City Of San Antonio: A New Vision For Meeting Current & Future Housing Needs: City Council Approves Strategic Housing Implementation Plan

San Antonio TX

23 December, 2021

11:29 AM

Description

Press release from the City of San Antonio: December 16, 2021 CONTACT: Giovanna Berrocal, 210-207-2098 [email protected] San Antonio (December 16th, 2021) – San Antonio City Council today voted in support of the Strategic Housing Implementation Plan (SHIP), a 10-year, cross-organizational vision for affordable housing. The SHIP is a plan to stabilize households in need by preserving or creating over 28,000 homes and raising household incomes over the next ten years. The plan builds off the Housing Policy Framework which was accepted by council in 2018 to prioritize affordable housing development and preservation in the community. The plan was developed in collaboration with roughly 80 stakeholders representing over an 18-month process. These stakeholders along with consultants and City staff developed 36 strategies for the SHIP, drawing from other city plans and initiatives that related to housing as often as possible. The SHIP makes connections to the Homeless Strategic Plan, Climate Action & Adaptation Plan, ForEveryoneHome anti-displacement initiative, and more. Staff engaged community stakeholders, leaders and the public through surveys and public meetings. The SHIP has been endorsed by the City's Housing Commission, who guided its development, as well as the Real Estate and Operations Committee of the San Antonio Housing Authority. In the coming months, it will be presented to the San Antonio Housing Trust, San Antonio Housing Authority and Bexar County. These entities, in coordination with the City, will work together to meet the goals of the SHIP and report on progress. "The SHIP represents a collective vision around affordable housing issues that uses our community partnerships in a collaborative way to find solutions to our most pressing housing needs. This plan lays the framework and identifies the strategies to help those with the most housing needs," stated City Manager Erik Walsh. The Strategic Housing Implementation Plan identifies 95,000 households that are cost burdened with no affordable option to them within the Bexar County. To meet this need, the SHIP proposes a combination of approaches including income-boosting job training programs, connecting residents to available assistance programs, exploring private sector solutions such as accessory dwelling units and room sharing, and building and preserving over 28,000 affordable housing units. The revised housing targets are focused on households earning at or below 30% of the area median income, or about $20,000 for a household of three. Some of the stakeholder-developed strategies within the SHIP include a demolition diversion program, production of permanent supportive housing units, a community land trust, and holistic financial counseling. "The Strategic Housing Implementation Plan is a vision for meeting the housing needs of the people in our community who are of greatest need" said Veronica Soto, FAICP, Director of the Neighborhood & Housing Services Department. "Though the adoption of the SHIP marks the end of a long planning process, in many ways it's also just the beginning. We look forward to hitting the ground running on each of the strategies in the plan." The plan received City Council support which allows the City to start planning for the implementation of these strategies. To find a copy of the plan, track our progress, or request to be involved going forward, residents can go to www.sanantonio.gov/SHIP or call 210-207-7950. This press release was produced by the City of San Antonio. The views expressed here are the author's own.