City partners with nonprofit, Zillow to get vulnerable Austinites into housing
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin is partnering with a nonprofit that helps connect people with significant housing barriers to vacant rental units, according to a release.
Housing Connector uses 'Zillow-powered technology to remove barriers to housing and match people with vacant units,' the release said. So far, roughly 2,000 units are already on that platform, according to Austin's Homeless Strategy Officer, David Gray.
'These are clients who are moving in with some form of income to pay their rent or they're tied to an organization that has income to help pay their rent. The city also has money that we've given Housing Connector to stabilize folks once they get housed as well to pay for things like repairs to units that might get damaged,' Gray explained.
The city of Austin and Housing Connector are asking property owners/landlords, or local outreach groups working with people facing housing instability, to reach out to them to learn more about the process. You can find property benefits here and frequently asked questions here.
Housing Connector launched in Seattle in 2019. It has since expanded to Denver, Portland, Dallas and now Austin according to Shayna Dunitz, managing director in Austin for Housing Connector.
Housing Connector has so far helped 9,000 people get into a unit, Dunitz said. The nonprofit tracks success on a one and two year 'graduation rate', meaning the client successfully stays in their unit for 12 or 24 months.
'I believe right now our one year graduation rate across all of our markets sits around 90% and our two year is around 80%,' Dunitz said.
Think Zillow with additional help for people facing significant barriers to housing. In fact, the housing search tool is powered by Zillow, according to the release.
'If someone is facing housing instability, they will go to one of our community partners — and so Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center was our first community partner here in Austin — so you go to Sunrise, you say, 'hey, I make this much money. I have this voucher. I'm looking for rent. However, I always have challenges in the private market because I have been evicted before,'' Dunitz said.
A case manager will then take that information and create a renter profile on Housing Connector, Dunitz explained. The process from there looks much like using Zillow. You'll plug in number of bedrooms, rent, location, etc. and then apply to applicable properties.
'A Housing Connector letter of support is generated and so the individual takes that with their housing application and that basically says, 'hey, this person's a Housing Connector client. You're gonna screen them with that reduced screening criteria we agreed upon,' Dunitz said.
But Housing Connector doesn't just help get people into those units, it also works with those clients to ensure success once they get there. Housing Connector staff will stay in touch with the property, community partner involved (like Sunrise) and renter to ensure rent is being paid and the client is being a good neighbor to others in the community, Dunitz said.
'Housing Connector's belief is that no unit should sit vacant while there are folks in need of homes and we have a lot of folks in need of homes here in Austin,' she said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘It makes sense': Austin changes inspection requirements for food trucks
AUSTIN (KXAN) – Rod Ferriol spent a good portion of his Monday prepping food for his South Austin food truck, Los Galanes Birria. 'I can't complain. This isn't work for me,' Ferriol said. 'This is fun for me.' Ferriol said he opened his Mexican street food truck around a year and a half ago after his kids were grown and left home. While he cooked for family and friends his whole life, this is his first time doing it professionally. And even though he's having fun, he said it's not always easy having a new business. 'Like anything here in Austin that's food-related, there's a lot of competition, especially when you just do Mexican [food],' he said. Ferriol said every day counts in this industry. That's why he and other food truck owners think it's a misuse of time when they're required to shut down and transport their vehicles for health and safety inspections to a north Austin city facility every year. Ferriol said these trips have caused him to lose valuable time at his food truck park. 'Doing the inspections on site — for me, it makes sense,' he said. As of last Thursday, traveling for inspections is no longer a requirement. The Austin City Council approved on consent a new ordinance that allows inspectors to conduct inspections at the food truck's location. This was something the city has been looking into since March 2024. A survey found that 92% of food truck owners agreed that on-site permitting inspections would be preferred, according to city documents. 'Food trucks are an important part of our culinary diversity,' District 6 Council Member Krista Laine said on the dais. 'I'm so grateful it'll be easier for our local business and food truck owners to get inspections.' While food truck owners no longer need to travel to the north Austin facility to have the inspection, the on-site inspections will cost more. On-site permits will cost $740, and the re-inspection fee is $230. That is compared to $212 and $109, respectively, if done at the city facility. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
A Tampa cemetery is on sale again, reigniting debate over lost graves
Three years after the Tampa City Council unanimously rejected a land-use change for Showmen's Rest, a Tampa Heights cemetery, that would have allowed developers to build out the land, the parcel is up for sale again. This time, the cemetery isn't looking to change its zoning. But the City Council and nearby residents are still torn over a central question: Are there unknown bodies buried beneath the land? Owners of Showmen's Rest have said the portion of land up for sale has not been used for burials. But the Tampa City Council passed a motion Thursday to have city staff contact the property owner and ask if they could use ground-penetrating radar to address concerns about lost graves. 'Should there be graves there, individuals there, then we can look at steps forward,' said council member Guido Maniscalco, who made the motion. Maniscalco also requested a written report from city staff to update the council, which is due June 26. Although he did not mention the name of the property during the motion, Maniscalco confirmed with the Tampa Bay Times after the meeting that the report is about Showmen's Rest. Listed on Zillow for $750,000, the parcel of land at 3541 N. Blvd. is adjacent to the city-owned Woodlawn Cemetery. Showmen's Rest Cemetery hired a firm during the initial controversy more than three years ago that conducted two seismic studies that didn't find any lost graves. The Zillow listing states the seller will do another survey. 'The people that are going up against us keep insisting that there are bodies buried on this vacant parcel of land that we've never developed,' Showmen's Rest President John Perzia said. The cemetery has presented its seismic studies to the City Council, 'but nobody wanted to pay attention to it.' Perzia said the cemetery wants to sell this parcel, which was purchased from the city in 1971, to put it in a trust to keep up maintenance. They don't care who buys it, Perzia said, but they want to ensure their cemetery is preserved. 'I'm almost 70,' he said. 'When I pass away, who's going to take care of this place?' He said the city is welcome to buy the property, but city spokesperson Adam Smith said the administration is not looking to purchase. Perzia said neither he or his real estate broker had heard from the city on Monday afternoon. Maniscalco's motion on Thursday came after a previous council discussion of the cemetery on May 22. At that meeting, council member Bill Carlson also introduced the idea of setting aside city funds for ground-penetrating radar and addressing lost graves. 'What role can the city play? Because not everyone can pay for ground-penetrating radar and not everyone can afford just to give up their land,' Carlson said last month. The Tampa Bay Times reported in 2021 that there were 1,200 missing graves in the city, mostly those of influential Black residents, and the city is attempting to acknowledge and correct its role in erasing Black history. This year, the city erected a historical marker at Zion Cemetery, which was a Black burial ground before it was developed over. The city can't go onto privately owned land without the owner's permission to look for graves. If it does, the surveys are expensive. 'I was happy to hear the City Council is considering creating a fund for ground-penetrating radar,' said Rachael Kangas, director of the west central and central regions of the Florida Public Archaeology Network. 'That's usually the biggest issue we run into.' Kangas reviewed documents sent to her by Aileen Henderson, founder of The Cemetery Society, regarding the cemetery and its history, as well as research files her organization has on Woodlawn Cemetery and Showmen's Rest. 'According to the records I see, that entire block, including this parcel, were part of the original footprint of Woodlawn Cemetery and there is documentation from the newspaper that burials when the cemetery was first established were haphazard,' Kangas wrote in an email to Henderson that was shared with the Times. Additionally, Kangas wrote, the northwest corner of Woodlawn Cemetery was originally set aside for African American graves. She said documentation she read doesn't have details on the size of that area or where exactly the burials were. 'There is no reason to think this parcel of land is not part of a cemetery or that it doesn't contain unmarked burials,' Kangas wrote. Henderson said she also thinks Showmen's Rest could have lost graves and said she was excited to see the City Council take steps toward addressing the citywide issue. 'I don't blame the owner for doing what he has the right to do,' Henderson said. 'The reality is we have the supporting documentation that that is a cemetery.'
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
HELOC rates today, June 9, 2025: Interest rates on home equity lines of credit are unchanged
HELOC interest rates paused Monday after moving substantially higher yesterday. According to a recent survey by MeridianLink, more than one-quarter (28%) of Americans are considering a home equity line of credit or home equity loan to tap their home's value. Of those likely to borrow against their equity, 45% said home renovations were at the top of their list, followed by investing in new properties (16%) and debt consolidation (16%). That shows the versatility of HELOCs and HELs. Now, let's check the latest HELOC rates. Dig deeper: HELOC vs. home equity loan: Tapping your equity without refinancing According to Zillow, rates on 10-year HELOCs are unchanged today at 6.85% following yesterday's sharp increase. The same rate is also available on 15- and 20-year HELOCS. However, VA-backed HELOCs are up six basis points at 6.48%. Homeowners have a staggering amount of value tied up in their houses — more than $34 trillion at the end of 2024, according to the Federal Reserve. That's the third-largest amount of home equity on record. With mortgage rates lingering in the high 6% range, homeowners are not likely to let go of their primary mortgage anytime soon, so selling the house may not be an option. Why let go of your 5%, 4% — or even 3% mortgage? Accessing some of the value locked into your house with a use-it-as-you-need-it HELOC can be an excellent alternative. HELOC interest rates are different from primary mortgage rates. Second mortgage rates are based on an index rate plus a margin. That index is often the prime rate, which today is 7.50%. If a lender added 1% as a margin, the HELOC would have a rate of 8.50%. However, you will find reported HELOC rates are much lower than that. That's because lenders have flexibility with pricing on a second mortgage product, such as a HELOC or home equity loan. Your rate will depend on your credit score, the amount of debt you carry, and the amount of your credit line compared to the value of your home. And average national HELOC rates can include "introductory" rates that may only last for six months or one year. After that, your interest rate will become adjustable, likely beginning at a substantially higher rate. You don't have to give up your low-rate mortgage to access the equity in your home. Keep your primary mortgage and consider a second mortgage, such as a home equity line of credit. The best HELOC lenders offer low fees, a fixed-rate option, and generous credit lines. A HELOC allows you to easily use your home equity in any way and in any amount you choose, up to your credit line limit. Pull some out; pay it back. Repeat. Meanwhile, you're paying down your low-interest-rate primary mortgage like the wealth-building machine you are. Today, FourLeaf Credit Union is offering a HELOC rate of 6.49% for 12 months on lines up to $500,000. That's an introductory rate that will convert to a variable rate later. When shopping lenders, be aware of both rates. And as always, compare fees, repayment terms, and the minimum draw amount. The draw is the amount of money a lender requires you to initially take from your equity. The power of a HELOC is tapping only what you need and leaving some of your line of credit available for future needs. You don't pay interest on what you don't borrow. Rates vary so much from one lender to the next that it's hard to pin down a magic number. You may see rates from nearly 7% to as much as 18%. It really depends on your creditworthiness and how diligent a shopper you are. For homeowners with low primary mortgage rates and a chunk of equity in their house, it's probably one of the best times to get a HELOC. You don't give up that great mortgage rate, and you can use the cash drawn from your equity for things like home improvements, repairs, and upgrades. Of course, you can use a HELOC for fun things too, like a vacation — if you have the discipline to pay it off promptly. A vacation is likely not worth taking on long-term debt. If you take out the full $50,000 from a line of credit on a $400,000 home, your payment may be around $395 per month with a variable interest rate beginning at 8.75%. That's for a HELOC with a 10-year draw period and a 20-year repayment period. That sounds good, but remember, it winds up being a 30-year loan. HELOCs are best if you borrow and pay back the balance in a much shorter period of time.
