After years of delay, Austin plans to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to assist lower- and middle-income tenants facing displacement this year.
The support will come through the city's Tenant Relocation Program, set up years ago by City Council. At the time, officials said they aimed to address the growing trend of renter relocations linked to the surge in new construction and redevelopment that often affect existing spaces available at an affordable level. Action taken last year provided $700,000 to the tenant program, the first city funding received since its creation.
In 2016, city officials passed a measure that established the assistance program and set requirements for warning tenants if their home is lined up for demolition or redevelopment. Council said at the time the focus was needed as those being pushed out cannot easily find comparable living spaces while the local cost of living grows.
"To the extent that low-income tenants displaced by development are eventually able to find affordable units in the city of Austin, the time and cost associated with relocation have increased substantially. These impacts are destabilizing to some of Austin's most vulnerable populations, including low-income families and individuals; single parents and families of school-aged children; and residents over the age of 65, on fixed incomes, or with disabilities," council wrote in the 2016 ordinance.
