Austin's grand plan to boost affordable housing is sputtering, with the city failing to hit the majority of its set targets mid-way through a decade-long blueprint, reports show that lower-income residents are still struggling to find places to live that won't break the bank. The city's Strategic Housing Blueprint, aimed at adding 60,000 affordable units by 2027, has only managed to scrape together 10,444—a measly 17.41% of its ambitious goal according to the Community Impact.
While well-off Austinites enjoy a construction boom with over 42% of moderate- to high-income housing targets met, the lesser privileged see meager offerings; indeed, for those making under 30% of the median family income, only 363 units have seen completion, glaringly short of the 20,000-unit aim, highlighting an imbalance in housing gains based on income, as the city's median family income leaps annually, as a report on December 20 indicated, per Community Impact.
In stark contrast to the modest progression on lower-income digs, luxe apartments and homes are popping up like wildflowers in the spring, especially in the city's much-coveted districts, where high-end development has become as common as barbeque joints in Texas, however, this trend dramatically tapers off as you head west, where districts like 6, 8, and 10 have barely scratched the surface of their affordable housing quotas, with a big fat zero new affordable units for districts 8 and 10 in 2022 alone, reported by Austin Monitor.
Former Housing Director Rosie Truelove, acknowledging the vastly altered landscape since the blueprint's adoption, stated, "The Housing Department is proud of the achievements that have been made in securing income-restricted housing units across Austin and look forward to continuing to contribute to that aspect of the affordability puzzle." Despite the setbacks and discrepancies, Austin remains focused on housing preservation, successfully keeping over 5,700 lower-income units in the game, striving yet stumbling towards an equitable housing market in a city famous for its live music – and now, its uneven rooftops, stated by Community Impact.
