The San Antonio Housing Trust was first a $10M Trust Fund established by the City of San Antonio in the late 1980’s to help fund affordable housing projects in the City’s inner core. The Trust Board of Trustees subsequently established the SAHT Foundation 501(c)(3) to manage the activities of the Trust Fund. Over the years, the City of San Antonio established a Public Facility Corporation and Finance Corporation and authorized the San Antonio Housing Trust Foundation to manage the activities of these two public corporations. Collectively, these four entities are simply referred to as the “San Antonio Housing Trust” whose mission is to create and preserve housing that is affordable, accessible, attainable, and/or sustainable.
SAHT utilizes the various financial tools to help finance the creation or preservation of affordable housing in San Antonio. We achieve our mission through partnering with the development communities to reduce property tax obligations allowing lower rents for residents of those communities. Our PFC and Finance Corporation can issue tax exempt debt in support of affordable housing developments. Our Trust and Foundation provides grants and loans to non-profit entities who create and preserve affordable housing. In addition, we can acquire land to preserve for future housing, advise on local housing initiatives, educate policymakers on housing related issues, and provide technical assistance to local non-profits and public entities.
No. However, at newly built SAHT affiliated properties, there may be emergency rental assistance specifically for low-income tenants at those specific properties. Our residents should contact their property manager about the program.
We have a “Resident Resources” page on our website that provides helpful links to organizations that may provide rental assistance, financial assistance, or other types of household assistance.
No, we do not provide direct opportunities for homeownership. Please contact the City of San Antonio Neighborhood & Housing Services for Homeownership programs at 210-207-6459 or visit their website.
A list of SAHT affordable housing properties and other affordable housing options can be searched at Housingbasesanantonio.com.
Area Median Income (AMI) is a key metric in the affordable housing industry. All over the country, communities build housing affordable for different levels of income using AMI as calculated annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD sometimes refers to AMI as “Median Family Income” (MFI), which is based on a four-person household.
AMI is important because it determines eligibility for HUD’s housing programs and assistance. Please visit HUD’s website for more information: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il.html#faq_2024
No. SAHT affiliated properties are not Public Housing.
Public Housing is a federal housing program that began in 1937. Opportunity Home and the Bexar County Housing Authority are two entities locally that build, maintain, and/or provide public housing in San Antonio.
The San Antonio Housing Trust and our partners builds apartment communities that provide reduced rents (from market) that are reserved for residents at various income levels. We do accept all types of income at most properties including Veteran (VASH), Housing Choice Voucher, and other emergency vouchers, etc… Our properties are listed on our website here.
Yes, all the properties currently in construction and most of the properties in our portfolio accept the Housing Choice Voucher. However, this is dependent on whether the asking rent is allowed by the entity administering the voucher. Applicants must pass the apartment communities tenant selection criteria.
For a list of our existing projects and projects under construction check out our website at www.sahousingtrust.org. Under the “Work with Us” tab on the top of the page, there is a drop-down menu of “What We’ve Done” and “What We’re Working On”.
It’s simply a home that you can afford. If you are paying more than 30% of your gross income on mortgage or rent costs, then you are considered cost burdened. If you are paying more than 50% of your gross income on mortgage or rent costs, then you are considered severely burdened. Fundamentally, this is the reason we have a housing crisis… Not enough housing options that people can afford…
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is permanent housing that provides housing assistance and supportive services to assist individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness achieve housing stability. This combination of housing and supportive services is designed to build independent living, life skills and connect people with support such as community-based health care, treatment, and employment services. The City of San Antonio Human Services Department website has information on PSH.
SAHT partners with non-profit and for-profit developers to preserve existing affordable housing stock or build new affordable housing units. These developments may serve either families, older adults, or other populations in need of high quality, dignified, and affordable housing.
SAHT has begun requiring our newly built developments to increase the number of accessible units and build to new universal design standards. Many are in construction today. A list of our properties can be found here.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines low-income households as families or individuals whose combined annual income does not exceed 80% of the area median income (AMI). However, the City of San Antonio has narrowed this to 60% AMI locally.
HUD defines very low-income households as families or individuals whose combined annual income does not exceed 50% of the median family income for the area.
HUD defines very low-income households as families or individuals whose combined annual income does not exceed the greater of 30% of the median family income for the area, or the federal poverty guidelines published by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Our goal is to create or preserve housing that is affordable for residents at all income levels. The demand for affordable housing is so high, our non-profit community cannot build enough affordable homes to meet that demand on their own. So, we negotiate with highly qualified development teams who meet our housing targets and policy goals while
producing high quality homes with income and rent limits primarily for lower income families and individuals. Our team consists of housing finance and legal experts who ensure the community realizes a solid return for your public investment.
A PFC is one type of public corporation created under Texas Law by a sponsoring governmental entity — a city, county, school district, housing authority, or special district. PFC’s have broad powers over public facilities, including financing, acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, renovation and repair. PFC’s are not just created for affordable housing, but many types of facilities that are considered public. The San Antonio Housing Trust PFC specifically focuses on affordable housing.
No. SAHT typically partners or provides special financing to build housing for all types of needs. For instance, family focused properties, housing for older adults, veteran centric housing, housing for persons experiencing homelessness, and other special needs. Our properties can be found on our website here.
No. The San Antonio Housing Trust (SAHT) was created by the City of San Antonio on September 8, 1988. Today, our entities are governed by a Board of Trustees/Directors consisting of 5 City Council members and 6 Community Members who serve at the approval of the San Antonio City Council.
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program is a Federal Program administered by the US Treasury Department. Tax credits are awarded annually to states based on their population. The Texas Department of Community Affairs (TDHCA) oversees the awarding of tax credits and the monitoring/compliance of properties that have received LIHTC awards. Developers apply annually for LIHTC awards. The developer then sells the tax credits to an investor. Funds received from the investor are combined with bank debt and any other funding from a city, state, and/or federal programs to cover the cost of construction. Once constructed, there is a regulatory agreement and Land Use Restriction Agreement filed against the property to ensure that income and rent restrictions remain in place for the full compliance period (typically 35 years or more). The State of Texas then conducts compliance on the project.
Universal Design is a design process to ensure accessibility for all people, regardless of age, disability, and background.
The San Antonio Housing Trust created a committee composed of community members living with various forms of disabilities, housing design experts, and housing development professionals to develop a set of inclusive and universal design standards that would provide more equitable multifamily housing for SAHT partnered developments.
The Multi-Family Universal Design is intended to engage architectural teams directly by instructing specific design elements, including site based considerations, building components, interior spaces, and dwelling units. The effective date of the standards is June 1, 2024, for all new SAHT partnered and owned multifamily rental communities. A copy of our Design Standards can be found on our website here.
Public Notice – Possible Quorum – 2026 TAAHP Conference
Now Hiring: Contracts and Procurement Analyst
Request for Proposals: Development of Midcrown and Eisenhauer Site
