State agency, helping area low income tenants secure decent housing

AUSTIN — Realizing that helping low income residents of rural Texas secure decent affordable rental housing is the first step to setting them on the path toward self-sufficiency, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs has announced a major funding award to a regional non-profit organization serving a five-county area to help eligible individuals obtain housing while working toward financial and personal independence.

TDHCA awarded $110,560 in rental assistance funds to Affordable Caring Housing, Inc., a nonprofit housing organization serving Anderson, Gregg, Henderson, Navarro and Walker counties. The organization, headquartered in College Station, will use the award to help an estimated 26 households with their monthly rent payments.

"Finding a decent, affordable place to call home can be an enormous challenge for rural Texans," said Michael Gerber, TDHCA executive director. "Incomes tend to be lower in rural communities, and residents typically have fewer rental housing choices. These funds will not only make an immediate impact on the lives of these tenants, they have the potential to create the long-term benefits of self-reliance."

Affordable Caring Housing will use the award to help subsidize rents and make security and utility deposits for eligible low income households, ensuring they can find decent, affordable rental housing. The assistance is available for up to 24 months. In return, tenants must participate in a self-sufficiency program with the goal of achieving eventual financial independence.

This award was made through TDHCA's HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Eligible applicants include qualifying units of local government, public housing authorities, Community Housing Development Organizations and other nonprofit groups, and qualifying for-profit organizations. HOME funds are designed to assist households at or below 80 percent of the area median family income.

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is the state agency responsible for affordable housing, community services, energy assistance, and colonia housing programs. TDHCA annually administers more than $400 million through for-profit, nonprofit, and local government partnerships to deliver local housing and community-based opportunities and assistance to Texans in need.