FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2018
Austin, Texas — In response to Austin’s housing crisis, fourteen local community organizations announced today their support of a $300 million housing bond for the City of Austin this fall. The endorsing organizations include the following:
- AURA
- Austin Democratic Socialists of America
- Austin Justice Coalition
- ADAPT of Texas
- Austin Cooperative Business Association
- Austin Tenants Council
- Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association
- Family Eldercare
- Friends of Austin Neighborhoods
- Left Up to Us
- Texas Alliance for Retired Americans
- Texas Appleseed
- Texas Low Income Housing Information Service
- Workers Defense Action Fund
These organizations advocate for a broad variety of issues including criminal justice reform, immigrant justice, low-wage workers’ rights, transit, and more. They have joined together in support of the largest housing bond ever proposed to support Austin families and prevent further displacement. A $300 million bond will provide thousands of homes for working class families, help struggling homeowners stay in their neighborhoods, and will create thousands of construction jobs with wage and safety protections.
“The only long-term way to preserve affordability for thousands of low and moderate income Austinites is to take more housing off the speculative real estate market and reserve it for need, not profit,” says Austin DSA Co-Chair Glenn Scott. “A minimum of $300 million is needed to begin to address this gap.”
Nina Rinaldi, AURA Board President, says “With the 2018 bond, we have the opportunity to live our values as a city. To truly be an inclusive city, we need to make sure we build enough housing so that longtime residents and newcomers alike have a place to live. The market won’t build enough on its own; we need public investment to ensure homes for people from all income levels.”
“Working class communities have been demanding bold solutions for affordable housing for decades,” says Chas Moore, Executive Director and Founder of Austin Justice Coalition. “It is time to take this unprecedented step towards fighting displacement and integrating Austin.”
The coming together of these organizations reveals a broad base of support for affordable housing and a shared community value of ending displacement in Austin.
“I’m proud that organizations representing a wide variety of interests have joined together to support a $300 million housing bond,” said Council Member Greg Casar. “Austin is ready to take an aggressive approach to confront our affordable housing crisis.”
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Austin Justice Coalition (AJC) is a community organization that focuses on improving the quality of life for people who are Black, Brown, and poor. Since 2015, AJC has served as a catalyst for positive change towards economic and racial equity for Austin’s people of color in the areas of education, policing, civic engagement, and community building.
Austin DSA is the local branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, the largest socialist organization in the United States, and is committed to building a democratically run economy and society that serves the needs of all.
AURA is an all-volunteer grassroots urbanist organization focused on building an Austin for everyone by improving land use and transportation through policy analysis, public involvement, and political engagement.
Contacts:
Chas Moore, Austin Justice Coalition, chasmoore@austinjustice.org, 713-459-2333
Michael Nachbar, Austin DSA, michael.l.nachbar@gmail.com, 302-545-9252
Nina Rinaldi, AURA, nina.dolcia@gmail.com, 541-908-0759
Shelby Alexander, Council Member Greg Casar, shelby.alexander@austintexas.gov, 512-978-2157