SAN ANTONIO — Ever since Bexar County voters approved a $150 million housing bond in May, local organizations have been hard at work to come up with new projects focused on accommodating lower-income residents—including the unsheltered population of approximately 3,000.
Now San Antonio City Council on Thursday will consider allocating nearly $44 million to some of those initiatives. Fourteen in all have been recommended by city committees for the council's consideration, including efforts geared towards rental and homeownership production, in addition to rental unit rehabilitation.
The production and preservation of more than 2,400 units is intended for residents of different income levels.
The Museum Reach Lofts is just one example of a newer complex located in a neighborhood lacking affordable housing. It's welcomed residents since 2020, and the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.
“This community has 94 units that target working families that make 30%, 40% and 50% (of) median area incomes,” said Tina Aranda, deputy director of the Alamo Community Group, a nonprofit that has worked to provide affordable housing and an array of education services for families since 1990.
If approved by City Council, $2 million will assist Alamo Community Group’s $33 million venture to create a 138-unit apartment complex in the Cattleman Square Historic District, which is located near a VIA transit center. The project isn’t expected to be completed until April 2025.
“There’s long waiting lists for voucher programs in the city, and we are experiencing waiting lists at our communities because it is difficult for folks," Aranda said. "When it is affordable rent, they are going to stay there and thrive in the community."
Housing advocates such as Katie Vela of SARAH, or the South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless, say housing affordability impacts the entire community.
“We need a safe place for people to be. School and health and all of these other things that are so critical to a family structure can’t exist without a place to rest their head,” she said. “What’s really worrisome is that we don’t necessarily have a more affordable option for them to move back into once they’ve experienced homelessness.”
Permanent supportive housing RFPs (request for proposal) will be accepted through the end of January. This model of housing provides housing on top of other services, such as on-site medical resources and employment assistance.
SAMMinistries President and CEO Nikisha Baker said continued collaboration among organizations and the city is crucial while a backlog of residents wait to be handed the keys to their new home.
“If we can provide rental assistance for the next 18 months while some of these projects are coming online," Baker added, "then when they get a certificate of occupancy our clients know that they’ve got success in terms of stable housing for the future."
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