Five projects were selected to provide affordable housing solutions for those in most need.
San Antonio, Texas (April 27, 2021) – After a competitive application process, the San Antonio Housing Trust Fund and Foundation is awarding a total of $2,732,340 to five projects that will expand and preserve affordable housing options in San Antonio. Evaluation of project applications was measured against the Trust’s goals of equity, economic inclusion, and ethnic diversity.
“This $2.73 million from the San Antonio Housing Trust will provide critical housing infrastructure for San Antonio,” said Pedro Alanis, Executive Director of the San Antonio Housing Trust Foundation. “It allows us to not only promote equitable revitalization in our communities but supports innovative approaches to tackling affordable housing needs in our community’’.
Since 1991, the San Antonio Housing Trust Foundation has provided financial assistance for projects designed to support the City of San Antonio’s efforts to produce and preserve affordable housing. This year, funds were made available to non-profits and social enterprises whose applications demonstrated solutions for low-income housing that supported inequitably disadvantaged populations such as such elderly, persons with physical or mental disabilities, low-income families with children, homeless, chronically ill, or other economically disadvantaged populations.
As part of the competitive request for applications (RFA), the following projects were awarded funds:
1. Roseville Trust – $900,000
The Roseville Housing Trust shall provide a $1.94 million ADA compliant rehabilitation of the 88 unit, extremely low income, elderly property, Roseville Apartments, located at 4139 E. Houston. The project will provide ADA and energy efficient improvements as well as updated breaker panels, cabinetry, tile flooring, and painting. The Roseville Trust is a 501(c)(4), which was initially formed in November of 1966 by the Alpha Tau Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the oldest Greek letter organization for African American women in the United States. The Roseville Apartments was built and opened in 1971 with a $1 million HUD Grant. The well-maintained property has been serving very low-income seniors for past 50 years. One of the original tenants is still a Roseville Trust resident.
The Roseville Apartments accepts seniors up to 50% AMI, 94% of current residents have incomes below $10,000 per year. The Roseville team provides a full suite of Senior activities and services that include Meals on Wheels, Food Bank participation, monthly and daily senior activities in their community center (pre/post covid).
2. Housing First Community Coalition – $829,000
Housing First Community Coalition’s Town Twine Village, a community of tiny homes and RV trailers that prioritizes permanent housing for seniors experiencing homelessness, will receive $829,000 in funding from the Trust’s competitive RFA. Funds will be used to construction 20 tiny homes as part of Phase I for this 17.3-acre community at 4711 Dietrich Rd. This phase will ultimately provide 42 tiny homes, 25 RV trailers, a chapel, pavilion, and centralized laundry, as well as onsite services and activities.
3. Esperanza Community Land Trust – $300,000
The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center shall create the Esperanza Community Land Trust, designed to permanently preserve existing low‐income housing in San Antonio’s Historic Westside. The Trust will acquire and renovate older westside homes and rent/resell them to persons at or below 30% AMI. The Esperanza Community Land Trust will also establish a Demolition Emergency Fund to work with households whose homes are at risk for demolition. In first year, the Esperanza Trust will renovate and rent the 3 newly acquired homes to families from the Westside and shall intervene on the demolition of 8‐10 existing homes, thus preventing neighborhood displacement of 11‐13 families. In exchange for the demolition intervention and renovations, the property will be required join the Community Land Trust thus allowing the families to remain in their homes and permanently ensuring affordability. This community land trust and demolition prevention model will be the first in San Antonio.
4. Our Casas Resident Council – $239,340
Our Casas Resident Council is constructing five new single-family homes for first time home buyers. This infill construction effort will provide new quality affordable housing near Zarzamora Street, just East of Apache Creek on San Antonio’s Westside, creating new housing opportunities and provide positive outcomes for families with children and seniors.
5. Habitat for Humanity – $200,000
The San Antonio Housing Trust is contributing $200,000 towards Habitat for Humanity’s Rancho Carlota Subdivision on Watson Rd, in Southwest San Antonio. This community will offer single family homes to create new housing opportunities, provide positive outcomes for children, meet demand for three-to-four-bedroom units, create permanent affordability, and design sustainable units.
Housing First Community Coalition will receive an additional $264,000 as part of the Trust’s Executive Director’s Challenge. This challenge supports pilot projects and creative initiatives that help to address San Antonio’s most difficult housing challenges. Funds from the San Antonio Housing Trust will be used to provide two years of rent subsidy to 18 tenants at 0-30% AMI income and will help kick off the “adopt a home” campaign to fundraise private funds to continue the effort.
