2. For purposes of ESG-CV funds, the definitions at 24 CFR 576.2 apply except that: a) At Risk of Homelessness. The CARES Act raised the income limit in paragraph (1)(i) of the “at risk of homelessness” definition at 24 CFR 576.2 from 30 percent of area median income (AMI) to the Very Low-Income limit of the area, as determined by the Secretary. 6) Definitions not in 24 CFR 576.2 of the CARES Act. a) Coronavirus- SARS-CoV-2 or another coronavirus with pandemic potential, as defined by section 23005 b) ESG-CV- Emergency Solutions Grants Program as funded by the CARES Act and governed by requirements HUD establishes in accordance with that Act. ESG-CV funds do not include annual ESG funds, although annual ESG funds may be used in accordance with the requirements established for purposes of ESG-CV funds as further described in the sections below. c) Prevent, Prepare for, and Respond to Coronavirus- To assist recipients in ensuring that an activity being paid for with ESG-CV funds is eligible, or determining whether annual ESG funding may follow the waivers and alternative requirements established in this Notice, recipients and subrecipients should consider the following: i) Prevent…coronavirus means an activity designed to prevent the initial or further spread of the virus to people experiencing homelessness, people at risk of homelessness, recipient or subrecipient staff, or other shelter or housing residents. This includes providing Personal Protective Equipment to staff and program participants, paying for non-congregate shelter options such as hotels and motels, paying for handwashing stations and portable toilets for use by people living in unsheltered situations, and providing rapid re-housing or homelessness prevention assistance to individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness (as applicable) to reduce their risk of contracting or further spreading the virus. ii) Prepare for…coronavirus means an activity carried out by a recipient or subrecipient prior to or during a coronavirus outbreak in their jurisdiction to plan to keep people healthy and reduce the risk of exposure to coronavirus and avoid or slow the spread of disease. This includes updating written standards to prioritize people at severe risk of contracting coronavirus for shelter and housing consistent with fair housing and nondiscrimination requirements, adapting coordinated entry policies and procedures to account for social distancing measures or increased demand, developing a strategy and recruiting landlords to provide housing to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, training homeless providers on infectious disease prevention and mitigation, and implementing a non-congregate shelter strategy to reduce the spread of coronavirus. iii) Respond to coronavirus means an activity carried out once coronavirus has spread to people experiencing homelessness, provider staff, or once individuals and families lose or are at risk of losing their housing as a result of the economic downturn caused by coronavirus. This includes transporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness to medical appointments, paying for shelter to isolate individuals who have contracted coronavirus from other program participants and people experiencing homelessness, providing rental assistance to those who are at risk of losing their housing, have already become homeless, or continue to experience homelessness due to the economic downturn caused by coronavirus, and providing hazard pay to recipient or subrecipient staff who put their own health at risk to continue to provide necessary services to individuals and families experiencing and risk of homelessness. HPD- Housing and Planning Department, City of Austin HUD- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Subrecipient- An organization receiving ESG funds from the City to undertake eligible ESG activities II. General The Emergency Solutions Grant Program (ESG), formerly known as the Emergency Shelter Grant Program, and the Emergency Solutions Grant CARES Act Program (ESG-CV) are funded through the City’s Housing and Planning Department (HPD), which is made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The City utilizes ESG and ESG-CV funds to provide an array of services to assist homeless persons and persons at-risk of homelessness. The ESG program is designed to be the first step in a continuum of assistance to help clients quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness. ESG-CV funds have been made available from HUD to assist homeless persons who meet the CDC’s definition of being at a high risk of health complications due to COVID-19. The City’s Austin Public Health Department is responsible for the implementation of ESG in compliance with the governing regulations of the ESG program. The City’s Housing and Planning Department (HPD) is responsible for the planning and administration of the ESG program. The Community Development Officer (CDO) of HPD has the authority to establish processes, procedures, and criteria for the implementation and operation of the program, and to waive compliance with any provision of these guidelines if s/he determines that to do so does not violate any Federal, state, or local law or regulation, and is in the best interest of the City. Nothing contained, stated, or implied in this document shall be construed to limit the authority of the City to administer and carry out the program by whatever means and in whatever manner it deems appropriate. III. Eligible Organizations The subrecipient must be a unit of local government or a private, non-profit organization, as defined by the Internal Revenue Service tax code, evidenced by having a Federal identification number, filed articles of incorporation, and written organizational by-laws. IV. Ineligible Organizations An organization will not be eligible to apply for ESG funds if it meets the following conditions: 1) Outstanding audit or monitoring findings, unless appropriately addressed by a corrective action plan; 2) Current appearance on the List of Suspended and Debarred Contractors 3) Terms and conditions of existing contract are not in full compliance; 4) History of non-performance with contracts. V. Financial Terms 1) Grantee shall expend the City budget in a reasonable manner in relation to Agreement time elapsed and/or Agreement program service delivery schedule. 2) All grant funds allocated must be completely spent down within the 36-month allocation period. 4) 3) If the Grantee has a remaining balance at the end of the first twelve-month period, the Grantee must submit a request to spend down remaining balance to the Assistant Director of the Austin Public Health, Health Equity Community Engagement Division (HECE). If cumulative expenditures are not within acceptable amounts, spending rates, or in accordance with grant compliance the City may require the Grantee to: a) b) amend the Agreement budget amount to reflect projected expenditures, as determined by the City. In order to be eligible for services under the ESG program, clients must meet HUD’s definition of homelessness or at-risk of homelessness, and must meet annual income guidelines for homelessness prevention activities. 5) ESG-CV Financial Terms: submit an expenditure plan, and/or a) Progressive Expenditure Deadline and Recapture Provisions- To ensure ESG-CV funds are spent quickly on eligible activities to address the public health and economic crises caused by coronavirus, the following alternative requirements are established: i) HUD may recapture up to 20 percent of a recipient’s total award, including first and second allocation amounts, if the recipient has not expended at least 20 percent of that award by September 30, 2021. ii) HUD may recapture up to 50 percent of a recipient’s total award, including first and second allocation amounts, if the recipient has not expended at least 50 percent of that award by June 16, 2022. iii) Prior to recapturing funds as described above, HUD will follow the enforcement process described in 24 CFR 576.501 and provide the recipient with an opportunity to provide a spending plan demonstrating to HUD’s satisfaction that all of the recipient’s ESG-CV funds from the first and second allocations will be expended by September 30, 2023. VI. Matching Funds Subrecipient organizations that receive ESG funds must provide a dollar for dollar (or 100%) match to their ESG award amount. 1) Sources of matching funds include: a) Cash Contributions- Cash expended for allowable costs identified in 2 CFR Part 200. Program Income for the ESG program can also be used as match funds. Match funds are identified in 2CFR Part 200.306 b) Non-Cash Contributions- The value of any real property, equipment, goods, or services. 2) Funds used to match a previous ESG grant may not be used to match a subsequent award. 3) ESG-CV Match - As provided by the CARES Act, ESG-CV funds are not subject to the match requirements that otherwise apply to the Emergency Solutions Grants program. VII. Eligible Activities Each sub-recipient will be allocated funding by activity type, and may have multiple activities in one program. The following is a list of eligible activities for the ESG Program: 1) ESG Eligible Activities: a) Street Outreach- Support services limited to providing emergency care on the streets, including engagement, case management, emergency health and mental health services, and transportation; b) Emergency Shelter- Includes essential services, case management, child care, education, employment, outpatient health services legal services, life skills training, mental health & substance abuse services, transportation, shelter operations, and funding for hotel/motel stays under certain conditions; c) Homeless Prevention- Includes housing relocation & stabilization services and short/medium-term rental assistance for individuals/families who are at risk of homelessness; d) Rapid Re-Housing- Includes housing relocation & stabilization services and short/medium-term rental assistance to help individuals/families move quickly into permanent housing and achieve stability; e) Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) costs; and 2) ESG-CV Program-specific Waivers, Alternative Requirements, and Statutory Flexibilities for Existing Eligible f) ESG Administration costs. Activities: a) Short-Term and Medium-Term Rental Assistance i) 24 CFR 576.106(a)(2), where medium-rent is defined as “for more than 3 months but not more than 24 months of rent” is waived and an alternative requirement is established where medium- term is established as for more than 3 months but not more than 12 months. This alternative requirement will allow more households to receive rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention assistance, which is necessary to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. ii) The requirement at 24 CFR 576.106(d) that prohibits rental assistance where the rent for the unit exceeds the Fair Market Rent established by HUD, as provided under 24 CFR Part 888, is waived so long as the rent complies with HUD’s standards of rent reasonableness, as established under 24 CFR 982.507. Waiving this requirement will allow recipients to help program participants move quickly into housing or retain their existing housing, which is especially critical at reducing the spread of coronavirus and responding to coronavirus. This waiver provides additional flexibility beyond the waiver made available to the ESG Program on March 31, 2020 and extended to ESG-CV funds on May 22, 2020 by permitting ESG recipients to provide rental assistance for program participants, whose current rent exceeds FMR and by allowing recipients to use this waiver as needed throughout the period they are providing rental assistance to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. b) Hotel/Motel Costs- As permitted under 24 CFR 576.102(a)(3), eligible costs include a hotel or motel voucher for homeless individuals and families where no appropriate emergency shelter is available. Additionally, the limitations on eligible activities provided in section 415(a) of the McKinney-Vento Act and 24 CFR part 576, subpart B are waived and alternative requirements are established to the extent necessary to authorize ESG-CV funds to be used for the following hotel or motel costs for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, receiving rapid re-housing assistance under the Continuum of Care (CoC) or ESG programs, receiving homelessness prevention under the ESG program, or residing in permanent supportive housing: The recipient or subrecipient may pay for a hotel or motel room directly or through a hotel or motel voucher. Additionally, funds can be used to pay for cleaning of hotel and motel rooms used by program participants as well as to repair damages caused by program participants above normal wear and tear of the room. These flexibilities are provided to allow recipients to secure hotel and motel rooms more quickly to be available when needed to prevent the spread of coronavirus (for example, when a program participant needs to isolate to keep from spreading the virus to other shelter occupants or household members). c) Helping current ESG program participants maintain housing- In order to ensure current program participants receiving homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing assistance do not lose their housing during the coronavirus public health crisis and the subsequent economic downturn caused by the crisis, the requirements in 24 CFR 576.105(c) and 576.106(a) are waived and alternative requirements are established as follows: i) The requirement at 24 CFR 576.105(c) limiting the total period of time for which any program participant may receive the services under paragraph (b) to 24 months during any 3-year period is waived solely for those program participants who reach their 24-month maximum assistance during the period beginning on the presumed start of this crisis, January 21, 2020 – the date the first confirmed case was reported in the United States, and ending 6 months from the date of publication of this Notice, provided that the services are only extended for these program participants for up to a maximum of an additional 6 months; and ii) The requirement at 24 CFR 576.106(a) limiting the total number of months a program participant can receive rental assistance to 24 months in a 3-year period is waived solely for those program participants who reach their 24-month maximum during the period beginning on the presumed start of this crisis, January 21, 2020 – the date the first confirmed case was reported in the United States, and ending 6 months from the date of publication of this Notice, provided that the rental assistance is only extended for these program participants for up to a maximum of an additional 6 months. d) HMIS Lead Activities- The limitations on eligible activities provided in section 415(a) of the McKinney- Vento Act and 24 CFR Part 576, subpart B are waived to the extent necessary to authorize ESG funds to be used under 24 CFR 576.107 to pay for HMIS costs beyond where they are related to collecting data on ESG program participants and ESG program activities to the extent they are necessary to help the geographic area prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. Additionally, 24 CFR 576.107 that limits recipients to paying for the costs at 24 CFR 576.107(b) is waived to allow recipients that are not the HMIS Lead, as designated by the Continuum of Care, to pay for costs at 24 CFR 576.107(b), either directly or by sub-granting to the HMIS Lead if the HMIS Lead is an eligible subrecipient to the extent that the HMIS costs are necessary to help the geographic area prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. This waiver and these alternative requirements provide additional flexibility beyond the waiver made available to the ESG Program on March 31, 2020 and extended to ESG-CV funds on May 22, 2020 by permitting ESG recipients who are not also HMIS Leads to pay for the costs eligible at 24 CFR 576.107(b) and lifting the 6-month limit on the waiver so that this flexibility applies throughout the period the recipient or subrecipient uses funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. Additionally, this waiver provides additional flexibility for ESG funds to be used on HMIS costs even when they are not related to ESG program participants or ESG activities when necessary to collect and report better data about the impact of coronavirus across the community. These flexibilities will allow communities to collect data that is necessary to coordinate and report on activities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus among individuals and families experiencing homelessness, at risk of homelessness, and receiving homeless assistance e) Legal Services- Legal services established in 24 CFR 576.102(a)(1)(vi) and 24 CFR 576.105(b)(4) are limited to those services necessary to help program participants obtain housing or keep a program participant from losing housing where they currently reside. a) Training- As permitted by the CARES Act, ESG-CV funds may be used for training on infectious disease prevention and mitigation for staff working directly to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus among persons who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and the use of funding shall not be considered administrative costs for purposes of the 10 percent cap. In addition, the limitations on eligible activities provided in section 415(a) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and 24 CFR part 576, subpart B are waived and alternative requirements are established to the extent necessary to authorize ESG-CV funds to be used for training on infectious disease prevention and mitigation for homeless assistance providers, including those who do not receive funding through the CARES Act, to help them best prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus among persons who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. These training costs are eligible as a standalone activity and are not to be charged to an activity under 24 CFR 576.101 to 24 CFR 576.109. b) Hazard Pay- As permitted by the CARES Act, funds may be used to pay hazard pay for recipient- or subrecipient-staff working directly to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus among persons who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Examples of recipient or subrecipient staff working directly in support of coronavirus response include emergency shelter intake staff, street outreach teams, emergency shelter maintenance staff, emergency shelter security staff, staff providing essential services (e.g., outpatient health or mental health, housing navigators), and staff in proximity to persons with coronavirus or working in locations with a high likelihood of contracting coronavirus. Landlord Incentives- The limitations on eligible activities under section 415(a) of the McKinney-Vento Act and 24 CFR 576.105 are waived and alternative requirements are established to the extent necessary to authorize ESG-CV funds to be used under 24 CFR 576.105 to add the eligible cost of c) 3) Additional ESG-CV Eligible Activities: paying for landlord incentives as reasonable and necessary to obtain housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and at risk of homelessness. However, a recipient may not use ESG-CV funds to pay the landlord incentives set forth below in an amount that exceeds three times the rent charged for the unit. Waiving the limitation on eligible costs under housing relocation and stabilization services to pay for the costs of landlord incentives will increase the number of housing units available to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, especially in tight rental markets and obtaining and maintaining housing is critical to preventing the spread of coronavirus and helping mitigate the economic impact of the crisis. The limitation to three times the rent charged for each unit ensures enough ESG-CV funds remain available to provide other eligible activities necessary to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Eligible landlord incentive costs include: i) Signing bonuses equal to up to 2 months of rent; ii) Security deposits equal to up to 3 months of rent; d) Paying the cost to repair damages incurred by the program participant not covered by the security deposit or that are incurred while the program participant is still residing in the unit; and, e) Paying the costs of extra cleaning or maintenance of a program participant’s unit or appliances. VIII. Client Eligibility In order to be eligible for services under the ESG program, clients must meet HUD’s definition of homelessness or at-risk of homelessness, and must meet annual income guidelines for homelessness prevention activities. 1) ESG Eligibility Documentation a) Homelessness Prevention: This program will not provide Homelessness Prevention Services. b) Rapid Re-Housing: c) Please refer to the Homeless Eligibility Form for more information on documenting homelessness for d) Sub-recipient agencies must collect the required supporting documentation requested in the Homeless Eligibility Form in order for clients to be considered eligible for services e) All eligibility and supporting documentation for Rapid Re-Housing clients must be maintained in each f) Clients will be referred to ESG programs through the Coordinated Assessment or Coordinated Entry ESG clients. client’s file process. g) CDU-Specific Client Eligibility Requirements Referral through Coordinated Assessment i) ii) HIV Positive, homeless individuals h) DACC-Specific Eligibility Requirements i) Referral through Coordinated Assessment 2) Confidentiality of Client Information a) Subrecipients must have written client confidentiality procedures in their program policies and procedures that conform to items b – d below: b) All records containing personally identifying information of any individual or family who applies for and/or receives ESG assistance must be kept secure and confidential. c) The address or location of any domestic violence project assisted under ESG shall not be made public. d) The address or location of any housing for a program participant shall not be made public. IX. Emergency Shelter Requirement: Policies and procedures for admission, diversion, referral and discharge by emergency shelters assisted under ESG, including standards regarding length of stay, if any, and safeguards to meet the safety and shelter needs of special populations. The ESG-funded emergency shelter, Austin Resource Center for the Homeless, or ARCH is currently limited to those clients in case-management, with 20 beds held open for Emergency Night Shelter for men. The ARCH provides Day Resource Center for enrolled clients. Case Management and other co-located services are provided on-site by the following local service providers. Sleeping Unit Reservation System: Of the 150 sleeping units, approximately 130 are reserved for those clients in full-time case-management with the remaining 20 held open for Emergency Night Shelter. There is no length of stay for the shelter, and in case management, the general length is 6 months with evaluation on a case by case basis. Clients are informed that if they have a reservation, but they do not arrive to check in, within a set number of days, their reserved place will be made available to other clients on the waiting list. There are also available beds in coordination with the following participating agencies: CommUnityCare Clinic, Veterans Administration (VA), and Austin/Travis County Integral Care, the local mental health authority. All these case-managed clients work with their case manager to determine a housing plan and are connected to other resources to find permanent housing. The client is informed of the grievance process, and their end date for services determined on a case by case basis. Clients are encouraged to work with Case Managers to progress towards personal goals related to obtaining/maintaining sustainable income, exploring viable housing options, and addressing self-care issues that impact progress towards self-sufficiency. Case Management services are based on a Harm Reduction philosophy and the stages in the Trans-theoretical Model of Change. Various techniques, including motivational interviewing, are effectively utilized in working with clients whose needs vary across a spectrum of vulnerability. Men’s and women’s support groups as well as anger management classes are offered through case management. ARCH clients with domestic violence concerns are offered coordination and referral to appropriate programs on a case by case basis. The following is provided in the case that a client is terminated: Written notice to the participant containing a clear statement of the reason for termination. A review of the decision, in which the participant is given the opportunity to present written or oral objections before a person other than the person (or subordinate of the person) who made or approved the termination decisions, AND Prompt written notification to the program participant. Because the ARCH is a City building, the agencies cannot deny citizens access to the shelter property on a permanent basis. X. Rapid Rehousing and Other ESG-funded Services There are no essential services funded by ESG. There are no homeless prevention services funded by ESG. Requirement: Policies and procedures for determining and prioritizing which eligible families and individuals will receive rapid re-housing assistance. All programs funded through the Emergency Solutions Grant will use Coordinated Entry for referrals for the program in order to serve the most vulnerable Rapid Rehousing clients in the community. Agency eligibility could include, for example, HIV status for the Communicable Disease Unit. All programs help clients go through the Coordinated Entry process to access appropriate referrals and community programs. Each client will be individually assessed for the amount of Rapid Rehousing using progressive engagement and housing first principles. If a client or family needs continued services and financial assistance past the initial date of entry into the program, agencies will work to address those needs until the client exits the program. Other funding sources will be used to address the other service needs of the client such as case management, housing location or financial and rental assistance as needed. Requirement: Standards for determining the type, amount and duration of housing stabilization and/or relocation services to provide a program participant, including the limits on rapid re-housing assistance. 1) All Rapid Rehousing programs will include the following components: a) Housing Stability Plan with Exit Strategy b) Progressive Engagement c) Coordination with other HUD funded programs and regular review the program’s progress towards the Reducing the length of time program participants spend homeless; HUD benchmarks: i) ii) Exiting households to permanent housing, and iii) Limiting returns to homelessness within a year of program exit. 2) Also, all RR programs will provide the following services with ESG funds or with another funding source. If the agency is not able to provide all of these services, they will work with a collaborative partner to provide them. a) Housing Location b) Financial Assistance – Rental, Deposits, Application Fees, etc. c) Housing Stability Case Management 3) Rapid Rehousing Financial Assistance Guidelines: a) ESG: i) ii) Security Deposits are available for no more than 2 months’ rent. Last Month's Rent is only paid if the last month’s rent is necessary for the participant to obtain housing, if it is paid at the same time as the security deposit and first month’s rent and does not exceed one month’s rent. iii) Utility Deposit, Payments and Arrears is paid if it is within 24 month limit, including up to 6 months of utility arrears, and if the utility account is in the name of the participant or if there is proof of responsibility, and is for eligible gas, electric, water and sewage. iv) Caps on assistance by program: (1) Downtown Austin Community Court: Financial Assistance can include up to $2300 a year in direct financial assistance for all eligible financial assistance and rental assistance funding, with a 24-month cap of $4600. (2) Contracted agencies: None beyond the regulations above. (3) Communicable Disease Unit: Does not administer financial assistance and rental assistance. v) Changes in household composition. The limits on the assistance under this section apply to the total assistance an individual receives, either as an individual or as part of a family. vi) Limit of months of assistance. No client may receive more than 24 months of assistance in a three- year period. vii) Recertification. Clients will be recertified at least every twelve months to determine ongoing eligibility as per 576.401. Recertification will assess clients to see if they do not have an annual income that exceeds 30% AMI and lack sufficient resources and support networks to retain housing without ESG assistance. b) ESG-CV: i) Same as ESG in a) above, but with the following exceptions: (1) Limit of months of assistance. No client may receive more than 12-months of financial assistance in a 24-month period. (2) Recertification- Clients will be recertified at least every twelve months to determine ongoing eligibility as per 576.401. Recertification will assess clients to see if they do not have an annual income that exceeds the Very Low-Income limit of the area, as determined by the Secretary AND lack sufficient resources and support networks to retain housing without ESG assistance. (3) Financial assistance limitations: (a) Landlord incentives are limited to three times the rent charged for each unit to ensure enough ESG-CV funds remain available to provide other eligible activities necessary to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Eligible landlord incentive costs include: (i) Signing bonuses equal to up to 2 months of rent; (ii) Security deposits equal to up to 3 months of rent; (b) Paying the cost to repair damages incurred by the program participant not covered by the security deposit or that are incurred while the program participant is still residing in the unit; and, (c) Paying the costs of extra cleaning or maintenance of a program participant’s unit or appliances. Requirement: Standards for determining what percentage or amount of rent and utilities cost each program participant must pay while receiving rapid re-housing assistance. Most clients receiving financial assistance through the Emergency Solutions Grant will have high housing barriers and will be highly vulnerable. Participants are not required to contribute a percentage of their income to rent or utilities, so there are no standards developed. Requirement: Standards for determining how long a particular program participant will be provided with rental assistance. 1) Short-term and medium-term rental assistance - rental assistance can be provided to a program participant with up to 24 months of rental assistance during any 3-year period. This assistance may be short-term rental assistance, medium-term rental assistance, payment of rental arrears, or any combination of this assistance. a) Short and Medium-Term Rental Assistance - Short-term rental assistance is assistance for up to 3 months of rent; Medium-term rental assistance is assistance for more than 3 months but not more than 24 months of rent; Rental assistance for this program will be tenant-based. i) Rental Assistance use with other subsidies. Except for a one-time payment of rental arrears on the tenant's portion of the rental payment, rental assistance cannot be provided to a program participant who is receiving tenant-based rental assistance, or living in a housing unit receiving project-based rental assistance or operating assistance, through other public sources. Rental assistance may not be provided to a program participant who has been provided with replacement housing payments under the URA during the period of time covered by the URA payments. ii) Fair Market Rent - Rental Assistance must only be provided if rent does not exceed Fair Market Rent and complies with HUD’s standard of rent reasonableness, as established under 24 CFR 982.507. iii) For purposes of calculating rent, the rent shall equal the sum of the total monthly rent for the unit, any fees required for occupancy under the lease (other than late fees and pet fees) and, if the tenant pays separately for utilities, the monthly allowance for utilities (excluding telephone) established by the public housing authority for the area in which the housing is located. iv) Rental assistance agreement. The recipient or subrecipient may make rental assistance payments only to an owner with whom the recipient or subrecipient has entered into a rental assistance agreement. The rental assistance agreement must set forth the terms under which rental assistance will be provided, including the requirements that apply under this section. The rental assistance agreement must provide that, during the term of the agreement, the owner must give the recipient or subrecipient a copy of any notice to the program participant to vacate the housing unit, or any complaint used under state or local law to commence an eviction action against the program participant. Late payments. The recipient or subrecipient must make timely payments to each owner in accordance with the rental assistance agreement. The rental assistance agreement must contain the same payment due date, grace period, and late payment penalty requirements as the program participant's lease. The recipient or subrecipient is solely responsible for paying late payment penalties that it incurs with non-ESG funds. v) vi) Lease. Each program participant receiving rental assistance must have a legally binding, written lease for the rental unit, unless the assistance is solely for rental arrears. The lease must be between the owner and the program participant. Where the assistance is solely for rental arrears, an oral agreement may be accepted in place of a written lease, if the agreement gives the program participant an enforceable leasehold interest under state law and the agreement and rent owed are sufficiently documented by the owner's financial records, rent ledgers, or canceled checks. For program participants living in housing with project-based rental assistance under paragraph (i) of this section, the lease must have an initial term of one year. 2) Tenant-based rental assistance. Rental assistance for this program will be tenant-based, and all programs will provide the minimum amount of assistance needed for client to stabilize using the principles of Progressive Engagement. a) A program participant who receives tenant-based rental assistance may select a housing unit in which to live and may move to another unit or building and continue to receive rental assistance, as long as the program participant continues to meet the program requirements. b) The recipient may require that all program participants live within a particular area for the period in which the rental assistance is provided. c) The rental assistance agreement with the owner must terminate and no further rental assistance payments under that agreement may be made if: i) The program participant moves out of the housing unit for which the program participant has a lease; ii) The lease terminates and is not renewed; or iii) The program participant becomes ineligible to receive ESG rental assistance. 3) Rental Arrears are paid if the client is assisted with one-time payment of up to 6 months of rental arrears, including any late fees on those arrears. A lease must be present in the file with the participant's name on the lease or a document of the rent payments/financial records, as well as Rent Reasonableness, Lead Based Paint and Habitability Standards forms. Where the assistance is solely for rental arrears, an oral agreement may be accepted in place of a written lease, if the agreement gives the program participant an enforceable leasehold interest under state law and the agreement and rent owed are sufficiently documented by the owner's financial records, rent ledgers, or canceled checks. For program participants living in housing with project-based rental assistance under paragraph (i) of this section, the lease must have an initial term of one year. 4) Caps on assistance by program: a) Downtown Austin Community Court: Financial Assistance can include up to a year in direct financial assistance for all eligible financial assistance and rental assistance funding. b) Contracted agencies: None beyond the regulations above. c) Communicable Disease Unit: Does not administer financial assistance and rental assistance. 5) All clients will be recertified at least every twelve months to determine ongoing eligibility as per 576.401. Recertification will assess clients to see if they do not have an annual income that exceeds 30% AMI and lack sufficient resources and support networks to retain housing without ESG assistance. XI. Coordination Between Service Providers The following list gives the types of service coordination activities to be undertaken for the ESG Program: Case management, permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing and housing location and financial assistance. Services will be coordinated between the downtown Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH), Downtown Austin Community Court, and in consultation with the local Continuum of Care as well as other service providers such as Austin Travis County Integral Care, Caritas of Austin, Salvation Army, Veterans Administration, Continuum of Care Permanent Supportive Housing programs and other appropriate federal, state and local service providers. Case Management/Supportive Services Permanent Supportive Housing Rapid Rehousing/Housing Location Direct Financial Assistance Agency Caritas of Austin with CoC and City funding Downtown Community Court Public Health Communicable Disease Unit Other Continuum of Care Programs City-funded Social Service Agencies X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X ESG Rapid Rehousing Program Design: All ESG Programs will have all components or coordinate with other funding sources or entities so that all needs of the Rapid Rehousing clients will be adequately addressed. RR Agency Communicable Disease Unit (CDU) Downtown Austin Community Court Case Management/Supportive Services CDU DACC Housing Location Rental Assistance Direct Financial Assistance CDU/DACC ESG DACC ESG DACC ESG DACC DACC ESG DACC ESG XII. Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Organizations receiving funding from the City of Austin for homelessness prevention and homeless intervention services are required to utilize the Local Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to track and report client information for individuals who are at risk of homelessness or who are homeless. A high level of data quality is required. All ESG-funded programs will also be working with the community’s Coordinated Entry process. ESG Specific Requirements Include: 1) Entering client data into HMIS as per the guidelines outlined in an agreement with ECHO HMIS and under the requirements of the Austin/Travis County HMIS Data Quality Assurance Plan. 2) ESG-funded programs will participate in the centralized or coordinated assessment system in HMIS, as required under § 576.400(d). 3) The ESG Rapid Rehousing program will accept referrals through Coordinated Entry. 4) Utilizing the ESG eligibility form to determine homeless eligibility. 5) Demographic data collected in the ESG Demographic Form 6) HUD 40118 form or other required form required for Emergency Solutions Grants 7) Submission of HUD reporting information for the Consolidated Plan, Action Plan and Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). 8) Participation in community homeless coordination and planning. 9) Other HMIS Requirements: Organizations receiving funding from the City of Austin for homelessness prevention and homeless intervention services are required to utilize HMIS to track and report client information for individuals who are at risk of homelessness or who are homeless. A high level of data quality is required. The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) currently serves as the local HMIS administrator. SECTION 2: ESG POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Management and operation of approved projects is the responsibility of the Subrecipient. The Subrecipient is the entity that will receive the City contract. Therefore, the subrecipient has the overall responsibility of the project’s successful completion. I. Grant Subaward Process At its discretion, the City may use a competitive Request for Application and comprehensive review process to award ESG funding to providers of services to homeless persons and persons at-risk of homelessness. Activities will be consistent with the City’s Consolidated Plan, in compliance with local, state, and Federal requirements and the governing regulations for use of ESG funds, and in conformance with program standards. The City will enter into written agreements with selected Subrecipients and will work with Subrecipients to ensure that project costs are reasonable, appropriate, and necessary to accomplish the goals and objectives of the City’s overall ESG Program. The subrecipient must be able to clearly demonstrate the benefits to be derived by the services provided to homeless individuals, and to low-to-moderate income families. Performance measures will be established in the contract. All ESG award decisions of the City are final. II. Contracting Subrecipients must enter into a written contract with the City for performance of the project activities. Once a contract is signed, the subrecipient will be held to all agreements therein. 1) Members of the Subrecipient organization, volunteers, residents, or subcontractors hired by the organization may carry out activities. Subrecipients must enter into a written contract with the subcontractors carrying out all or any part of an ESG project. All subcontractors must comply with the City and Federal procurement and contracting requirements. 2) All contracts are severable and may be canceled by the City for convenience. Project funding is subject to the availability of ESG funds and, if applicable, City Council approval. 3) Amendments - Any amendments to a contract must be mutually agreed upon by the Subrecipient and the City, in writing. Amendment requests initiated by the Subrecipient must clearly state the effective date of the amendment, in writing. Austin Public Health (APH) staff will determine if an amendment request is allowable. APH reserves the right to initiate amendments to the contract. 4) Liability - Subrecipients shall forward Certificates of Insurance to the Austin Public Health Department within 30 calendar days after notification of the award, unless otherwise specified. The City’s Risk Management Department will review and approve the liability insurance requirements for each contract. Subrecipients must maintain current insurance coverage throughout the entire contract period, as well as for any subsequent amendments or contract extensions. III. Internal Controls Subrecipients must have policies and procedures in place to protect assets, create accurate and reliable financial reporting, maintain compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and ensure that agency operations are effective and efficient. These Internal Controls should include, but are not limited to: 1) Information and documents required through the standard City Boilerplate a) Business continuity/risk management plans b) Conflict of interest policy c) Whistleblower policy d) Financial management policy 2) Staff and Program evaluations 3) Maintaining annual income and expense budget reports to compare expected spending and revenue with actual spending and revenue Information Technology controls 4) 5) Written job descriptions to clearly define roles within the organization IV. Recordkeeping Requirements 1) Project Records- The Subrecipient must manage their contract and maintain records in accordance with City and Federal policies and must be in accordance with sound business and financial management practices, which will be determined by the City. Record retention for all ESG records, including client information, is five years after the expenditure of contract funds. 2) Client Records- The Subrecipient must maintain the following types of client records to show evidence of services provided under the ESG program: a) Client Eligibility records, including documentation of Homelessness, or At-Risk of Homelessness plus income eligibility and support documentation. b) For Rapid Rehousing client files, a copy of the ESG Rapid Rehousing Client File Review checklist and Rapid Rehousing Financial Assistance Checklist should be placed at the beginning of the file and peer reviewed before any financial assistance is provided c) Documentation of Continuum of Care centralized or coordinated assessment (for client intake) d) Financial Assistance backup documentation required for each type of assistance outlined in the previous sections. i) ii) iii) all backup documentation required for each type of assistance Rental assistance agreements and payments security deposits 3) Housing Financial Assistance - for eligible clients, financial assistance may be allocated for eligible expenses with the following requirements and limitations: a) Rental application fees. b) Security deposits. Equal to no more than 2 months' rent. c) Last month's rent. If necessary to obtain housing for a program participant, the last month's rent may be paid from ESG funds to the owner of that housing at the time the owner is paid the security deposit and the first month's rent. This assistance must not exceed one month's rent and must be included in calculating the program participant's total rental assistance, which cannot exceed 24 months during any 3-year period. d) Utility deposits. e) Utility payments. Up to 24 months of utility payments per program participant, per service, including up to 6 months of utility payments in arrears, per service. A partial payment of a utility bill counts as one month. This assistance may only be provided if the program participant or a member of the same household has an account in his or her name with a utility company or proof of responsibility to make utility payments. Eligible utility services are gas, electric, water, and sewage. No program participant shall receive more than 24 months of utility assistance within any 3-year period. Financial assistance cannot be provided to a program participant who is receiving the same type of assistance through other public sources. f) g) Short-Term and Medium-Term Rental Assistance. Up to 24 months of rental assistance during any 3- year period. This assistance may be short-term rental assistance, medium-term rental assistance, payment of rental arrears, or any combination of this assistance. i) ii) Medium-term rental assistance is assistance for more than 3 months but not more than 24 months Short-term rental assistance is assistance for up to 3 months of rent. of rent. iii) Payment of rental arrears consists of a one-time payment for up to 6 months of rent in arrears, including any late fees on those arrears. iv) Rental assistance may be tenant-based or project-based 4) Rent Restrictions. a) Rental assistance cannot be provided unless the rent does not exceed the Fair Market Rent (FMR) established by HUD, as provided under 24 CFR part 888, and complies with HUD's standard of rent reasonableness, as established under 24 CFR 982.507. b) For purposes of calculating rent under this section, the rent shall equal the sum of the total monthly rent for the unit, any fees required for occupancy under the lease (other than late fees and pet fees) and, if the tenant pays separately for utilities, the monthly allowance for utilities (excluding telephone) established by the public housing authority for the area in which the housing is located. c) Rental assistance agreement must state that rental assistance payments will be made only to a landlord or owner with whom the subrecipient has entered into a rental assistance agreement. The rental assistance agreement must set forth the terms under which rental assistance will be provided, including the requirements that apply under this section. The rental assistance agreement must provide that, during the term of the agreement, the landlord/owner must give the agency a copy of any notice to the program participant to vacate the housing unit, or any complaint used under state or local law to commence an eviction action against the program participant. d) Late payments. Subrecipients must make timely payments to each landlord/owner in accordance with the rental assistance agreement. The rental assistance agreement must contain the same payment due date, grace period, and late payment penalty requirements as the program participant's lease. The recipient or sub-recipient is solely responsible for paying late payment penalties that it incurs with non-ESG funds. e) Lease. Each program participant receiving rental assistance must have a legally binding, written lease for the rental unit, unless the assistance is solely for rental arrears. The lease must be between the landlord/owner and the program participant. Where the assistance is solely for rental arrears, an oral agreement may be accepted in place of a written lease, if the agreement gives the program participant an enforceable leasehold interest under state law and the agreement and rent owed are sufficiently documented by the owner's financial records, rent ledgers, or canceled checks. For program participants living in housing with project-based rental assistance, the lease must have an initial term of one year. 5) All City of Austin ESG-funded Rapid Re-Housing programs will include the following components: a) Housing Stability Plan with Exit Strategy b) Progressive Engagement c) Coordination with other HUD-funded programs and regular review the program’s progress towards the HUD benchmarks: d) Reducing the length of time program participants spend homeless; e) Exiting households to permanent housing, and f) Limiting returns to homelessness within a year of program exit. 6) All of the below items must be completed and checked “Yes” before financial assistance can be provided: a) Forms Required: i) Required for housing location, housing stability case management, financial assistance, rental assistance (1) Habitability Standards (2) Lead Hazard Standards (3) Rent-Reasonableness (4) Peer Reviewed ESG Rapid Rehousing Client File Review ii) Required for rental assistance – arrears and ongoing rent (in addition to the above forms) (1) Lease in client’s name or a document of the rent payments/financial records (2) Fair market rent calculation (3) Landlord Rental Agreement V. Reporting Requirements 1) Monthly Claims Requests - must be submitted within fifteen (15) calendar days after the reporting month’s end with backup uploaded to the City’s online contract management system, PartnerGrants, which identify the allowable expenditures incurred under this contract. The backup should be uploaded with the Claims request and should include: a) Contracted agencies: General Ledger b) City Agreements: Grant Cost Report grant costs with appropriate backup from the Digital Express Reports (DXR) c) Rapid Rehousing Financial Assistance programs: backup documentation for all direct financial assistance including a Rapid Rehousing Financial Assistance Checklist to verify that all required forms and steps were completed before releasing financial assistance to clients. d) Current Month Matching Funds: i) ESG- Statement must be submitted monthly in the City’s online contract management system, PartnerGrants, along with the monthly Claims report. The contractor is required to expend and document Matching Funds against payments to be received under this Agreement. The Claim cannot be approved unless the Matching Funds statement is included. ii) ESG-CV has no matching fund requirement e) All monthly claims reports must include a copy of the HMIS Universal Data Elements quality report for the month requested with an overall grade for compliance of 96% or higher for all data – if data quality reports fall below minimum standards, payments may be withheld until reports improve to a grade for compliance of 96% or higher 2) Quarterly Reporting a) Quarterly performance reports shall be submitted, in a format prescribed by the City, by the 15th calendar day of the month after the quarter end, which identify the activities accomplished under this contract. b) Other performance metrics may be required to align with HUD system-wide performance measures. c) ESG Demographic Report must be submitted within fifteen (15) calendar days after the end of the preceding quarter. The data from this report should be able to be extracted from HMIS. Sections 4-8 and 10 must be completed by all ESG programs that serve clients. d) Quarterly Claims Review – Quarterly, one Claim will be reviewed for complete documentation Timesheets including but not limited to: i) ii) Check stubs, copies of checks iii) Client File Checklists iv) Peer Reviewed Rapid Rehousing Client File Review Form showing that the required documentation for clients served were collected in the correct order v) Client file documentation of eligibility and appropriate housing documentation vi) If issues are found with the quarterly reviews, or if HUD deems it necessary, the Claims Review process will be conducted monthly rather than quarterly 3) Annual Close-Out Reporting a) The Federal ESG program year ends on September 30th. At completion of all activities, a Contract Closeout Report must be submitted within 30 days of the end of the contract. The subrecipient is required to supply such information, in such form and format as the City and HUD may require. All records and reports must be made available to any authorized City representative upon request and without prior notice. b) For contracts that contain renewal/extension options, an Annual Progress Report shall be completed using the City’s online contract management system by the Grantee and submitted to the City within 60 calendar days following the end of each Program Period identified in Section 4.1.2 of the Contract boilerplate. c) For those Agreements that are ending, a Closeout Report shall be completed by the Grantee through the City’s online contract management system and submitted to the City within 30 calendar days following the expiration or termination of this Agreement. Any encumbrances of funds incurred prior to the date of termination of this Agreement shall be subject to verification by the City. Upon termination of this Agreement, any unused funds, unobligated funds, rebates, credits, or interest earned on funds received under this Agreement shall be returned to the City. d) The Closeout Report must contain all information that the City requires during the normal Contract Close-Out Report or, if the Contract is ongoing but the Program Period had ended, all of the information the City requires for their Contract Progress Report. e) All ESG Subrecipients must use HMIS to report on clients served by the ESG program. f) All ESG programs are required to submit end of year reporting according to HUD requirements. This may include: i) ii) Running and submitting an HMIS report to the HUD database, SAGE. Providing reports in PartnerGrants earlier than the normal fourth quarter deadline VI. Program Limitations 1) ESG Administration costs are limited to 7.5% of the total ESG allocation. 2) ESG Street Outreach and Emergency Shelter costs are limited to the greater of: 60% of the City’s 2011-12 ESG grant -or- the amount committed to emergency shelter for the City’s 2010-11 ESG allocation. 3) Program Income a) ESG - Income derived from any ESG activity must be recorded and reported to APH as program income. Such income may not be retained or disbursed by the subrecipient without written approval from APH and is subject to the same controls and conditions as the Subrecipient’s grant allocation. b) ESG-CV Program Income- Because ESG-CV program income cannot be used as match without the ESG matching requirement, HUD is waiving the ESG provisions for program income under 24 CFR 576.2 and 576.407(c)(1) and establishing alternative requirements, as follows: i) Program income is defined as provided by 2 CFR 200.80, except that: (1) Program income includes any amount of a security or utility deposit returned to the recipient or subrecipient, as provided by 24 CFR 576.2; and (2) Costs that are incidental to generating program income and not charged to the ESG-CV grant or subgrant may be deducted from gross income to determine program income, as allowed under 2 CFR 200.307(b). c) As allowed under 2 CFR 200.307(e), program income may be treated as an addition to recipient’s grant (or the subrecipient’s subgrant, if the income is generated by the subrecipient’s activities), provided that the program income is used in accordance with the purposes and conditions of that grant or subgrant. Program income otherwise must be deducted from allowable costs as provided by 2 CFR 200.307(e)(1). 4) ESG funds may not be used for lobbying or for any activities designed to influence legislation at any government level. 5) A church or religious affiliated organization must show secularism when submitting an ESG application. 6) Any ESG funds that are unallocated after the funding cycle will be reprogrammed by APH. Contracts that show three (3) consecutive months of inactivity (as documented by monthly reports or non-submission of required reports) will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and may be irrevocably canceled. VII. Performance Standards ESG-funded programs will report into HMIS and have a high level of data quality specified in Section XII. Homeless Management Information Systems. HMIS data quality is reviewed quarterly by City staff. All data quality is reviewed by the ECHO HMIS Administrator. Performance measures will be reviewed quarterly by the City of Austin, Austin Public Health Department. Measures will also be reviewed annually by the local Continuum of Care decision-making body, ECHO, during the annual Consolidated Evaluation and Performance Report process. VIII. Termination Procedures The following is provided in the case that a client is terminated: 1) Written notice to the participant containing a clear statement of the reason for termination. 2) A review of the decision, in which the participant is given the opportunity to present written or oral objections before a person other than the person (or subordinate of the person) who made or approved the termination decisions, AND 3) Prompt written notification to the program participant. Accessibility In order to demonstrate compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 requirements, the following statements must be added to all public notices, advertisements, program applications, program guidelines, program information brochures or packages, and any other material containing general information that is made available to participants, beneficiaries, applicants, or employees: __________________________ (insert the name of your organization) as a subrecipient of the City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Please call _______________ (insert your organization’s phone number) (voice) or Relay Texas at 1-800-735-2989 (TDD) for assistance. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- __________________________ (insert the name of your organization) como un subreceptor de la Ciudad de Austin se compromete a cumplir con el Acta de Americanos con Discapacidades. Con solo solicitarlo se proveerán modificaciónes e igual acceso a comunicaciónes. Para información, favor de llamar a ________ (insert your organization’s phone number) (voz) o Relay Texas 1-800-735-2989 (TDD) para asistencia. Attachment II C: Monitoring Plan MONITORING PLAN The goal of the City of Austin’s monitoring process is to assess subrecipient/contractor performance in the areas of program, financial and administrative compliance with applicable federal, state and municipal regulations and current program guidelines. Under this plan, select programs and project activities are monitored through one or more of the following components. The City of Austin’s monitoring plan consists of active contract monitoring and long-term monitoring for closed projects. Active Contract Monitoring Prior to executing any agreement or obligation, monitoring takes the form of a compliance review. Verification is obtained to ensure that the proposed activity to be funded has received the proper authorization through venues such as the annual Action Plan, environmental review and fund release, and identification in the Integrated Disbursement & Information System (IDIS). A contract begins with written program guidelines, documentation and tracking mechanisms that will be used to demonstrate compliance with applicable federal, state and local requirements. For activities implemented through external programs or third-party contracts with non-profit, for-profit and community-based organizations, a solicitation may be required in the form of a comprehensive Notice of Fund Availability (NOFA) or Request for Proposals (RFP) which details performance, financial and regulatory responsibilities. Prior to entering into any agreement or to the 1. Compliance Review prior to obligation of funds. ​ obligation of entitlement funds, the City conducts a compliance review to verify that the program activity has been duly authorized. The compliance review consists of verifying and documenting: ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ The program activity has been approved as part of the Action Plan for the specified funding source and year; The availability of applicable funds for the specific activity; The activity has received environmental review and determination and fund release, as applicable; The service provider is not listed in the System for Award Management (SAM); The activity has been set up and identified in IDIS; The scope of work defined in the contract has adequately addressed performance, financial and tracking responsibilities necessary to report and document accomplishments; and The service provider has the required insurance in place. After this information has been verified and documented, staff may proceed in obtaining authorization and utilization of entitlement funds for the activity. 2. Desk Review. ​ Before processing an invoice for payment, staff reviews the invoice to verify that the item or service is an eligible expense and it is part of the contract budget. Staff also reviews ​ensure that the performance reports and supporting documentation submitted with the invoice to contractor is performing in accordance with the terms of the contract and the scope of work. This level of monitoring is performed on an ongoing basis throughout the duration of the contract.  3. Records Audit. ​ A records audit includes a review of all file documents as needed. A file checklist is used to determine if the required documents are present. Through the review of performance reports and other documentation submitted by the contractor, staff is able to identify areas of concern and facilitate corrections and/or improvements. Should problems be identified, a contractor or recipient of funds may then be provided technical assistance as necessary to reach a resolution. 4. Selected On-Site Monitoring. ​ A risk assessment is conducted internally and is used to determine the priority of site reviews to be conducted. Based on the results of the risk assessment, a selected number of projects may be subject to an on-site review. The performance of contractors is reviewed for compliance with the program guidelines and the terms and conditions of the contract. In particular, staff verifies program administration and regulatory compliance in the following areas: ∙ meeting a national objective, conducting eligible activities, achieving Performance ( e.g. ​ contract objectives, performing scope of work activities, maintaining contract schedule, abiding by the contract budget); ∙ Record keeping; ∙ Reporting practices; and ∙ Compliance with applicable anti-discrimination regulations. There will be follow-up, as necessary, to verify regulatory and program administration compliance has been achieved. 5. Failure to resolve identified problems. If no resolution of identified problems occurs or the contractor fails to perform in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract, the City of Austin has the authority to suspend further payments to the contractor or recipient of funds until such time that issues have been satisfactorily resolved. 6. Contract Closeout. Once a project activity has been completed and all eligible project funds expended, the staff will require the contractor to submit a project closeout package. The contract closeout will provide documentation to confirm whether the contractor was successful in completing all performance and financial objectives of the contract. Staff will review and ask the contractor, if necessary, to reconcile any conflicting information previously submitted. The project closeout will constitute the final report for the project. Successful completion of a project means that all project activities, requirements, and responsibilities of the contractor have been adequately addressed and completed. Long-term Monitoring Acceptance of funds from the Housing Department Office of the City of Austin, or its sub- recipient Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) obligates beneficiaries/borrowers to adhere to conditions for the term of the affordability period. The Housing Department is responsible for the compliance oversight and enforcement of long- or extended-term projects and financial obligations created through City- sponsored or -funded housing and community development projects. In this capacity, the Housing Department performs the following long-term monitoring duties: ​ ​ ​ ∙ ∙ ∙ Performs compliance monitoring in accordance with regulatory requirements specified in the agreement; ∙ Reviews and verifies required information and documentation submitted by borrowers for compliance with applicable legal obligations and/or regulatory requirements; Enforces and takes corrective action with nonperforming loans and/or projects deemed to be out of compliance in accordance with legal and/or regulatory terms and conditions; and If the beneficiary has been uncooperative, non-responsive, or unwilling to cure the existing default by all reasonable means, staff will discuss with management and will refer the loan to the City Attorney for review, with a recommendation for judgment and/or foreclosure. The first step in the monitoring process includes the development of a risk assessment that is essential in guiding the monitoring efforts of the department. Based on the results of the risk assessment, additional projects may be monitored. Monitoring may be in the form of a desk review, on-site visit, or Uniform Physical Conditions Standards (UPCS) inspection. Technical assistance is available to assist beneficiaries/ borrowers in understanding any aspect of the contractual obligation so that performance goals are met with minimal deficiencies. Attachment II D: Relocation Policy City of Austin/Austin Housing Finance Corporation ANTI-DISPLACEMENT and RELOCATION ASSISTANCE POLICY INTRODUCTION The City of Austin Residential Anti-Displacement and Relocation Assistance Policy (Displacement Policy) as set forth herein, pertains where applicable to projects assisted with funding provided by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which may include among others, funding with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investments Partnership Program (HOME), and Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) funds and which, because of the HUD assistance, cause residential displacement of low- and moderate-income persons from occupied dwellings rendered unoccupiable as a result of HUD-assisted conversions to a use other than affordable housing, or by demolition. Funding for these programs is made available to the City by HUD, under Title I of the Housing and Community Development (HCD) Act of 1974, as amended. The HUD funded programs are administered by the City’s Housing Department. Activities funded by HUD funded programs may be carried out by City employees, competitive procurement or agreements with subrecipients. All funded activities meet one or more of the national and local objectives for the program, which are: elimination of slum and blight; benefit to persons and households of low and moderate income, i.e., earning eighty percent (80%) or less of the median family income (MFI) for the Austin area; and meeting needs of particular urgency. RESIDENTIAL ANTI-DISPLACEMENT and RELOCATION ASSISTANCE POLICY The City of Austin shall implement this policy to minimize the displacement of persons as a result of HUD funded activities and assist persons actually displaced, either temporarily or permanently, as a result of such activities. It is the policy of the City to plan and to provide funding only for those HUD funding activities that will not cause permanent residential displacement or reduce the amount of affordable housing stock by conversion or demolition. However, activities such as rehabilitation of occupied housing may require temporary displacement to ensure the safety of residents during the rehabilitation of the units. The City will enforce this policy upon developers and other entities responsible for carrying out planned HUD activities. The Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 (Public Law 100-242) and the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 (Public Law 100-17) made changes that affect the manner in which CDBG and other federal grantees treat displacement issues. The policy does not take into account all changes brought about by the 1987 legislative action. If necessary, this displacement policy will be amended at such time as HUD promulgates HUD rules that clarify the effect of the HCD Act of 1987 on CDBG- and other HUD grant funded related displacement issues. DISPLACEMENT POLICY The policy addresses temporary displacement of households participating in either owner- occupied or tenant-occupied housing rehabilitation programs assisted with HUD funds. Although the policy encompasses action relative to permanent residential displacement and relocation assistance, under no circumstances will HUD funds be used for any project or activity that will cause permanent displacement or relocation of families or the conversion of affordable housing to other uses. The term “family” as used herein refers to one or more persons occupying the same housing unit whether or not the individuals are related by birth or marriage. All classes of temporary persons displaced will receive equal and comparable treatment and assistance regardless of their status as owner or tenant. 1. TEMPORARY DISPLACEMENT/RELOCATION Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Programs Homeowners participating in a housing rehabilitation program that for their safety requires they vacate the residence during the course of construction, will be entitled to a relocation stipend. The family will receive a fixed daily allowance for each day in which they cannot occupy their residence. The purpose of the stipend is to offset the cost of moving or storing their personal possessions and for related expenses, such as increased utility costs. The daily allowance will be set by the City of Austin’s Housing Department. Payment will be made either directly by staff or through other subrecipient organizations or developers under contract to department to operate a housing rehabilitation program. The stipend rate will be reviewed periodically and may be adjusted if in the judgement of the department it does not represent adequate compensation. The following services will be provided by the appropriate program operator (i.e., the City or other subrecipient): Clients will be counseled and advised of their right to receive an allowance, notified of the approximate time of start of construction and given adequate time to make alternative temporary living arrangements. If necessary, clients will be assisted in locating decent and safe accommodations. The offices of the City are fully accessible to the handicapped and mobility impaired. Bilingual staff is available to assist Spanish-speaking clients and portable Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf (TDD) with read/print capability are available for the hearing-impaired. If subrecipients cannot carry out their counseling responsibilities toward handicapped or non- English speaking clients by any other means, clients may be referred to the City for assistance. Tenant-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation HUD-funded rehabilitation of renter-occupied properties can be carried out by the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) on HUD-subsidized public housing or by subrecipients under contract to the City for properties owned and operated by a non-profit or for-profit affordable housing developer. The Housing Authority, as a publicly- funded HUD recipient, will carry out its relocation responsibilities in accordance with the HUD rules pertaining to Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) or the Policy, whichever is more appropriate. Public Housing: As an operator of multiple properties subsidized by HUD, the PHA may elect to relocate families by a method commonly called “checkerboarding,” i.e., the movement of families to previously rehabilitated units in the same complex. When this method is infeasible, HACA may elect to relocate a family to a unit in another PHA complex. Unsubsidized Housing: For properties operated by a non-profit or for-profit affordable housing developer, the organization’s contract with the City will specify if and to what extent the clients are entitled to assistance under this policy. If all elements of the policy are to be carried out, each will be specified in the contract documents, counseling and other relocation services as above. 2. PERMANENT RESIDENTIAL DISPLACEMENT/RELOCATION Replacement Housing: If through HUD funding, dwellings affordable to low- and moderate- income persons are demolished or converted to uses other than housing, the City (or developer) will provide comparable replacement housing units for the same number of occupants who could have been housed in the occupied or vacant units. The replacement housing will be located in the same general area as the houses deleted from the affordable housing stock and will be affordable to low- and moderate-income residents. The replacement housing will be designed to remain affordable to such families for a period of ten (10) years from the time of initial occupancy. Relocation Benefits: All occupants of the dwellings demolished or converted will receive relocation benefits to include: reimbursement for actual and reasonable moving expenses, security deposits, credit checks and other moving-related expenses, including any interim living costs. Low- and moderate-income persons will be provided either: a.) b.) Compensation sufficient to ensure that for a period of five (5) years the family shall not bear, after relocation, a ration of shelter costs to income that exceeds thirty percent (30%); or - If elected by the family, a lump-sum payment equal to the value of the benefits available under (a.), to permit the household to secure participation in a cooperative or mutual housing association. Replacement housing for persons displaced shall be decent, safe and sanitary, of adequate size to accommodate the family, functionally equivalent and in an area not subject to unreasonably adverse environmental conditions. Those displaced have the right to elect, as an alternative to the benefits under this policy, benefits under the Uniform Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, if it is in their best interest to do so. If a claim for assistance under this policy is denied by the City, the claimant has the right to appeal the decision to HUD. June 28, 2024 ******************** Attachment II E: HOME Sale Price Information Attachment II E: HOME Sale Price Information HOME Maximum Sale Price For services funded by the HOME Investment Partnerships grant, such as the Down Payment Assistance Program, federal regulation restricts the maximum allowable purchase price of homeownership units to 95% of the area median purchase price for single family housing. This sets an upper limit for the allowable price of housing assisted with HOME funds. The Housing and Urban Development Department outlines the process for cities and other jurisdictions to determine this maximum purchase price based on the area’s median area purchase price for single family housing in 24 CFR 92.254(a)(2)(iii). The following paragraphs outline how the attached dataset fulfills the requirements listed in 24 CFR 92.254. 24 CFR 92.254(a)(2)(iii) (A) The 95 percent of the median area purchase price must be established in accordance with a market analysis that ensured that a sufficient number of recent housing sales are included in the survey. The below dataset is a market analysis of all home sales (both existing and new construction) of single-family homes (one to four-unit buildings; noted in column B titled "Property Sub Type" below) from the Austin Board of Realtors. With 923 total sales, this dataset includes a sufficient number of recent housing sales per this regulation. (B) Sales must cover the requisite number of months based on volume: For 500 or more sales per month, a one-month reporting period; for 250 through 499 sales per month, a 2-month reporting period; for less than 250 sales per month, at least a 3-month reporting period. The data must be listed in ascending order of sales price. The City provided data for one month of sales from May 2024 as this is the most recently available dataset at the time of executing the methodology. Total sales equaled 1067, listed in ascending order of sales price in column C titled "Close Price" below and is sufficient as it exceeds the requirement of 500 or more sales per month per the regulations. (C) The address of the listed properties must include the location within the participating jurisdiction. Lot, square, and subdivision data may be substituted for the street address. The dataset provided directly to HUD provides detailed address information of each sale in May 2024 and evidences that each sale is located within the City's jurisdiction. (D) The housing sales data must reflect all, or nearly all, of the one-family house sales in the entire participating jurisdiction. 2024. purchase price. The dataset includes all single-family home sales within the City's jurisdiction in May (E) To determine the median, take the middle sale on the list if an odd number of sales, and if an even number, take the higher of the middle numbers and consider it the median. After identifying the median sales price, the amount should be multiplied by 0.95 to determine the 95 percent of the median area The median area closing sale price for single family homes in the City in May 2024 was $609,500. Thus, 95% of the median closing sale pricie for the City of Austin jurisdiction in May 2024 was $579,025. Data was provided by the Austin Board of Realtors ACTRIS database and reflects the closing sales price of all single family homes sold in the City of Austin from May 1, 2024 - May 31, 2024. The dataset included 1067 home sales. Due to a non-disclosure agreement between the City of Austin and the Austin Board of Realtors, the City is unable to publicly disclose the list of houses sold included in the calculation. For Fiscal Year 2025, the City of Austin will use the sale price of $579,025 as the limit for the allowable price of housing assisted with HOME funds. Attachment II F: Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice Progress Report Progress Report: Fair Housing Action Items from the 2019 Analysis of Impediments City of Austin Housing Department, June 2024 The Housing Department is creating a new 5-year Consolidated Plan as required by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Code of Federal Regulations (24 CFR Part 91). This is a key federal planning tool for states, local governments, and public housing authorities to establish a framework for allocating formula grant program funds from HUD. HUD formula grant programs include the HOME Investment Partnerships Grant (HOME), Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG). The Consolidated Plan process assesses Austin’s housing and community development needs through data and community engagement. An additional document called the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) usually accompanies Consolidated Plans. However, Austin’s FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan will not have a full AI because HUD removed the previous AI requirement, and the agency is creating new rules for affirmatively furthering fair housing. While awaiting future guidance, the Housing Department reviewed the barriers to fair housing choice that the 2019 AI highlighted. The Department also identified progress toward a meliorating each barrier, and this memorandum summarizes that progress. The rest of this memorandum includes the following sections: • • • • Brief Background on the Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments Barriers to Fair Housing and City of Austin Strengths/Weaknesses Identified in the 2019 AI City of Austin Action Items from 2019 and Progress Additional Fair Housing Progress Brief Background on the Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments HUD created the Consolidated Plan requirement in 1995 to facilitate comprehensive housing affordability strategies and community development planning, communicating in one document how HUD formula grant funds would be spent. Additionally, HUD required that the Consolidated Plan process include an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing (AI) to address the goals of the 1968 Fair Housing Act more effectively. A 2015 HUD Rule, “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” (AFFH), sought to push jurisdictions to more meaningfully further fair housing goals by replacing the AI with an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH). The 2015 AFFH Rule created the most significant federal fair housing regulations since the 1968 Fair Housing Act itself. Austin prepared to produce an AFH for its FY 2020-2024 Consolidated plan, but HUD Secretary Ben Carson discontinued the AFH process in 2018 to revert to the AI. The 2019 Regional AI is reflective of the rulemaking whiplash between the Obama and Trump Administrations. For example, the document is entitled “Central Texas Assessment of Fair Housing” because it began being crafted as an AFH in compliance with the 2015 AFFH Rule. Terminology then shifts to “Central Texas Regional AI” for the rest of the report (this memo refers to it as the “2019 AI”). The regional scope and collaboration of the report also responded to encouragement from HUD in the 2015 AFFH Rule to undertake a regional approach. Secretary Carson later signed another rule in 2020 to fully repeal the 2015 AFFH Rule, which discontinued the AFH and any AI requirement. Austin’s FY 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan is the first that does not have a new full AI report, though it utilizes some data and insights from the 2019 AI. The 2019 AI remains a valuable report because the impediments to fair housing that it identifies are still relevant today. Since the Biden Administration took office, HUD has established a 2021 Interim Final Rule, “Restoring Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Definitions and Certifications,” which reintroduced some AFFH language and definitions that were previously removed by the Trump administration. In 2023 HUD published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for a new AFFH Rule, which is expected to be finalized in 2024. The new AFFH Rule will require an Equity Plan, which is envisioned to be a refined and streamlined improvement on the AFH. As of June 2024, the 2021 Interim Final Rule is still in place and HUD has not announced new AFFH Rule and Equity Plan requirement. The Code of Federal Regulations provisions that govern Consolidated Plan submission make no mention of AI or AFH (24 CFR Part 91), though HUD will provide technical assistance to jurisdictions that are willing and able to voluntarily conduct an AFH or AI. While there is currently no AFFH rule in place, it is crucial that the City of Austin maintain a commitment to taking actions that eliminate housing discrimination and segregation in our city. Barriers to Fair Housing and City of Austin Strengths/Weaknesses Identified in the 2019 AI The 2019 AI identified 8 key barriers to fair housing in the region surrounding Austin (2019 AI, pp. 10-12): 1. City and county capacity for addressing fair housing challenges is limited. 2. The harm caused by segregation is manifested in disproportionate housing needs and differences in economic opportunity. 3. Affordable rental options in the region are increasingly limited. 4. Stricter rental policies further limit options. 5. Disparities in the ability to access homeownership. 6. State regulations and zoning and land use limit housing choice. 7. Educational inequities persist in the region. 8. Public transportation access has not kept up with growth. The report also highlights key strengths and areas for improvement for the City of Austin. The list below paraphrases the main points found on page 12 of the 2019 AI. Strengths included: • Many affordable housing options, both publicly subsidized rentals and rentals affordable to Housing Choice Voucher holders. A very strong toolkit for meeting needs, including significant local funding. • • National model of a Strategic Housing Blueprint and transparency in how funds are used for addressing needs. Noted areas for improvement included: • • Reduce levels of African American and Hispanic/Latino segregation. Continue to address housing affordability challenges related to market demand, especially in historically exclusionary neighborhoods where affordable housing is lacking. • Mitigate displacement. • Narrow the gap in mortgage loan denials among communities of color. City of Austin Action Items from 2019 and Progress For its part, the City of Austin proposed twelve action items in the 2019 AI to address the regional barriers to fair housing and local challenges. The following pages list the twelve Action Items and progress made on them. Each of these action items responds to specific fair housing issues and impediments, and some actions also have assigned metrics and milestones for measuring progress. Text for each Action Item, the Fair Housing Issues and Impediments they respond to, and the Metrics and Milestones is quoted from the table on pages 17-19 of the 2019 AI. Action Item 1: “Raise awareness at the state level about the negative impacts of 3x rent (ability to pay) rules on persons reliant on unearned income that is not counted toward this rule by landlords. Monitor growing support for Source of Income protections at the federal level and among like-minded states.” Fair Housing Issues/Impediments “Disparities in housing cost burden, displacement, increasingly limited neighborhoods in which to use Housing Choice Vouchers, and availability of rental housing to accommodate needs associated with disability, language access, national origin, and rental history.” Metrics and Milestones “Ongoing; raise awareness through the City Intergovernmental Relations Office, city leadership and city advocacy groups, and communication with receptive leaders at the state level.” Progress on Action Item 1 The City of Austin's Intergovernmental Relations Office (IGRO) closely monitors Source of Income protections legislation, supports positive legislation, and communicates with Delegation Members and other cities about the issue. However, the City of Austin does not currently ask the IGRO to raise awareness about the negative impacts of ability to pay rules on people who rely on unearned income. The Texas Legislature has not addressed the fair housing barrier of ability to pay rules in recent legislative sessions. The City of Austin made source of income a protected classification for fair housing in a 2014 ordinance that amended the City Code. However, the State of Texas changed the Local Government Code in 2015 to prohibit source of income protections except for military veterans and when a city or county implements an “incentive, contract commitment, density bonus, or other voluntary program” (Section 250.007). The City of Austin adapted to the State regulations by expanding the number of density bonus programs that prevent source of income discrimination. The City also now requires source of income protections for a development project to receive financing from the Rental Housing Development Assistance (RHDA) program. RHDA guidelines also offer some leniency for alternatives to the commonly used 3x rent rule. Action Item 2: “Implement Displacement Mitigation Strategies and Housing Blueprint action items that are related to Disproportionate Housing Needs identified in this AI. Continue to direct resources to addressing disproportionate needs.” Fair Housing Issues/Impediments “Displacement which disproportionately affects: African Americans, persons of Hispanic descent, Native Americans, persons with disabilities, [and] large families.” Metrics and Milestones “Metrics and milestones will align with the City's Strategic Housing Blueprint and displacement mitigation strategies. Specific strategies will include: 1) Prioritize City-subsidized affordable units that are appropriately sized for households [that] are at risk of or experiencing displacement; 2) Increase participation of communities of color in funding investment recommendations and include cultural displacement in decision making; 3) Incorporate robust tenant protections in City-supported housing; 4) Expand density bonus programs to serve <60% AMI households; 5) Affirmatively market [Housing Department subsidized] properties to people of color in gentrifying areas; and 6) Pilot a neighborhood- based process to mitigate displacement by better connecting people of color with resources to mitigate displacement which could include: an affordable unit database, connecting eligible homeowners with property tax exemptions, connecting tenants facing displacement with assistance, expanding home repair programs in gentrifying areas, supporting assistance to tenants facing eviction, land banking in gentrifying areas, increasing fair housing enforcement and education.” Progress on Action Item 2 This action item and its milestone strategies refer to 13 other action items that are embedded in two planning documents, the Displacement Mitigation Strategy (2018) and the Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint (2017). The City of Austin has made progress on most of these action items. The City of Austin added a Displacement Prevention Division to the Housing and Planning Department in 2020. This new division helps direct resources and services to households at risk of or experiencing displacement, through programs such as home repair, architectural barrier removal, rent assistance, eviction representation, and tenant relocation. The Division considers various types of displacement in its decision making, including cultural displacement. The Division also helps manage the $300 million of Project Connect Anti-Displacement funds that were approved by Austin voters in 2020. They include the community in decision making on how to allocate Project Connect Anti-Displacement funds through the launched a year-long Community Displacement Prevention Navigator Pilot Program in June 2023, which helped connect communities at risk of displacement with resources to help them. This pilot program hired and trained local Navigators who are active community members connected to a variety of organizations, focusing on the high displacement risk neighborhoods of Colony Park and Dove Springs. The Displacement Prevention Division is planning another solicitation for Fall 2024 to continue the program. Initiated Solutions (CIS) program. Additionally, the Division Austin’s strongest current tools for creating more affordable housing are density bonus programs. 60% MFI is now a common benchmark for income-restricted rental units in these programs, but deeper affordability requirements below 50% MFI do not currently exist in Austin. The City of Austin also adopted robust tenant protections for City-supported housing in 2022 with an addendum to the guidelines for Rental Housing Development Assistance (RHDA). The current RHDA guidelines are from 2021. Lastly, the Austin Community Land Trust eligibility criteria include a “right to return” preference policy focused on generational ties to the city, household size, and a method of prioritizing low- to moderate- income households who are displaced. This policy responds to City Council Resolution No. 20180308-010. Action Item 3: “Through the Working Group, provide leadership and technical assistance to regional partners as they explore similar approaches. This will include the effectiveness of the equity and inclusion framework currently being implemented within City of Austin departments.” Fair Housing Issues/Impediments “Capacity limitations to implement fair housing action items that are impactful and long-lasting.” Metrics and Milestones “Undetermined.” Progress on Action Item 3 The 2019 AI recommended a regional Working Group to facilitate collaboration between the City of Austin and other jurisdictions in Travis and Williamson Counties. Several governing organizations formed the group with the City of Austin, but it was discontinued by the end of 2020 due to COVID 19 disruptions, lack of capacity from participating jurisdictions, and lack of support and direction from leadership in participating jurisdictions. As a result, leadership and technical assistance from the City of Austin to surrounding jurisdictions varies, including for an equity and inclusion framework. Action Item 4: “Encourage developers and landlords who benefit from public funding and development incentives to adopt reasonable policies on tenant criminal history, accept legal unearned income in consideration of the ability to pay rent, and not discriminate based on source of income.” Fair Housing Issues/Impediments “Disproportionate effect of 3x rent income requirements and criminal history policies on persons with disabilities, single parents, persons in recovery (considered by the Federal Fair Housing Act as having a disability).” Metrics and Milestones “Developers' policies should align with the best practices in the Reentry Roundtable guide.” Progress on Action Item 4 The City of Austin amended RHDA program guidelines in 2021, as discussed in Progress on Action Item 2. A 2022 addendum improved the guidelines with robust tenant protections for any development benefiting from the assistance. The guidelines now offer certain protections for source of income, criminal background lookback periods, and other reasonable tenant protections for fair housing. The City of Austin also adopted new density bonus programs after 2019 that include tenant protections and prevent source of income discrimination. The City of Austin still appears to lack housing rights and protections for tenants with criminal history in the City Code, which the Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable advocates. The Reentry Roundtable is a local organization that focuses on better support for those exiting incarceration, including access to housing. Their 2022 Civil Rights Strategic Agenda outlines several housing priorities, which are also referenced in their 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. Action Item 5: “Bring forward the recommendation that incentives for the development of affordable housing for households below 50%, 60% and 80% MFI be included in Land Development Code revisions.” Fair Housing Issues/Impediments “Lack of affordable housing disproportionately impacting protected classes with lower incomes and higher poverty rates. Lack of affordable housing citywide exacerbates segregation created through historical policies and practices. The city is limited in its ability by state law to use inclusionary zoning as a tool to broaden housing choice.” Metrics and Milestones “Staff will monitor and modify the Density Bonus program to ensure it will create a quantifiable increase in long-term, on-site affordable units, of which a minimum of 10% are accessible. As part of that monitoring, staff will collect data on protected classes and families with children residing in units created through the City’s density bonus and other incentive programs.” Progress on Action Item 5 The City of Austin successfully made certain amendments to the land development code since 2019 to create incentives (density bonuses) for developing income-restricted housing units. City Council passed Affordability Unlocked (AU) in 2019, which requires at least 50% of on-site rental units to be affordable to households that average 60% of Austin’s median family income (MFI), and 20% to be affordable at or below 50% MFI. For ownership structures, 50% of on-site units must be affordable to households averaging 80% MFI or below. AU has produced 898 total units as of May 2024, with 646 being income restricted. 151 of these income restricted units are permanent supportive housing (PSH). City Council passed Density Bonus 90 (DB90) in February 2024 and its affordability minimums are that 12% of on-site units must be income-restricted or the developer can pay a fee-in-lieu. 12% of on-site income- restricted ownership units must be affordable to households earning 80% of the MFI or less. 12% of on- site income-restricted rental units must be affordable to households earning 60% of the MFI or less, or 10% must be affordable at 50% MFI. City Council approved DBETOD in May 2024, which is a density bonus zoning category for areas within the Equitable Transit Oriented Development (ETOD) overlay. For ownership developments, 12% of on-site units must be affordable at or below 80% MFI, or the developer can pay a fee-in-lieu. For rental developments, affordability requirements increase with greater height allowances: building up to 60 feet requires that 10% of units are affordable at or below 60% MFI; 90 feet requires 12% of units at or below 60% MFI or 10% of units at or below 50% MFI; and 120 feet requires 15% of units at or below 60% MFI or 12% of units at or below 50% MFI. See the City of Austin’s Development Incentives and Agreements webpage for more details. The City of Austin still lacks data on protected classes and families with children residing in units created though density bonus programs and other incentives. Action Item 6: “Bring forward recommendations to modify land use and regulatory requirements that could expand housing choice and reduce housing access barriers through Land Development Code process.” Fair Housing Issues/Impediments “Overly complex land use regulations limit housing choice and create impediments to housing affordability. These include: minimum site area requirements for multifamily housing, limits on accessory dwelling units, compatibility standards, overly restrictive neighborhood plans and excessive parking requirements.” Metrics and Milestones “Undetermined; part of Land Development Code revisions.” Progress on Action Item 6 City Council recently updated the Land Development Code to allow greater variety of building types. Some updates include eased compatibility requirements, eliminated minimum parking requirements (and new maximum parking limits for downtown), reduced minimum lot sizes, and increased number of homes allowed on single family lots by right. Action Item 7: “Bring forward recommendations to modify VMU and PUD ordinances to require 60% MFI rental and 80% owner throughout Austin when on-site affordable units are required.” Fair Housing Issues/Impediments “Lack of affordable housing disproportionately impacting protected classes with lower incomes and higher poverty rates. Lack of affordable housing citywide exacerbates segregation created through historical policies and practices. The city is limited in its ability by state law to use inclusionary zoning as a tool to broaden housing choice.” Metrics and Milestones “Staff will collect data on protected classes and families with children residing in units created through VMU and PUD programs.” Progress on Action Item 7 VMU1 (the original Vertical Mixed Use ordinance from 2010) now benchmarks on-site affordable units at 60% MFI for rental units and 80% MFI for owners, as do Planned Unit Developments (PUDs). VMU2 (established in 2022) set rental affordability at 50% or 60% MFI, but a Travis County court invalidated the program in 2023. The City of Austin does not currently collect data on protected classes and families with children residing in units created by VMU, PUD, or other similar programs. Action Item 8: “Conduct an analysis and calibration of S.M.A.R.T. Housing incentives to function in high opportunity areas.” Fair Housing Issues/Impediments “Difference in access to opportunity for protected classes.” Metrics and Milestones “Undetermined.” Progress on Item 8 City Council passed a resolution to overhaul the S.M.A.R.T. Housing Program in 2023. The City of Austin subsequently fulfilled part of this resolution by streamlining fee waiver calculation for S.M.A.R.T. Housing. More work remains on analysis and calibration of the program in general. See the Land Development Code for current S.M.A.R.T. Housing regulations. Action Item 9: “Increase transparency [in the] monitoring of existing accessible units to ensure consistency.” Fair Housing Issues/Impediments “The City’s historical lack of enforcement of city codes governing the maintenance of housing stock in different neighborhoods disproportionately impacts protected classes, influences housing preferences and restricts access to opportunities.” Metrics and Milestones “Undetermined.” Progress on Action Item 9 The AHOST database allows anyone to search online for accessible units that are income-restricted. The City of Austin’s Office of Civil Rights investigates fair housing complaints. Most official fair housing complaints in the city pertain to disability accessibility. Action Item 10: “The City's efforts to institute cross-departmental planning will include a focus on improvement of infrastructure and housing development in areas of minority/low-income concentration and integration of housing for different incomes in these areas.” Fair Housing Issues/Impediments “The City’s historical lack of enforcement of city codes governing the maintenance of housing stock in different neighborhoods disproportionately impacts protected classes, influences housing preferences and restricts access to opportunities.” Metrics and Milestones “Undetermined; may be integrated into regional work plan.” Progress on Action Item 10 The City of Austin and Travis County are now coordinating the Northeast Planning District, which will facilitate planning and infrastructure in historically marginalized and low-income communities of eastern Travis County. The Colony Park Sustainable Community plans to improve infrastructure and facilitate community development in a portion of the Northeast Planning District. This master planned community will be on city-owned land between the Colony Park and Lakeside neighborhoods, and it promises to respond to longstanding calls from the predominantly low-income communities of color in the area for improved infrastructure and access to amenities. Action Item 11: “Collaborate with partners and disseminate data to develop an online list and map of units created through city incentives and developer agreement programs to increase information available to members of protected classes.” Fair Housing Issues/Impediments “Information on housing choice is not widely available in languages other than English and/or in accessible formats. No information is available to people who are members of protected classes about possibilities to live in housing that was created in higher opportunity areas through city incentive and developer agreement programs.” Metrics and Milestones “Undetermined.” Progress on Action Item 11 The City of Austin established the Comprehensive Affordable Housing Directory in 2019, which is a database for all income-restricted units in the City’s jurisdiction. This data is available to download through Austin’s Open Data Portal and is the basis for the Affordable Housing Online Search Tool (AHOST), which maps and filters properties with income-restricted units in Austin. AHOST averages 112 daily users as of May 2024, which is a metric that the Housing Department is tracking and attempting to increase. The City of Austin also established a database in 2022 called the Affordable Housing Inventory (AHI), which tracks projects that have participated in or received funds from a City developer incentive program. This data is also available to download from Austin’s Open Data Portal. The Displacement Prevention Navigator Pilot Program (discussed in Progress on Action Item 2) disseminated affordable housing information to members of protected classes in communities experiencing displacement. This pilot concluded in June 2024, but another solicitation is planned for Fall 2024. Action Item 12: “Improve connections between low-income populations and employment opportunities.” Fair Housing Issues/Impediments “Disparities in access to opportunity (access to healthy food, quality schools, transit, sidewalks, safe neighborhoods) that affect: African Americans, persons of Hispanic descent, Native Americans, persons with disabilities, large families and families with children. Disproportionate housing needs in general.” Metrics and Milestones “Staff will bring this barrier and its impacts to the attention of the City of Austin representatives on the Capital Metro board of directors.” Progress on Action Item 12 The COVID-19 pandemic significantly curtailed transit service, but Capital Metro has reintroduced most high-frequency bus routes since then. City of Austin voters also approved a multi-billion expansion of public transit called Project Connect in 2020, which promises to improve transit service in the city. The Austin Transit Partnership subsequently scaled back the light rail rollout due to ballooning costs (now the plan will cost $7.1 billion), but the bus rapid transit, commuter rail, and local pickup, and other improvements stand to better connect low-income populations with employment opportunities. Capital Metro plans to open two significant new bus rapid transit routes in 2025 as a part of Project Connect. These are the Pleasant Valley and Expo Center CapMetro Rapid routes. A core challenge remains whereby the City of Austin has very little housing that is shielded from increased property values. This leaves certain communities vulnerable to displacement from an increasing tax burden and speculative market pressures. These pressures drive lower-income households and core transit riders toward more car-oriented suburban and exurban neighborhoods. Project Connect includes a $300 million Anti-Displacement fund to help mitigate some of these pressures. Additional Fair Housing Progress The above summary shows that the City of Austin has made meaningful progress towards eleven of the twelve action items listed above (Action Item 3 is the exception). This demonstrates encouraging movement toward overcoming barriers to fair housing. Additional City of Austin programs and actions since 2019 go beyond the twelve official action items of the 2019 AI to address barriers to fair housing choice as well. These include the following: • • • • • • • • City of Austin residents approved a ballot measure for a $350 million affordable housing bond in 2022, which allocated funds to four main areas: land acquisition, funding for affordable rental housing development, funding for affordable ownership housing development, and repairs for existing residences. The downside of a bond is that the City must raise property taxes to pay for it. The Housing Department disbursed 26 down payment assistance loans totaling $969,277 to low- income first-time homebuyers in 2023. These loans are up to $40,000. I Belong in Austin (IBIA) is an emergency rental assistance program that offers direct financial assistance to low-income renters. This program reached 253 households totaling 711 individuals in 2023. These disbursed funds totaled $1.1 million to help these households pay their rent. The City of Austin created a Guaranteed Income Pilot program in 2023, which provided 135 households with $1,000 per month over 12 months. The program was overseen and studied by the Urban Institute. Results show the program was successful in providing housing stability to those in need. Program participants spent 60% of the funds on rent. The City of Austin approved a budget amendment on August 16, 2023, to fund a Family Stabilization Grant program with $1.3 million in FY23-24. This program builds on the successes of the Guaranteed Income Pilot in FY 2023. The Family Stabilization Grant will provide 96 families with $1,000 per month for 12 months. The Austin Community Land Trust helps secure permanent affordable housing in the community. The City of Austin is exploring options for leveraging land banking and community land trusts to a greater extent in the future. Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid helped offer legal representation to over 200 families facing eviction in 2023. The Housing Department gave $5,890,569 in loans to repair 336 homes in 2023. • • Developments that participate in the City of Austin’s density bonus programs and other affordable housing incentives sometimes pay a fee instead of building income-restricted housing units on-site (this is commonly referred to as fee-in-lieu). The Housing Department collected roughly $48.5 million in fee-in-lieu funds from density bonus programs and development agreements between 2004 and May 2024. The Department received over 90% of these fees since 2019, roughly $45 million. The Department allocated or spent roughly 80% of total fees received as of May 2024. The remaining 20% ($9 million) remained to be allocated. The allocation of these funds varies between density bonus programs, but the money primarily goes toward Rental Housing Development Assistance (RHDA) and Ownership Housing Development Assistance (OHDA). 180 units of permanent supportive housing (PSH) were built between 2019 and May 2024 with assistance from City funding or density bonus programs. The rate of PSH unit creation is increasing, however. Six projects with 376 PSH units are currently under construction as of May 2024, and 11 projects with 955 PSH units have been certified and received City funding. Attachment II G: Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN Summary 2020-21 2020-21 NET-ZERO CoNtents CoNtents Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 2 COVER PHOTO CREDIT, TOP LEFT: René Rentería COVER PHOTO CREDIT, BOTTOM LEFT: Freedom Solar 05 06 08 10 12 14 16 18 19 Rising to the Climate Challenge Grounding Climate Action in Racial Equity Sustainable Buildings Transportation and Land Use Transportation Electrification Food and Product Consumption Natural Systems Net-Zero Hero What’s Next and How You Can Help Impact If we reached all the goals outlined in the Climate Equity Plan—including Austin’s major energy and mobility plans—we could lower our current greenhouse gas emissions 52% by 2030. Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 4 RISING TO THe CLIMATE CHALLEnGE Over the past few years, it has become clear that the Earth’s climate is changing faster than anticipated, and we are not reducing emissions quickly enough. Climate scientists warn that to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and preserve a livable climate, we must reduce emissions drastically. Currently, we are experiencing a global pandemic, successive waves of catastrophic climate disasters, and international protests against police brutality in support of Black lives. In this global moment of change, the solutions needed to combat systemic racism and the exploitation of the environment are more urgent than ever. The time for real change is now. The Austin Climate Equity Plan proposes the bold and aggressive goal of equitably reaching net-zero community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Getting to net-zero means the Austin community would emit zero greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The new proposed goal updates our previous goal, set by the City Council in 2015, to reach net-zero by 2050. AustiN’s CURrENt EmISsIoNS And wHErE we’rE HEAded In Austin, greenhouse gas emissions have peaked and are heading downward. Yet, we still have more work to do to keep pace with current scientific recommendations and avoid the worst climate impacts. In Austin, our emissions come primarily from five areas: 8M 6M 4M 2M e 2 O C s n o T c i r t e M Energy in Buildings Electricity Natural Gas Transportation Industrial Refrigerants Waste 0 1 0 2 9 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 9 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 9 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 9 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 9 1 0 2 Right now, on-road transportation and electricity used in buildings are our largest sources of emissions. But in the last eight years, building emissions have fallen nearly 20% despite a 20% growth in Austin’s population. This reduction is mostly due to investment in renewable energy generation through our community-owned electric utility, Austin Energy. Since energy use in our city is becoming cleaner, the transportation sector is quickly becoming our number one source of emissions. Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 5 Equity Racial equity is the condition when race no longer predicts a person’s quality of life outcomes in our community. Community Climate Ambassadors Crucial to the development of this plan was reaching out to community members who have been systematically excluded from the climate change conversation. To help engage with these groups, we created a Community Climate Ambassador Program. Our ambassadors received modest financial compensation to host discussions with their communities about energy, transportation, food, and access to nature. These conversations informed us about community concerns and priorities and helped us think about meaningful framing and implementation. Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 6 GRouNding ClImAtE ACTion In rAciAL eqUiTy Climate change affects everyone, but around the world—and right here in Austin—the impacts are not felt equally among all communities. Communities of color and other marginalized groups are particularly vulnerable due to systemic racism and environmental injustice. In 1928, Austin created a master plan that racially segregated the city using a practice called redlining. Redlining forcibly displaced and sectioned off primarily Black and Hispanic/Latinx residents into specific, undesirable areas. It was achieved by denying City services and inflicting white supremacist violence on any person of color who tried to live elsewhere. This violent practice forced Black and Hispanic/Latinx residents to live east of IH-35 or outside the city limits and still impacts our community today. Industrial zoning in East Austin intentionally forced communities of color to live in polluted areas with hazardous, environmentally damaging infrastructure. The Holly Street Power Plant and the East Austin fuel tank farms, now decommissioned, are recent examples. We recognize that solving climate change is impossible without addressing the injustices that have occurred in our community. In developing the strategies that will help us reach our climate goals, we set out to create a more inclusive, healthy, affordable, and accessible plan for our city. Each of the plan’s goals and strategies was carefully evaluated to ensure that it would lower greenhouse gas emissions while also addressing racial equity. CoMMItMENT TO CLIMATE EQUITY Equity in Health Outcomes Accessibi lity Community Capacity Preservation Affordabi lity Just Transition to Green Jobs Accountabi lity Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 7 414sUSTAiNABLe BUILDinGs Buildings in Austin are responsible for about 50% of our emissions. We can make strides in reducing our building-related emissions by decarbonizing buildings, addressing refrigerant use and leakage, and more sustainably managing construction materials. But improving our buildings isn’t just about reducing emissions. It’s also important to address indoor air quality and the energy cost of using our homes and commercial spaces. PHOTO CREDIT: Andrea Calo “[We should] implement special programs for Black-, Indigenous-, and People of Color-owned businesses that may want to renovate [and] make their buildings more sustainable.” Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 8 -Austin community member Impact If we implemented all the sustainable buildings goals in this plan and reached the goals in Austin Energy’s Generation Plan, we could reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions 34% by 2030. The following 2030 goals are intended to make buildings more sustainable in Austin while increasing equity. AlL NEw BuIlDiNgs ARe NET-ZEro CARBon, EMIssiONs FRoM EXIsTInG BUILDinGs ARe REducEd By 25%, And nAturAL GAs-RELATEd EMIssiONs ARe REducEd By 30%. A net-zero carbon building is highly efficient and powered entirely by on- or off-site renewable energy. As a growing city, we must ensure new buildings are carbon neutral and continue to reduce the impacts of our existing buildings. Aside from moving toward clean electricity, we can adopt codes that support high standards for new buildings and ensure residents and organizations can lower their energy costs. CoMmuniTy-wiDE EmIssIoNs fRom REfRIgErANt LEAkAgE ARe ReducEd By 25%. Refrigerants have played a critical role in modern life, enabling the comforts of air conditioning and refrigeration. Unfortunately, they have also made significant contributions to our carbon footprint. Reducing refrigerant emissions will require designing more efficient buildings, incentivizing leak reduction, capturing and destroying old refrigerants, training HVAC service providers in best practices, and transitioning to lower-impact options as they become available and safe to use. ThE eMBodIEd CARBon footpRiNt OF BuIlDiNg MATERIALS In LoCAl coNStruCtiOn IS ReducEd By 40%. The embodied carbon of buildings represents all of the emissions associated with extraction, manufacturing, transport, construction and maintenance, demolition, and disposal or reuse of materials. We can reduce these emissions by encouraging the deconstruction of buildings and the use of salvaged and lower-carbon building materials. A coMMuNiTy-widE wATER deMANd OF 152,000 ACRE-FeEt PeR yEAR Is EquItABLy AChIEvEd. Austin is a drought-prone, rapidly growing region, so sustainably managing our water is essential. To include more residents in water use and reduction initiatives, building-focused strategies should promote representative and equitable community engagement and reduce barriers to participation. Energy efficiency and optimization in utility operations are also key tools in reducing the water system’s environmental footprint. Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 9 Impact If we reached all the transportation and land use goals in this plan and implemented Capital Metro’s Project Connect, we could reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions 3% by 2030. “I’m concerned that the low-income and marginalized communities in Austin are being pushed out, reducing the vibrancy and diversity of our city.” Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 10 -Austin community member trANsPoRTAtIoN And lAND USe Where our residents live, work, and play and how they move around our city greatly impact our community- wide emissions. Coordinated transportation and land use strategies combined with intentional anti-displacement strategies can improve access to greener forms of transportation, create more affordable housing, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while supporting diverse communities. Our vision is to cultivate a person-centered mobility network that meets the needs of low-income communities and communities of color of all ages and abilities. 80% of nEw noN-rEsIdentIAL dEveLopment IS locATEd wIthIn THe CITy’s ActIVItY CEnTErS. Growing our city sustainably can reduce our dependence on cars. By providing more transportation options and working with employers to incentivize employees not to drive, commuters will more readily pick cleaner ways to get around. Employers should help by making biking, walking, transit, and other forms of shared mobility more accessible to their employees and customers. 135,000 hoUsINg uNITs ARe PrEsERveD And PrOdUcEd, iNcLUdING 60,000 AffordABLE hoUsINg uNITs, And 75% of NEw hoUsINg IS locATEd wIthIN A hALf mILE of THe CITy’s ActIVItY CEnTErS. Housing and climate are inseparable. If people live far from necessary services such as grocery stores, banks, healthcare services, and schools, they cannot use mobility options like public transit, walking, and biking. Housing is also becoming increasingly unaffordable, which has displaced low-income people, people with disabilities, and communities of color, while large parts of East Austin face significant barriers to accessing healthy, affordable food. Immediate affordable housing in central locations is needed to help stop displacement, lower transportation emissions, and ensure more housing is available for those who need it. 50% of trIps In AUSTIN ARe mAdE usING PUBLIC trANsIt, BIkINg, wALKINg, CARpooLING, oR AVOIDEd ALtoGETHer By woRKINg FRoM hOME. To reduce the carbon and pollution impacts of vehicles, we must help as many community members as possible to move around Austin without cars. When combined with anti-displacement strategies to help low-income communities and communities of color, public transit is a core element of an equitable, low-carbon city. We need to take steps to modify existing routes and create new routes for increased reliability, frequency, speed, and efficiency. We must also improve transit safety and reliability on routes that serve historically excluded communities and reduce transit costs to serve more people. Leading with equity also means cultivating a person-centered network that makes it as easy as possible for residents to use low-carbon or people-powered options by increasing access to transit and improving our bicycle network, sidewalks, and street crossings. Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 11 Impact If we reached all the transportation electrification goals in this plan, we could reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 16%. Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 12 trANsPoRTAtIoN ELECTRIfIcATIoN In Austin, our transportation system will soon become the largest emitter of greenhouse gases and is already the primary source of local air pollution. The vast majority of these transportation-related emissions are caused by private cars and trucks. This means that to meet our emissions reduction targets, we will need to have more people using sustainable forms of transportation, including private vehicles powered by renewable energy. The good news is that electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more affordable and have a longer range, and more charging options are available. The following goals for 2030 aim to increase community adoption of EVs. 40% of totAL VEhICLE MiLEs trAvElEd In AustIn ARe ELECTRIfiEd, ANd Ev owNERshIp IS CuLtURALly, geOgrApHicALLy, ANd EConoMiCAlLy diVErSE. EVs powered by renewable energy can be one of the primary ways to reduce local air pollution and climate-related emissions. But this won’t happen overnight. The City will need to support residents and work with businesses to make this transition by listening to community needs, offering incentives, and collaborating on solutions that are cheaper, easier, and better for the environment. AustIn HAs AN EQuItABlY dIsTRiBuTEd mIx oF LEvEl 1, 2, ANd Dc FAsT-CHArGInG sTAtIoNS To SupPoRt moRE Evs on The ROAd. Buying an EV is a big step, but you also need a place to plug in. As the owner of Austin Energy, the City has a big role to play in making car charging simple, affordable, and accessible to all. This means continuing to equitably build Austin’s charging network to enable the switch to EVs while ensuring that anti-displacement strategies are implemented. If done right, our electric utility, residents, and environment all benefit. ThE AustIn-round rock-sAN mARCos AReA IS A LEAdeR In tRAnsportAtiOn ElectrifICAtIOn tHRoUGH PoLicieS And tEChnoLoGIEs THAT sUPport THE GRowtH of ThIS EmeRgInG iNduStRY. Every day, Austin area residents drive across city and county lines for work, school, and play. This means we need EVs to be supported by our neighboring communities to maximize the benefits and ensure equitable access for everyone in our community. The switch to EVs carries a huge business opportunity along with it, and we want to make sure our entire region is at the forefront of that change. “Three years of electric car ownership has convinced me that we are entering an exciting new era.” -Nhat Ho, local electric vehicle driver Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 13 Fact Austinites throw away 58,000 tons of recyclables that end up in the landfill each year. That’s enough to fill the UT Tower 29 times annually! * PHOTO CREDIT: Nora Chovanec for Texas Farmers’ Market “A fair city is one where our excesses are reused to help amplify the lives of our most vulnerable.” Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 14 -Austin community member food And pRoduct CoNsuMPTion To fully account for the emissions of the food and products we consume, we need to consider the raw material extraction, consumption, and eventual disposal or reuse of a product—regardless of where those activities occur. Many of the products we consume locally have a global emissions impact. When it comes to the goods and foods we consume, we can create more efficient, circular processes that improve quality of life and restore human and planetary health. The following goals are meant to get us closer to this vision by 2030. ALL AUSTInItes cAN Access A FOoD sySTEM tHAT IS CoMMUnITy-drIvEn, ADdrEsSes FOoD iNSecurITy, PrIoriTIZEs REgeNErATIVE AGRIcuLturE, sUpports dIETAry And hEALTh AGENcy, PrEfErS PLANT-BASeD FoOds, And mInIMiZes FOoD wASTE. In Travis County, 15% of our population is food insecure, and less than 1% of our food supply is produced locally. We also waste far too much food as a community. To help address these issues, collaboration will be needed with local food growers, large food purchasers, retail providers, and organizations that connect with individuals and families to make culturally relevant plant-based food desirable, easy, and affordable. Better understanding why food is wasted will be key to making sure food gets eaten and not thrown away. GReEnHouSE gAS EmISsIoNS fRoM InstiTuTIonAL, CoMmERCIAL, ANd GovERNment PuRCHAsIng ARe REducEd By AT lEAst 50%. Systemic change will begin with the City’s purchasing practices, followed by recruiting organizations of all types to adopt shared sustainable purchasing standards or guidelines. Continuing to enhance the City’s Circular Economy program through incentives, education, and training opportunities while tracking our emissions reduction progress will help us reach this goal. wAste REductIoN, orgANiCS coMpostIng, ANd rECyCLiNg ARe AGgrEssivEly purSuEd to ACHiEve the waste reduction goals in the 2023 austin resource recovery comprehensive plan. Reaching the City’s zero-waste goal means empowering community members through awareness campaigns, neighborhood “Eco-hubs” for sharing and repairing items, training and workforce development opportunities, financial incentives, and updating bulk pickup programs and policies. These efforts will need to support and prioritize the needs of low-income communities, youth, and communities of color. *Source: Austin’s 2015 City-Serviced Residential Waste Characterization Study Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 15 Impact If all the recommendations outlined in this section are implemented, the natural systems in and around Austin could sequester an additional 5% of the city’s total carbon emissions. Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 16 NATurAl systeMs Natural systems are all around us. They are the plants, soils, hydrology, geology, weather patterns, and animals that are interlinked to ensure the overall health of our ecosystem. Natural systems also perform the important job of removing carbon from the atmosphere, known as carbon sequestration. They offer a multitude of health and quality of life benefits for our residents. Protecting and preserving our natural systems is an investment in our community’s health, livelihood, and culture. 20,000 ADdITionAL AcRes of CARBoN PoOLs on nAturAL lAndS ARe PrOTECteD, And ALL nAturAL ArEAs ARe mAnAGEd wITH A Focus on RESILiEnCE. When managed properly, natural lands show some of the best potential for removing carbon from the atmosphere. However, these areas can release more carbon than they take in when disturbed, becoming a carbon source rather than a carbon sink. We must preserve natural lands and manage them for resilience in the face of climate impacts such as heat, drought, flood, and wildfire, while also ensuring that all residents have access to, feel welcomed in, and reap the benefits of these natural spaces. 500,000 ACREs of fArMlAnd iN THE FIvE-CoUnTy REGion ARe PrOtECTEd ThrOuGh LEGAl ConsERVATIon or REgenErATIvE AgRICuLtURe ProGRAms. When managed through sustainable or regenerative farming practices, working lands show great potential for carbon sequestration. However, prime farmland is often prime land for development, meaning many small-scale farms are facing major pressure. Protecting prime farmland from development, incentivizing sustainable farming practices, and providing support for small-scale, local farmers will be important to achieving this goal. At lEAsT 50% trEE CAnopy covER IS AcHIEVEd CItywidE By 2050, wIth A foCUs oN iNCrEAsiNg cANOPy COvER EQUITABLy. Urban trees and increased tree canopy cover capture carbon from the atmosphere, provide shade, reduce the heat island effect, and improve air quality, health, and quality of life outcomes. However, like natural lands, trees face many threats due to climate change. We must protect our existing trees, identify opportunities for more tree plantings, and provide for our urban forest’s long-term health and resilience. ALl CiTy-OwNEd lAndS ARe iNcLUDEd uNdEr A mAnAgEMENt plAn ThAt rEsUlTs In neUtrAL or NEgAtIvE CARBon EmIssIoNs AnD MAxImIZES coMMuNiTy BENEFIts. Public lands provide essential benefits to our residents. They offer community access to green spaces, reduce extreme temperatures, and offer many health and quality of life benefits. To reach this goal, we must focus on acquiring and managing more natural areas and promoting community stewardship on public lands. Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 17 II GETTING i g h borho o d n e beautify beautify Communities Communities Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 18 Net--Zero Hero Raasin McIntosh Raasin McIntosh is an Olympic and collegiate athlete and founder of the nonprofit organization Raasin in the Sun. Rooted in East Austin, Raasin in the Sun works to beautify urban communities through projects that encourage volunteers to come together and create green spaces where they can gather, grow healthy food, and create strong bonds. “I created Raasin in the Sun to have a platform for creating various types of beautification projects ranging from building community gardens, organizing community clean-ups, painting murals, and restoring residential and vacant lots. I’m so inspired when I’m working collaboratively to transform unused places into areas of community pride where people can gather, grow healthy food, and enjoy greener and unique spaces. Bringing together volunteers to do the shared work of beautification means creating strong bonds through tackling problems together creatively.” -Raasin McIntosh whAT’s NExt The City government can do a lot to reach our climate goals, but we can’t do it alone. This plan will only be as successful as the commitment and follow-through from the entire community. To bring this plan to life, we’ll need to build a representative partner coalition to strategize on how to build inclusive and equitable community engagement and reach the goals outlined in Austin’s Climate Equity Plan. how You CAn hELP Be a net-zero hero in your community! Individual actions like taking sustainable transportation and using less energy at home will have the biggest impact on your personal carbon footprint. Speaking up about climate-related issues you care about and showing up to vote are other important ways to make a difference. Read the full Austin Climate Equity Plan and learn more about how to take action at austintexas.gov/climateplan. Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 19 beautify beautify Communities Communities togeTHEr, wE’LL BUILD A hEALTHy togeTHEr, wE’LL BUILD A hEALTHy And EQUITABLE AUSTIn. And EQUITABLE AUSTIn. Austin Climate Equity Plan Summary 20 Attachment II H: Funding & Production Summary Table CITY OF AUSTIN CONSOLIDATED PLAN 2025‐2029 July 11, 2024  Program / Activity  New Funding   Services   New Funding   Services   New Funding   Services   New Funding   Services   New Funding   Services   New Funding   Services  Funding                  Source  FY 2024‐25 Plan   FY 2025‐26 Plan   FY 2026‐27 Plan   FY 2027‐28 Plan   FY 2028‐29 Plan   Total of ConPlan Yrs.  Subtotal, Special Needs Assistance        3,845,798          932        3,845,798          927        3,845,798          922        3,845,798          913        3,845,798          908       19,228,990       4,602 CDBG GF CDBG GF CDBG GF HOPWA HOPWA HOPWA HOPWA HOPWA HOME GF HESG HESG HESG HESG SPECIAL NEEDS ASSISTANCE Child Care Services Subtotal, Child Care Services Senior Services Subtotal, Senior Services Mental Health Services Subtotal, Mental Health Services Subtotal, Public Services Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS AIDS Services of Austin Project Transitions Integral Care ATCIC ASHwell HOPWA ‐ Adm Subtotal, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS HOMELESS ASSISTANCE Tenant‐Based Rental Assistance Subtotal, TBRA HEARTH Emergency Solutions Grant Shelter Operation and Maintenance HMIS Rapid Rehousing Programs ESG ‐ Adm Subtotal, HEARTH Emergency Solutions Grant Subtotal, Homeless Assistance HOMEBUYER ASSISTANCE Down Payment Assistance Subtotal, Down Payment Assistance Subtotal, Homebuyer Assistance HOMEOWNER ASSISTANCE Architectural Barrier Removal ‐ Owner  Minor Home Repair Homeowner Rehabilitation Loan Program                                               758,308 ‐ 758,308 129,052 ‐ 129,052            196,179 ‐ 196,179 1,083,539                             192                ‐          192          125                ‐          125          159                ‐          159          476                                             758,308 ‐ 758,308 129,052 ‐ 129,052            196,179 ‐ 196,179 1,083,539                    192                         ‐          192 120                         ‐          120          159                ‐          159          471                                             758,308 ‐ 758,308 129,052 ‐ 129,052            196,179 ‐ 196,179 1,083,539                             192                ‐          192          115                ‐          115          159                ‐          159          466                                             758,308 ‐ 758,308 129,052 ‐ 129,052            196,179 ‐ 196,179 1,083,539                    188                         ‐          188 110                         ‐          110          159                ‐          159          457                                             758,308 ‐ 758,308 129,052 ‐ 129,052            196,179 ‐ 196,179 1,083,539                    188                         ‐          188 105                         ‐          105          159                ‐          159          452          3,791,540 ‐ 3,791,540                      645,260 ‐ 645,260                         980,895 ‐ 980,895 5,417,695                      952                         ‐          952 575                         ‐          575          795                ‐          795       2,322                                                              1,053,977 1,405,303 158,481 61,631 82,867 2,762,259                                              280 88 70 18          456                                                              1,053,977 1,405,303 158,481 61,631 82,867 2,762,259                                              280 88 70 18          456                                                              1,053,977 1,405,303 158,481 61,631 82,867 2,762,259                                              280 88 70 18          456                                                              1,053,977 1,405,303 158,481 61,631 82,867 2,762,259                                              280 88 70 18          456                                                              1,053,977 1,405,303 158,481 61,631 82,867 2,762,259                                              280 88 70 18          456                                                              5,269,885 7,026,515 792,405 308,155 414,335 13,811,295       1,400          440          350 90                            ‐       2,280                 1,280,112 ‐ 1,280,112             65                ‐             65                 1,280,112 ‐ 1,280,112             65                ‐             65                 1,280,112 ‐ 1,280,112             65                ‐             65                 1,280,112 ‐ 1,280,112             65                ‐             65                 1,280,112 ‐ 1,280,112             65                ‐             65                   6,400,560 ‐ 6,400,560 325                         ‐          325                                                            313,922 21,289 281,863 29,999 647,073          375             50          425                                                            313,922 21,289 281,863 29,999 647,073          375             50          425                                                            313,922 21,289 281,863 29,999 647,073          375             50          425                                                            313,922 21,289 281,863 29,999 647,073          375             50          425                                                            313,922 21,289 281,863 29,999 647,073          375             50          425                                                    1,569,610 106,445 1,409,315 149,995 3,235,365 1,875                      ‐          250                ‐       2,125        1,927,185          490        1,927,185          490        1,927,185          490        1,927,185          490        1,927,185          490         9,635,925       2,450 HOME HOME ‐ PI                               871,337 400,000 1,271,337             15                ‐             15                               871,337 200,000 1,071,337 15                            ‐             15                                  871,337 100,000 971,337             15                ‐             15                       871,337 ‐ 871,337 15                            ‐             15                       871,337 ‐ 871,337 15                            ‐             15                               4,356,685 700,000 5,056,685 75                            ‐             75        1,271,337            15        1,071,337            15            971,337            15            871,337            15            871,337            15         5,056,685            75 CDBG CDBG HOME ‐ PI CDBG         1,210,594             60         1,210,594             60         1,210,594             60         1,210,594             60         1,210,594             60          6,052,970          300            619,405             82            619,405             82            619,405             82            619,405             82            619,405             82          3,097,025          410                       200,000 365,335                ‐               6                       100,000 365,335                ‐               6                         50,000 365,335                ‐               6 ‐ 365,335                ‐               6            ‐ 365,335                ‐               6                                 350,000 1,826,675                ‐             30 1 of 3 FINAL 7/11/2024 Program / Activity Subtotal, Homeowner Rehab Subtotal, Homeowner Assistance HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE Rental Housing Development Assistance Subtotal, Rental Housing Dev Assist Ownership Housing Development Assistance CITY OF AUSTIN CONSOLIDATED PLAN 2025‐2029 July 11, 2024  Funding                  Source CDBG ‐ RL  FY 2024‐25 Plan   FY 2025‐26 Plan   FY 2026‐27 Plan   FY 2027‐28 Plan   FY 2028‐29 Plan   Total of ConPlan Yrs.   New Funding               40,000            605,335  Services                 ‐               6  New Funding               40,000            505,335  Services                 ‐               6  New Funding               40,000            455,335  Services                 ‐               6  New Funding               40,000            405,335  Services                 ‐               6  New Funding               40,000            405,335  Services                 ‐               6  New Funding              200,000          2,376,675  Services                 ‐             30        2,435,334          148        2,335,334          148        2,285,334          148        2,235,334          148        2,235,334          148       11,526,670          740 CDBG HOME HOME ‐ PI HOME (CHDO) GO Bonds HTF HPD UNO CDBG CDBG ‐ RL HOME HTF GO Bonds HOME (CHDO)                                                                                                                                 ‐ ‐  200,000 230,495 ‐  ‐  ‐  ‐  430,495 ‐ 55,000 ‐ ‐ ‐ 230,495 285,495                ‐                ‐               2               4                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐               1               1 ‐ ‐  200,000 230,495 ‐  ‐  ‐  ‐  430,495 ‐ 55,000 ‐ ‐ ‐ 230,495 285,495 ‐                ‐                2               4                              ‐ ‐                               ‐ ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                               ‐ 1                             1 ‐ ‐  200,000 230,495 ‐  ‐  ‐  ‐  430,495 ‐ 55,000 ‐ ‐ ‐ 230,495 285,495                ‐               2               4                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐               1               1 ‐ ‐  200,000 230,495 ‐  ‐  ‐  ‐  430,495 ‐ 55,000 ‐ ‐ ‐ 230,495 285,495                ‐ 2               4                              ‐                ‐ ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                               ‐ 1                             1 ‐ ‐  200,000 230,495 ‐  ‐  ‐  ‐  430,495 ‐ 55,000 ‐ ‐ ‐ 230,495 285,495                ‐               2               4                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐               1               1 ‐ ‐ 1,000,000 1,152,475 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ 2,152,475 ‐ 275,000 ‐ ‐ ‐ 1,152,475 1,427,475 ‐                               ‐             10 20                            ‐ ‐                ‐                               ‐             30 ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                               ‐ 5                             5                                                                                                       6                          6                          6                          6                          6          Subtotal, Ownership Housing Dev Assistance                                                                                                                                 Subtotal, Housing Developer Assistance            715,990               7            715,990               7            715,990               7            715,990               7            715,990               7         3,579,950            35 OTHER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE CHDO Operating Expenses Grants Infrastructure Development Family Business Loan Program HOME (CO)            153,500               2            153,500               2            153,500               2            153,500               2            153,500               2             767,500             10 CDBG         2,500,000     13,480         2,500,000     13,480         2,500,000     13,480         2,500,000     13,480         2,500,000     13,480        12,500,000     67,400 Section 108 Section 108 ‐ PI                      1,750,000 73,526             50                ‐                      1,750,000 73,526 50                            ‐ ‐ ‐                ‐                ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐                               ‐ ‐ ‐                ‐                ‐                      3,500,000 147,052 100                         ‐ Subtotal, Other Community Development Assistance        4,477,026    13,532        4,477,026    13,532        2,653,500    13,482        2,653,500    13,482        2,653,500    13,482       16,914,552    67,510 DEBT SERVICE Subtotal, Debt Service ADMINISTRATION Subtotal, Administration Neighborhood Commercial Mgmt., Debt Service Section 108 ‐ PI            300,000                ‐                ‐            300,000                ‐            300,000                ‐            300,000                ‐          1,500,000                ‐ 300,000 .            300,000                ‐            300,000                ‐            300,000                ‐            300,000                ‐            300,000                ‐         1,500,000                ‐ CDBG CDBG ‐ PI HOME HOME ‐ PI GF                    1,444,718 ‐ 307,327 ‐ ‐ 1,752,045                       ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                    1,444,718 ‐ 307,327 ‐ ‐ 1,752,045        ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                               ‐                    1,444,718 ‐ 307,327 ‐ ‐ 1,752,045                       ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                    1,444,718 ‐ 307,327 ‐ ‐ 1,752,045        ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                               ‐                    1,444,718 ‐ 307,327 ‐ ‐ 1,752,045                       ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                   7,223,590 ‐ 1,536,635 ‐ ‐ 8,760,225         ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                               ‐ TOTAL Programs, Debt Service, and Admin Cost       16,724,715    15,124      16,424,715    15,119      14,451,189    15,064      14,301,189    15,055      14,301,189    15,050       76,202,997    75,412 2 of 3 FINAL 7/11/2024 CITY OF AUSTIN CONSOLIDATED PLAN 2025‐2029 July 11, 2024  Program / Activity  New Funding   Services   New Funding   Services   New Funding   Services   New Funding   Services   New Funding   Services   New Funding   Services   FY 2024‐25 Plan   FY 2025‐26 Plan   FY 2026‐27 Plan   FY 2027‐28 Plan   FY 2028‐29 Plan   Total of ConPlan Yrs.  Funding                  Source FUND SUMMARIES:                   HOPWA HESG CDBG CDBG ‐ PI CDBG ‐ RL HOME HOME (CHDO) HOME (CO) HOME ‐ PI HTF Section 108 ‐ PI Section 108 GO Bonds CIP GF HPD DDDB UNO                                                                                                     2,762,259 647,073 7,223,591 ‐ 95,000 2,458,776 460,990 153,500 800,000 ‐ 373,526 1,750,000 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐          456          425 14,104                    ‐ ‐                            80               5               2               2                ‐                ‐             50                ‐                ‐ ‐                               ‐                ‐                                                                                                     2,762,259 647,073 7,223,591 ‐ 95,000 2,458,776 460,990 153,500 500,000 ‐ 373,526 1,750,000 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐          456          425 14,099     ‐                ‐                            80 5               2               2                              ‐                ‐ 50                            ‐ ‐                ‐                               ‐                ‐                                                                                             2,762,259 647,073 7,223,591 ‐ 95,000 2,458,776 460,990 153,500 350,000 ‐ 300,000 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐          456          425 14,094                    ‐ ‐                            80               5               2               2                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐ ‐                               ‐                ‐                                                                                             2,762,259 647,073 7,223,591 ‐ 95,000 2,458,776 460,990 153,500 200,000 ‐ 300,000 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐          456          425 14,085     ‐                ‐                            80 5               2               2               ‐                               ‐ ‐                               ‐ ‐                ‐                               ‐                ‐                                                                                             2,762,259 647,073 7,223,591 ‐ 95,000 2,458,776 460,990 153,500 200,000 ‐ 300,000 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐          456          425 14,080                    ‐                ‐             80               5               2               2                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐ ‐                               ‐                ‐                                                                                           13,811,295 3,235,365 36,117,955 ‐ 475,000 12,293,880 2,304,950 767,500 2,050,000 ‐ 1,647,052 3,500,000 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐       2,280       2,125 70,462     ‐                               ‐          400             25             10 10             ‐                               ‐ 100          ‐                ‐                ‐                ‐                               ‐                ‐ 0 Totals       16,724,715     15,124       16,424,715     15,119       14,451,189     15,064       14,301,189     15,055       14,301,189     15,050        76,202,997     75,412 3 of 3 FINAL 7/11/2024