SAN ANTONIO — City of San Antonio leaders are working with federal partners to address housing barriers, particularly as it pertains to the Latino community.
According to research by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, only half of Hispanic households are homeowners in the U.S. On Thursday, Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) hosted the housing forum to discuss the factors why.
“It impacts so many people in our community, especially the west side,” said Dr. Yolanda Rodriguez-Escobar, who leads the Center for Mexican American Studies and Research. “The very title of this forum is ‘Mi Casa es su Casa,’ and that’s a very common saying. It means when anyone comes to visit you, you’re inviting them into your home. That’s important.”
Rodriguez-Escobar says poverty is preventing Latinos from buying their first home, especially as mortgage rates soar to a 23-year high.
"A lot of banks or mortgage companies don't want to take a chance,” she said. “They say, 'Oh no, [you] don't make enough money.' But they would be surprised at how hardworking Latinos can be, especially the immigrant population. They save and are able to pay cash even.”
The OLLU professor emeritus says getting Latinos into their first home isn’t the only struggle. It’s also a challenge to keep families in place.
"Gentrification is happening all around us, but it's even happening on the west side,” Rodriguez-Escobar said.
On the west side, you’ll find boarded-up houses. Investors also buy properties to flip them, which raises home values and property taxes.
That's why San Antonio is investing in its barrios, according to City Councilwoman Adriana Rocha-Garcia.
"The most affordable housing we have is the current housing stock,” Rocha-Garcia said.
Voters approved a historic $150 housing bond which Rocha-Garcia says will increase affordable housing units in the city, help homeowners pay for repairs and assist first-time buyers.
"We have dedicated funding to mortgage assistance,” she said.
The senior advisor for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was a panelist at Thursday’s event. Cindy Nava says her goal is to make federal housing programs more accessible through Spanish messaging.
The former Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient recently became a homeowner herself.
"First generation, first in my family,” said Nava. "I grew up living in apartments. So, my family moved every other year. I never knew what it was like to grow up in a home with a backyard. It’s the American dream. I bought my home during the pandemic and it was a dream come true because, yes, it’s a life-long investment. It’s bittersweet, though, because my parents don’t have a house. So, this is critically important at the family level. It’s empowering.”
For a list of San Antonio housing programs, click HERE.
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