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Seeking Feedback: HDA Program Annual Updates and Lease Addendum
Austin Housing Finance Corporation is proposing updates to the Rental Housing Development Assistance (RHDA) and Ownership Housing Development Assistance (OHDA) programs. Staff are publishing these proposed updates for feedback prior to finalizing any changes. Please visit the HDA Program Updates page on SpeakUp Austin to review the proposed updates and offer feedback. The comment period ends September 4, 2026.
The Tenant Protection Lease Addendum, which is required through the RHDA Program, is being updated following a stakeholder engagement process. Key proposed changes relate to eviction notices, tenant relocation, rules relating to payment, and Eviction Prevention Plans.
AHFC staff are also proposing annual updates to the guidelines, eligibility, and scoring for RHDA and OHDA funding applications. Key proposed changes relate to defining eligibility for CoC scoring, expanding scoring definitions, and adding an annual monitoring fee for RHDA properties.
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A Message from Austin Housing Director Deletta Dean
This month’s newsletter is dedicated to reporting back to you—our residents and community members—on how your voices have shaped our work. We know your time is valuable, and we never take for granted the commitment it takes to attend community meetings, complete surveys, share your experiences, ask difficult questions, and stay engaged in decisions that affect your neighborhoods and your future.
Your feedback is more than a requirement of the public process—it is essential to how we plan, invest, and make decisions about affordable housing and displacement prevention in Austin. Since the beginning of the 2026 fiscal year, we have asked for your input through meetings, workshops, surveys, and conversations across the community. This newsletter is our commitment to closing the feedback loop by sharing what we heard, what actions we've taken, and how your input continues to guide our work.
We also want you to know that your voice matters. Every story, concern, idea, and lived experience you share helps us better understand the challenges residents face and informs how we design programs, shape policies, and invest in solutions that help people remain in the communities they call home. While we may not always be able to implement every suggestion or achieve every desired outcome, your feedback influences our priorities and strengthens our decisions.
Affordable housing and displacement prevention are most effective when they are informed by the people who experience these challenges every day. Thank you for partnering with us, holding us accountable, and helping shape a more affordable, equitable, and resilient Austin. Your voice is heard, your experiences are valued, and your continued engagement makes our work better.
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In the words of our staff, we have learned that:
“People are not just asking for assistance but for stability, respect and fairness.”
“We need to do a better job indicating clear limitations on input from the community.”
“The City can mean different things to different people. We need to remember we represent that history and past encounters.”
"Our work can have a broader reach in terms of who can benefit than I originally thought."
“We need to connect personally more often with community members.”
“Active community members value people willing to have the hard conversations - this builds trust.”
"The experiences you share with us impact us on a personal level and change the way we see the world."
"Specific examples people share help us understand nuances and influence how we create the right solutions."
"We often think about housing opportunity in terms of the amenities and resources people can access. But hearing directly from residents living in affordable housing taught me that opportunity isn’t only about what surrounds you but also about how the community makes it easier or harder for you to remain rooted in one place and feel welcomed and supported."
“We need to be more direct and responsive in communicating.”
“There is a need to balance stability for both the resident and the development with our policy goals.”
“The community appreciates timely and honest communication even if it is not the outcome they are hoping for.”
"Community input creates better policy because we are able to include a wider pool of knowledge."
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The highlights from the engagements outlined in this newsletter helped us understand the perspectives of community members on specific initiatives. While this focused feedback guided teams on specific decisions, themes and insights are shared across the department for broader impact. Some of these themes include:
- “Affordability” must be real, stable, and transparent — not theoretical.
- Housing security depends on quality, maintenance, and fair treatment — not just cost of rent.
- Safety is a universal prerequisite for opportunity - whether physical, environmental, or emotional.
- Access to daily needs must be practical.
- Support services must be coordinated and easy to find.
- Community belonging, cultural continuity, and dignity matter as much as physical infrastructure.
- Anti‑displacement is not a side issue — it is the through‑line
- Accountability means people want the City to communicate clearly and follow through.
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For more information about our recent engagements, we hope you’ll take the time to explore all of our engagement reports.
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Colony Park Displacement Mitigation Strategy
Austin Housing is working with the community in Colony Park to create a displacement mitigation plan. Through this process our team has learned so much about the need to understand the history of a neighborhood and make space for the collective voice in our planning processes. We look forward to sharing more about this work soon.
Displacement Prevention Navigators
As we work with community partners to launch the second phase of the Displacement Prevention Navigators Program, community input has played a pivotal role in program improvements. We understand better how important the unique characteristics of reach neighborhood are and how to customize approaches for each area. We’ve also learned how crucial case management is and have added that a part of the program.
Story Map
Austin Housing developed a Displacement StoryMap that brings together data and stories of vulnerable households to show how housing costs, demographics, and jobs are reshaping where people can live in the city. The StoryMap is a tool that summarizes complex housing and historical data and displacement analysis to inform where the greatest areas of vulnerability exist and direct specific strategies to those spaces. This new tool not only helps us understand the housing stability issues people in Austin face but will also help shape how we can better engage with the community.
Monitoring and Compliance Implementation Plan
Austin Housing has created a new monitoring and compliance implementation plan for properties that receive Rental Housing Development Assistance (RHDA). Learn about what is in the plan and how it was created.
Future Development Sites
Engagement has just begun in the neighborhoods around these properties as we prepare for the solicitation of developer partners.
AHFC has launched engagement for its next two solicitations: 6200 Menchaca and 2908 South Congress. These are two of the three high-priority sites identified in the memo to Mayor and City Council regarding the AHFC Strategy for Developing Vacant Land for Affordable Housing. Solicitations for developer partners are anticipated to be released in early 2027. Stay tuned for updates and learn more at:
6200 Menchaca – www.SpeakUpAustin.org/6200Menchaca
2908 South Congress – www.SpeakUpAustin.org/2908SouthCongress
Open Houses for 6200 Menchaca and 2908 South Congress developments are scheduled for August 24 and 25 & September 22 and 23. Visit the SpeakUpAustin pages above for more information.
Grove-Riverside Development – www.SpeakUpAustin.org/Grove-Riverside
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Austin Development Services | Protecting Yourself Against Fee-Payment Scams
Austin Development Services want to remind our development community to remain vigilant against ongoing fee-payment scams. Scammers are attempting to mimic City representatives to demand urgent, unauthorized fee payments by pulling publicly available permit data to target active applicants. These fraudulent emails use real project case numbers, property addresses, and actual staff names to fabricate itemized PDF invoices.
Unsure if you owe a fee? Before sending any money or sharing financial data, verify the request by logging into your official AB+C account or by calling the Austin Development Services cashiers at 512-974-7045. When in doubt, always double-check, and thank you for your vigilance. Visit www.AustinTexas.gov/DSD for more information.
Austin Development Services | Neighborhood Network: Resources for Building Collaborative Communities, Part I
This session focuses on neighborhood resources the City provides to help you stay informed, connected, and supported where you live and will feature programs and services that offer practical neighborhood-level tools you can start using.
Date: Tuesday, August 4
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: Vitual (Zoom)
Austin Equity and Inclusion | Cesar Chavez Street Renaming Community Meetings
The City of Austin is inviting community members to share their thoughts about a possible change to the name of César Chávez Street. The City will host three community meetings where attendees can learn about the history of the street, how the renaming process works, and what a name change could mean for residents and nearby businesses. Meetings include both in-person and virtual options.
Tuesday, August 11, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Austin Central Library, 710 W César Chávez St
Saturday, August 15, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Sanchez Elementary School, 73 San Marcos St
Meet Us In Community
East Riverside Open House #2
The City of Austin invites residents, community organizations, and local businesses to an in person Open House to learn more about several city-led projects shaping the future of the East Riverside Corridor. Bringing together multiple City of Austin initiatives focused on housing, mobility, and public spaces, this event gives attendees the opportunity to ask questions, interact with project teams, share ideas, and provide feedback that will help guide the city’s investments in this vital corridor.
Date: Saturday, August 29
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Grove Boulevard Campus, 2400 Grove Boulevard, Austin, TX 78741
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Upcoming Board and Commission Meetings
Check out these opportunities for public participation and engagement with boards and commissions related to our housing work.
Tuesday, August 11 at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 13 at 5:00 p.m.
Monday, August 17 at 6:00 p.m.
Watch virtual or join in person at Permitting and Development Center, 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr.
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We create & preserve housing opportunities to stabilize communities.
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