Affordable Housing San Antonio: How to Qualify

City Council Approves New Projects

In a tremendous bid to enhance living conditions and affordability, San Antonio City Council is all set to introduce hundreds of new affordable houses across the city, with four new projects recently given the green light. The plans are to ensure these projects are widespread around the city, focusing on Districts two, three, four and five.

The new projects will provide over 700 affordable homes for families, and perhaps, an opportunity to transition from precarious living situations, akin to the case of Catherine Brown, a resident of Towne Twin Village, who said, “It’s giving me an opportunity to get out of the homeless shelter.”

Funding for Affordable Housing

The affordable housing developments are financed by a voter-approved 2022 to 2027 bond program. This program, funded to the extent of $1.2 billion, has allocated $150 million solely towards affordable housing. Veronica Garcia, San Antonio’s Neighborhood and Housing Services Department Director, hailed the initiative’s growth and highlighted the significant societal change it has initiated, “We’ve heard from families who are buying their first home, families who’ve been renting for all of their lives. They’ve just started a family and now they’ll be realizing the dream of homeownership for the first time.”

Four New Projects

In June 2024, City Council pledged more than $17 million to fund these four new projects that aim to develop and preserve 929 homes. The projects are not confined to specific districts and can be built across San Antonio.

“In total, we have approved 24 projects for housing bond funds. These 24 projects are all throughout the city. Almost every single council district has a housing bond project because we need affordable housing in all parts of the city,” declared Director Garcia.

District Four Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia echoed the sentiments, “We know that it’s equally distributed. That is exactly what we’re trying to create everywhere.”

Built-in Services and Accessibility

A vital feature of the new housing areas is not just affordable households but also the inclusion of services built alongside them, such as accessible business centers and mentoring opportunities for young residents.

As District Five Councilwoman Teri Castillo explained, “It’s in alignment with the city’s Strategic Housing Implementation Plan, which City Council adopted a couple years ago, and also ensuring that it was near transit corridors, access to jobs and opportunity, and nearby schools.”

The 24 approved projects have ushered in more than 4,000 affordable homes to San Antonio, including over 1,000 for families making less than $24,000 a year, signaling a bold stride towards tremendous social change. Emphasizing the impact of these projects, Councilwoman Castillo added, “As soon as many of these projects complete construction, we know units are starting to get occupied.”