Back Up Agenda Item 35_Budget Proposal for Increased Emergency Housing Assistance from the Human Rights Commission — original pdf

Backup

BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Human Rights Commission Recommendation Number: (YYYYMMDD-XXX) (XXX is the agenda item number): Budget Proposal for Increased Emergency Housing Assistance WHEREAS, the City of Austin is facing a housing affordability crisis as data reports show that the overall median rent is now $1,995.00, with the median rent for a one bedroom at $1,387.00 which is 6.4% more expensive than the national average. WHEREAS, even though median rent has fallen in the past year, rental prices are still unsustainable; especially given that the cost of living for Austinites has continued to increase due to national trends such as soaring healthcare costs, grocery bills, and child and dependent care. WHEREAS, Eviction filings in Austin JP Courts reached a record high of 13,210 filings in a single year in 2024, an increase of 26% from 2023, and the State Legislature is currently advancing a bill to weaken what little rights tenants already possess in the state of Texas. WHEREAS, per the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, eviction filings in Austin have soared to over 50% higher than the pre-pandemic average rate, with communities of color drastically more at risk of eviction in a state with some of the country’s weakest protections for renters. WHEREAS, a record 2.1 million renters, more than half of the state’s renter households, are “cost burdened,” meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities per a recent Harvard University study. WHEREAS, the State of Texas shuttered its statewide rent relief program in the summer of 2023 leaving it up to municipalities to act on the growing rental crisis. Austin has stepped up to the plate, most recently in last year’s budget cycle with a $8 million rental assistance and eviction support program through the City of Austin Housing Department’s “I Belong in Austin” program. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Human Rights Commission encourages the Austin City Council to allocate at least another $8 million dollars in rental relief funds and explore all available means in order to create short, medium, and long term solutions for individuals at risk of eviction in Austin. Date of Approval: _____________________________ Record of the vote: Attest: _____________________________________________