Williamson County commissioners voted June 3 to make access to affordable housing in the county a high priority, a step that allows organizations such as Habitat for Humanity the ability to receive funding from the county's Community Development Block Grant.

The CDBG is a federal grant distributed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. The county received $1.25 million in CDBG funding, which will be used to pay for projects for the 2014–15 fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, said Sally Bardwell, Williamson County community grants coordinator. The county typically receives the same amount in CDBG funding annually, she said.

The commissioners' vote updated the county's consolidated plan, which serves as a guide for how the CDBG's funding will be distributed through 2018.

HUD data indicates the number and percentage of renters and homeowners who may be subject to housing problems related to housing needs and defined income limits. It showed that the current recession has increased the number of households experiencing housing affordability problems.

Williamson County officials used HUD's information to assess the affordabiliy of the area's rental units and single-family homes based on demographic, economic and housing criteria.

"We obviously have to have more affordable housing," said Nikki Brennan, executive director of the Georgetown Housing Authority. "I think [the need is] pretty much all over Williamson County."

In Williamson County more than 500 people are on the public housing waiting list, and more than 600 are waiting to receive assistance through the housing choice voucher program.

Prioritization of affordable housing means CDBG funds will go to efforts that expand the supply and improve the condition of affordable and lower-income housing as well as the activities that leverage public and private resources.

In accordance with this, Commissioner Valerie Covey motioned to reallocate $100,000 of CDBG funding for city of Georgetown projects to Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County projects throughout the county.

"[Habitat is] in the process of looking at different areas to continue what they do, and I really support them a lot because it's sweat equity and it gets properties that are just sitting there—some of which need to be cleaned up—back on the tax roll," Covey said.

Covey said she felt it was important for Habitat to have access to the money in case land becomes available.

Habitat is building homes throughout Williamson County, said Debbie Hoffman, Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County executive director.

"We finished building on our last lot in Round Rock on June 8," Hoffman said. "The family purchased the home from us at zero percent interest on June 11."

The organization has a handful of anticipated projects that would continue into early 2015. The next house scheduled to be built is in Jarrell, and construction began in July, Hoffman said.

"From there we will be building in Leander and Taylor over the next 12 months," she said. "In addition to the new construction homes mentioned, we are completing repairs on homes owned by families whose income is at 50 percent or below the median income for Williamson County."

Habitat also has three other undeveloped lots on Moonglow Drive in Leander; however, not all of its land comes from county funding.

"We obtain land through city partnerships, individuals and other funds," Hoffman said. "We have plans to build two more houses in Leander before June 2015. Right now we are raising funds for the second of the two scheduled."

She said the first of these homes is scheduled to be built in the fall, and the second will be built in early spring.

Solutions

Affordable housing is defined as shelter costing lower-income residents no more than 30 percent of their household income—either to rent or the mortgage, taxes and homeowners insurance on a home, Brennan said.

Each year a fair market rent, or FMR, is published by HUD to establish an area's average rent, she said. In Williamson County and the Austin area the FMR for a one-bedroom apartment is $853, which means a household must earn an hourly income of $16.41 to afford the apartment, according to HUD.

"Our backbone of the community as far as retail workers, construction workers and even teachers are not making this kind of money," Brennan said.

Area cities are taking different approaches to developing an affordable housing solution. Leander, for example, is turning to transportation.

"Our number one way of addressing affordability in the future will be having housing built around the rail station because it will have easy access to public transport, which is going to be a much more sustainable way of addressing affordability" City Councilman Dave Siebold said.

Siebold said Leander's plan helps give people the option to live in a suburban area while maintaining a job in Austin. By living near public transportation hubs, the option of eliminating a car expense becomes available.

"That's a monthly expense that you don't have, and that money can go to other things," he said.

Although Cedar Park does not have low-income housing locations or Habitat homes, the city does try to maintain a percentage of residences as affordable housing.

"Cedar Park has a wide variety of home prices within the community," Cedar Park Director of Community Affairs Katherine Woerner said. "Approximately 24 percent of homes in Cedar Park are valued at $149,000 or less, which provides opportunity for homebuyers at all income levels."

Woerner said the median home value in Cedar Park is $187,400 and the city does have multiple apartment complexes with income-sensitive units.