For anyone experiencing homelessness in search of a stable place to live, please contact Austin ECHO (Ending Community Homelessness Coalition) for a Coordinated Assessment. Details and access information are available at www.austinecho.org/gethelp.  

For questions about Live Make apartment services and how to set up a lease, please contact Valhalla Management at 737-367-8604 or email livemake@managevalhalla.com.  

AUSTIN, TX – The City of Austin Housing Department and Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) celebrate the opening of Live Make Apartments, a 66-unit affordable multi-family rental housing community for vulnerable populations, including artists with and without disabilities, and individuals transitioning out of homelessness. Located in District 3 at 1127 Tillery Street, the 2.65-acre property also includes 8,000 square feet of community and creative spaces, including a painting studio, ceramic studio, community classroom, public art gallery, and community kitchen. For inquiries about leasing, contact Valhalla Management. 

“Live Make meets a critical need for affordable and accessible housing in Austin,” explains Mandy DeMayo, Interim Director of the Housing Department. “This community is a powerful example of how public investment, creative partnerships, and intentional design can come together to support Austinites with disabilities, artists, and individuals transitioning out of homelessness. We’re proud to be part of a development that provides deeply affordable homes and fosters independence, dignity, and community.” 

Live Make was intentionally designed to support and empower individuals with disabilities for independent living. The apartments are anchored by Imagine Art’s nonprofit offices and programming that fosters community connection, provides support, and promotes engagement and leadership development on campus. This development was crafted with input from the Govalle Neighborhood Association, in harmony with the adjacent historic Tillery Pecan Grove, which was acquired by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) as designated parkland. 

Imagine Art sign outside of Live Make Apartments	Live Make art gallery

“The Imagine Art community has widened its net to welcome the new artists and residents who are moving into Live Make Apartments. It has been a delight to host activities in the common area where residents are sharing food and building new relationships,” said Debbie Kizer, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Imagine Art. “The Imagine Art community started dreaming about this project in 2016 and 10 years later here we are cutting the ribbon.”   

The impact 

Live Make, through Imagine Art, serves a community of artists and non-artists who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind, blind, living with intellectual developmental disabilities (IDD), Autism, physical and mental health disabilities. All units are available to households earning 30%, 50%, and 60% Area Median Income (AMI) with 15 ADA mobility units and A/V for Deaf or visually impaired individuals and 15 Continuum of Care (CoC) units, making this development a first of its kind in Austin.  

“Building Live Make Apartments has been a labor of love,” explains Teresa Bowyer, Founder of Citrine Development. “We are excited to see residents moving in and accessing the many opportunities that this campus has to offer.” 

Live+Make ceramics studios 

Live Make is located within half a mile of public transit and will be managed by Valhalla Management. Imagine Art will run the ground floor community and arts space, including painting and ceramics studios, along with a café offering free meals to residents. They will also provide supportive services, including a food pantry, home chore assistance, and programs for job readiness, fine art production training, micro-business development, and peer support to help residents thrive in the community. 

Development funding

Live Make's total development cost was about $19,750,000. The site received $6,500,000 from the AHFC, comprising $6,203,000 in 2018 General Obligation (GO) Bonds and $297,000 from the Housing Trust Fund. The development also secured an award of 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), which generated over $9 million in equity from its sale to Red Stone Equity Partners. LIHTC is a federal program enabled by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and allocated to each state. In Texas, the TDHCA administers tax credits. 

Resources for affordable housing are available online at www.austintexas.gov/housing.
To learn more about homelessness in Austin, please visit www.austintexas.gov/homelessness. 

About the City of Austin Housing Department 

The City of Austin Housing Department provides equitable and comprehensive housing solutions, community development, and displacement prevention services to enhance the quality of life of all Austinites. To access affordable housing and community resources, visit www.austintexas.gov/housing. 

About the Austin Housing Finance Corporation 

The Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) was created as a public, non-profit corporation and instrumentality of the City of Austin. The mission of the AHFC is to generate and implement strategic housing solutions for the benefit of low- and moderate-income residents of the City of Austin. 

About Imagine Art 

Imagine Art is on mission to leverage art and place; empowering artists with disabilities who become creative catalysts for changing systems of day habilitation; long-term care, peer support, and affordable housing.  This is a community of creatives whose aim is social justice and systems change. They have established model programs – an art based vocational program, a healthcare program, a peer support certification program, a community kitchen – all of which are now integrated into this single address – Live Make – the place where this creative community aims to demonstrate the power of creative placemaking, changing people, places and systems.   

About MRE Capital 

MRE Capital is an affordable housing developer with over a decade of experience securing capital, building, and operating affordable housing in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, and Kansas. MRE currently has over 25 affordable housing developments across six states. 

About Citrine Development 

Citrine Development is a woman-owned affordable housing consultant and development partner based in Austin, Texas. Its principal, Teresa Bowyer, has 15 years of experience, during which she has led the development of more than 1,000 affordable and mixed-income units in rental and ownership communities across Texas using a variety of funding programs - including LIHTC, private activity bonds, CDBG-DR, and HOME. Citrine is a City of Austin and State of Texas certified Historically Underutilized Business (HUB).