DEPARTMENT HEAD: Verónica R. Soto, AICP, Neighborhood and Housing Services Department Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUMMARY:
Briefing on major findings of the ForEveryoneHome Needs Assessment
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The ForEveryoneHome initiative is a nationwide anti-displacement and inclusive growth effort undertaken by Grounded Solutions Network (GSN) and sponsored by the Ford Foundation. The initiative’s goal is to help cities develop sound anti-displacement and inclusive growth policies before displacement pressures become too great. San Antonio was one of three cities competitive selected to participate in ForEveryoneHome, along with Winston-Salem, NC and Indianapolis, IN.
Deliverables
The selected cities will receive peer learning opportunities, over 500 hours of policy consulting and technical assistance, assistance with public meeting facilitation, and the following deliverables:
• Phase I; July 2019-January 2019: A needs assessment that identifies current and emerging housing challenges with special attention to needs of low income communities of color
• Phase II; January-May 2020: An anti-displacement agenda with a racial equity focus
• Phase III; May- October 2020: An implementation plan for a high-priority item from the agenda
Core San Antonio Team
The San Antonio ForEveryoneHome leadership team is a mix of city and community leaders including:
• The Office of the Mayor
• Verónica Soto, NHSD Director
• Lourdes Castro-Ramirez, Housing Commission Chair
• Jessica O. Guerrero, Housing Commissioner and Board President of Vecinos de Mission Trails
• Graciela Sanchez, Executive Director of Esperanza Peace and Justice Center
• Tuesdaé Knight, CEO of San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside (SAGE)
• Richard Milk, Director of Policy and Planning for San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA)
Representatives from the Office of Equity, San Antonio Metro Health District, and Development Services Department will also attend. In August, the team selected a Fabiola Torralba as the initiative’s Community Engagement Coordinator. Fabiola has hosted 5 meetings for people experiencing displacement and housing instability.
ISSUE:
The San Antonio Team’s consultant, Sasha Hauswald, will provide a briefing on the ForEveryoneHome Needs assessment including major findings. The findings include that low-income individuals and families - especially those earning 50% AMI or below - are vulnerable to being displaced from their home due to:
- Mortgage foreclosure
- Eviction
- Rising market-rate rents
- Low-cost and affordable rental units that convert to higher-end housing through sale, renovations, or redevelopment (also called reverse-filtering or loss of affordability)
- Mobile home park closures due to code enforcement or sale/redevelopment
- Homes and low-cost rental units falling into severe disrepair and becoming uninhabitable
- Predatory home-buying that takes advantage of vulnerable families with clouded title to the property and/or rising homeownership expenses such as property taxes and repairs.
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact at this time.
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is for briefing purposes only.