Austin, Texas — The City of Austin’s Housing and Planning Department, in partnership with HousingWorks Austin, have released the first set of scorecards that analyze and track the community’s progress towards affordable housing goals set forth in the Strategic Housing Blueprint. The Blueprint Scorecards show that the Austin community is making progress towards the 10-year goals outlined in the Strategic Housing Blueprint adopted in 2017, but significant work remains.

The Scorecards measure goals outlined in the Strategic Housing Blueprint including ensuring the creation, preservation, and equitable spread of affordable housing units across our City, while aiming to create affordability accessible to a wide range of incomes.

The Blueprint Scorecards may be viewed online here.

Additionally, these first-ever reporting scorecards grade each goal with “Making Progress”, “Slow Progress”, and “Losing Ground” indicators to clearly and quickly determine the progress made that year towards achieving that goal.

“HousingWorks Austin consulted many community partners to track development patterns in Austin since the adoption of the Strategic Housing Blueprint,” said Nora Linares-Moeller, Executive Director at HousingWorks Austin. “Austin has made some progress toward meeting goals to provide housing affordable to households earning 60% Median Family Income and above. However, much work remains to address the significant need for more housing dedicated to families experiencing chronic homelessness and those earning below 60% MFI.”

Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint Overview

The City’s first Strategic Housing Blueprint, adopted by Council in 2017, is a 10-year plan to help align resources and facilitate community partnerships around a single, strategic vision to create 60,000 affordable housing units to those making less than 80% of the median family income and ensure that there is affordable housing throughout the city. The Blueprint establishes a clear timeframe with which to track progress, outline clear, numeric and trackable goals, build partnerships, and identify needed resources and funding mechanisms.

The Strategic Housing Blueprint identifies five community values that are reflected in the seven housing goals outlined in the Blueprint. The community values are:

• Prevent households from being priced out of Austin; 
• Foster equitable, integrated, and diverse communities; 
• Invest in housing for those most in need; 
• Create new and affordable housing choices for all Austinites in all parts of Austin; and,
• Help Austinites reduce their household costs. 

Blueprint Scorecard

The Scorecard analyses and tracks progress toward achieving the seven housing goals that are key to implementing the Blueprint. This annually reported scorecard can help Austin track its efforts to sustainably achieve affordability goals, expand housing opportunities, and ensure Austin remains a livable city for all.

Current reporting data shows Austin has made considerable progress towards achieving strategic housing goals, but significant work remains. To achieve these goals would require leveraging existing funding sources, increasing future funding opportunities, ensuring that existing regulations and programs align with affordability goals, and expanding collaborations with non-profit and private sector partners. Continued progress also depends on a strong community commitment, such as the voter approval of Project Connect in 2020, which includes $300 million for anti-displacement activities, to address the needs of the most vulnerable and create a more equitable and inclusive Austin.

Scorecard Presentations

The Housing and Planning Department, along with HousingWorks Austin, will present the Scorecards to the Planning Commission on January 26 and the City Council Housing and Planning Committee on February 23.  

To learn more about the Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint and to view the Blueprint Scorecards for 2018 and 2019 in full, visit: austintexas.gov/blueprint

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