In a move to address the growing housing affordability crisis, District 5 Councilmember Teri Castillo has presented new initiatives to the city of San Antonio. Standing alongside fellow politicians and community leaders, the councilmember unveiled policy proposals at the City Hall steps, aiming to streamline affordable housing development and rehab within the city. Noteworthy among the new initiatives are the Community Land Trust (CLT) Tiered Affordability and the Stay SA policy requests.
As reported by the official City of San Antonio website, these policies are hitting the ground at a critical time for San Antonio's housing market. The CLT Tiered Affordability policy focuses on prioritizing the distribution of unused city-owned land to organizations committed to developing deeply affordable housing. Meanwhile, the Stay SA initiative is set to review construction processes to fast-track affordable housing production, as well as to seek solutions for maintaining and increasing affordable housing units. "San Antonio needs housing now," said the Councilmember. "If implemented, these policies may help San Antonio build and rehabilitate more units and realize its affordable housing and supportive housing goals sooner while helping more families accomplish the dream of owning homes they can comfortably afford."
According to the City of San Antonio's news release, one in two renters and one in four homeowners in the city spend at least 30% of their salary on housing costs. The importance of increasing the affordable housing stock extends beyond the cost of living for families—it's also tied to the sustainability of other community institutions. "By creating and preserving affordable housing throughout our inner city, we can make it easier for our former students to raise a family in the neighborhoods they grew up in and give their kids the opportunity to learn in the classroom they once did," Harlandale ISD Superintendent Geraldo Soto told the City of San Antonio.
Enrollment studies and the latest report on homelessness serve as stark illustrations of the housing crunch. San Antonio ISD notes that high housing costs and the scarcity of affordable options are driving families away, impacting school enrollment. Moreover, the 2024 State of Homelessness report indicates a 6.8% year-on-year rise in homelessness, partly blamed on inflating housing costs. Robert Hernandez, a local organizer, underlined the necessity for policies that prevent working-class residents from being priced out of their own neighborhoods.
The council will further dissect the proposed policies in committee meetings before potentially landing on the full council agenda for development and consideration. Those interested can delve into the policy texts available on the City Council Consideration Requests website. Stabilization and affordability are the end goals, as the CLT model – where the trust owns the land and homeownership only pertains to the house itself – offers a promising solution. This kind of setup resulted in lower foreclosure rates in the past, counterbalancing neighborhood price surges and thus providing a degree of economic shelter for community members, as evidenced by research mentioned by the city's news release.
