HousingWorks Austin January 2017 Newsletter

January 2017 EDITION

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
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Happy New Year! 2017 promises to be both an interesting and pivotal year. At the end of this month, the City of Austin will release the draft of the much-anticipated revision to the Land Development Code, CodeNEXT. The Land Development Code will determine what gets built, where it gets built, and how it gets built for the foreseeable future. It’s an incredible opportunity to realize the vision of Imagine Austin and advance the idea of complete communities.

Of course, HousingWorks is looking at CodeNEXT from an affordability angle. If we can embed affordability into the code, we will further HousingWorks’ vision and goal of “all kinds of homes in all parts of town.”

The public review draft will be released on January 30^th. A draft map (showing where the new zoning categories could be applied) is scheduled to be released on April 18^th. After the draft text is released, the public is welcome and encouraged to provide feedback, ask questions, and suggest changes and revisions. Starting February 1 and into early summer, the City of Austin and the Code Advisory Group will host a variety of events including open houses, topic talks, and office hours. Feedback tools will include an online survey, a code comment tool, online mapping tool, and an outreach toolkit. We want your input!

You can find out more about CodeNEXT on the city’s website: http://www.austintexas.gov/codenext. HousingWorks will provide updates on CodeNEXT (including schedules for public outreach and engagement) via our newsletter, our website, and social media. Keep involved and stay tuned!

Also, this newsletter, includes a video version of the Civic Economics analysis of the return on investment so far for the 2013 affordable housing bonds. Be sure to watch!

-- Mandy De Mayo
Executive Director, HousingWorks Austin

Highlights and commentary about the early success of the 2013 affordable housing bonds

Voters approved the $65 million housing bonds in 2013 to address the affordability crisis in Austin. But, according to a Civic Economics analysis commissioned by HousingWorks, the city will also gain more than $1.3 billion in economic impact from the bonds by 2023. Find out how, and how the bonds are being used so far in this Keep Austin Affordable Video Feature.

On Feb 1 residents will walk through the CodeNEXT timeline and learn how to help improve the new Land Development Code

The draft code roll out event is scheduled for 4 pm, Wednesday, February 1st at the Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road. Parking is free. Find out more about how to get involved with the revision of Austin's Land Development Code at http://www.austintexas.gov/codenext.

Annual homeless census needs 50 more volunteers

The Point in Time Count is an event that helps officials track the demographics of Austin's homeless population. The accuracy of the count is very important as it helps determine and document the need for federal funding opportunities. The daylong event is scheduled to begin at 3 AM on January 28th and the Ending Community Homeless Coalition (ECHO) needs more volunteers. Find more information about the event and the mandatory training sessions that are scheduled on our calendar.

Austin receives grants totaling $6.7 million to tackle homelessness

The fight against homelessness in Austin has had perhaps its best week ever. On Wednesday of last week, it was announced that the city had won a grant worth up to $1.5 million. The money will help the city collect, analyze and share date about its homeless population. Two days later, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Austin a $5.2 million grant to tackle youth homelessness. Read more on our website.

Get Informed, get involved with Austin's goals for Housing

The City of Austin’s department of Neighborhood Housing and Community Development released the Draft of the Strategic Housing plan on December 5, 2016. The plan will provide future goals for affordable housing, suggest strategies to achieve these goals, and establish means by which to assess the accomplishment of the goals. On December 9, staff presented the draft to the City of Austin Housing and Community Development Committee. Staff will seek additional input from the City’s commissions and the public as they move forward with the process of adopting the plan. Click here to view the draft plan.