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📬 You are on this newsletter list because you’ve partnered with us, reached out for resources, shared your input, or attended one of our events in the past. We’re glad to stay connected and keep you updated on opportunities, resources, and ways to get involved.
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Prepared, Proactive, Powerful: Get Ready Now for Winter Weather Season
As temperatures begin to drop, the City of Austin encourages all community members to take measures to ready themselves for winter weather. After winter storms significantly impacted the Central Texas region in recent years, now is the time to prepare to make Austin a more resilient community.
Make a Plan:
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To create an emergency plan that is right for you, start with our Neighborhood Preparedness Guide, which is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese Simplified, Korean, and Arabic. Korean and Arabic are the latest additions to the options.
Build a Kit:
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Having supplies on hand to get you through a disaster is a key step in preparedness. If you already have a kit, inspect the contents for damage or expiration dates and replenish anything that needs to be replaced. If you do not have an emergency kit, now is the time to build one.
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Get items for your kit by visiting our Emergency Preparedness Pop-up Events, where Austinites can drop by, meet emergency professionals, and get free basic emergency kits and resources.
Know your Neighbors:
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Download our Neighborhood Preparedness Guide or pick one up at an event near you for tools to plan with your neighbors. This guide has tips, checklists, and more to help you before, during, and after a disaster.
Stay Informed:
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Austin Extends Deadline for Flood Insurance Assistance Program
The City of Austin continues its partnership with Del Valle Community Coalition to conduct a Flood Insurance Assistance Program. The pilot program provides as much as $2,000 in financial assistance for Austin homeowners to obtain or maintain flood insurance for one year. The goal is to support residents in high-risk flood areas by reducing financial barriers to coverage.
To be eligible for the program, Austin residents must:
Eligible residents can apply through the Del Valle Community Coalition website at ATXdvcc.org/flood. Homeowners are encouraged to apply before Jan. 31, 2026, in order to have their applications processed while funds last. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. If approved, funds will be disbursed directly to an insurance company for policy payments.
Because Austin participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System, federally backed flood insurance is available to everyone in Austin at up to a 25% discount. The average annual policy in Austin is $670, but policies in floodplain areas typically cost more than $1,000.
Flooding can be financially devastating. The average flood insurance claim in Austin costs $21,000 as of 2021. Damage from flooding is not typically covered by home insurance policies. The federal government may provide resources following a large-scale emergency if certain cost thresholds are met, but homeowners without flood insurance are responsible to pay for any damages caused by flooding to their property.
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I Belong in Austin- Rental Assistance
The application portal for the I Belong In Austin (IBIA) rental assistance program is currently open through Wednesday, January 7 at 5 p.m. The program is administered by El Buen Samaritano and provides financial assistance with rent, moving, storage, and relocation costs for tenants at risk of eviction. Check eligibility and apply for assistance at austintexas.gov/rent.
The application portal will open each month while funds are available to allow for an efficient and equitable program administration. A high volume of applications is anticipated. If applicants are not selected and assistance is still needed, applicants are encouraged to reapply when the portal reopens.
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Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations | Housing Navigation Center Community Advisory Board
Earlier this fall, City Council voted to authorize the purchase of the Housing Navigation Center at 2401 South Interstate Highway 35 Frontage Road, 78741, and Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations (HSO) launched a public engagement process to gather input from residents and stakeholders. Demonstrating a firm commitment to transparency, accountability and inclusive community partnership, the City of Austin has opened applications for the inaugural South Austin Housing Navigation Center Advisory Board.
Application Process
Applications are now open for 13 seats on the Advisory Board. Residents and stakeholders can access the application, review background materials, read a questions-and-answers section, and view the final charter on the Housing Navigation Center’s Speak Up Austin webpage at www.speakupaustin.org/housingnavigation.
The application will be available through noon Wednesday, January 21. The six-week window ensures residents have ample time to express interest in serving on the board.
More information about the application and evaluation process is available by visiting www.speakupaustin.org/housingnavigation. To learn more about homelessness in Austin, please visit www.austintexas.gov/homelessness.
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Two New Affordable Communities Break Ground in Dove Springs: Sycamores at Pleasant Valley and Willows Crossing
We are excited to announce the groundbreaking for Sycamores at Pleasant Valley and Willows Crossing, two new affordable housing communities that will bring more than 100 new income-restricted homes to Southeast Austin’s Dove Springs neighborhood in District 2.
The communities were developed together to create a continuum of affordable housing options—from rental to homeownership—within one neighborhood. Both developments will follow the City’s Preference Policy and will be affirmatively marketed to households with historic or generational ties to the city, as well as families displaced from the area due to natural disasters or government actions.
Sycamores at Pleasant Valley
Located at 5900 S. Pleasant Valley Road, Sycamores at Pleasant Valley will provide 75 affordable and mixed-income apartments ensuring working families have access to stable, high-quality housing near high-frequency transit, schools, and essential community resources. Nineteen units will be reserved for households at or below 40% area median family income (AMFI), and 56 will be reserved for households at or below 50% AMFI.
Sycamores at Pleasant Valley will feature one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, a rain garden and a mural painted by a local artist. AHFC partnered with Structure Development and JCM Ventures to bring this community to life. AHFC will continue owning the land to ensure long-term affordability.
Willows Crossing
Just east of Sycamores at Pleasant Valley, Willows Crossing will add 38 affordable homes through Austin’s Community Land Trust (CLT), ensuring affordability for at least 99 years.
The community, located at 5901 Drowsy Willow Trail, will consist of a mix of one- and two-bedroom condos as well as 14 townhomes. Ten units will be available for households at or below 60% of the Median Family Income (MFI) and 28 units available for households at or below 80% MFI. Units include townhouses and stacked fourplexes, with 12 units having no stairs to better accommodate households with mobility challenges.
Construction on both sites is scheduled to begin in November 2025, with move-ins anticipated in 2027.
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Future of East Riverside
The City of Austin is imagining over 100 acres as a vibrant, mixed-use community with safe and secure homes, local businesses that serve the neighborhood, and improved public spaces. Your voice will help guide priorities for housing, transit, community spaces, economic opportunities, and more—so this vision truly reflects what matters most to the people who live, work, and gather here.
This is the first of several public conversations- come learn more, ask questions, and share your ideas!
Event Details:
Saturday, January 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 2400 Grove-Riverside Blvd.
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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.
Thursday, January 8 at 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, January 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, January 26 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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