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Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
After finally finding a home, Season for Caring recipient Olga Aranda Guzmán dies
For more than a dozen years, Olga Aranda Guzmán slowly declined from kidney and heart failure. On Monday, Aranda passed away. She was 63. Two years ago, Aranda and her daughter Ana Laura Martínez Aranda left Nuevo Laredo and sought asylum in Texas, making their way to Austin. By then Aranda was confined to a hospital bed and moved between family members' and friends' apartments. At one point, she and Martínez slept in their car. Then, in September, Aranda and Martínez were chosen for the American-Statesman's Season for Caring program after being nominated by Hospice Austin. Since 1999, Season for Caring has raised more than $21.7 million for local nonprofits. "I really think it was God's gift," Martínez said of Season for Caring and Hospice Austin For the next seven months, Season for Caring grants and donations helped the family move into a home, repair their car and furnish their new place. For the first time, Aranda was able to leave the hospital bed and sit in a recliner in the living room. Martínez could focus on carrying for her mother and not worry about rent or paying for groceries. "I thank God," she said. On Monday, Aranda passed away and was celebrated by her daughter, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. "She was not perfect," Martínez said. "Nobody is perfect, but she was a good mother. She was lovely." Martínez remembers her mother would teach her a lot of things, including how to cook. "Maybe I am like her," Martínez said. Her mother's passing, she said, means Aranda is no longer in terrible pain. "She was suffering," Martínez said. "I miss her a lot, but I know she's in a better place. ... She's getting rest. She's getting happy." To find out more about Season for Caring, including how to apply as a local nonprofit, email nvillalpando@ This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Olga Aranda Guzmán from Statesman's Season for Caring program dies
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apartment complex opens in Southeast Austin with 135 units at below-market rate rents
Hello, and thank you for subscribing to Building Austin, our weekly newsletter focused on real estate, growth and development in the Austin region. I'm Shonda Novak, the American-Statesman's real estate reporter. As the city of Austin continues to work to boost its supply of affordable housing, another complex has opened with 135 units at below-market rents. Last week, officials with the city and Foundation Communities held a grand opening for the Parker Lane Apartments at 2105 Parker Lane in southeast Austin. The complex has 135 affordable units and includes housing and amenities for people who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of becoming homeless. Foundation Communities, a nonprofit affordable housing developer, will manage the property. The project has a learning center for after-school and summer learning programs, as well as community events, a food pantry offering no-cost food to residents, laundry facilities, a courtyard, picnic areas and green space, and a playscape. Parker Lane is Foundation Communities' 28th affordable apartment community in Austin. Monthly rents for the one-, two- and three-bedroom units range from $639 to $1,876, according to Foundation Community's website. The first families began moving into the apartments in late 2024, said Walter Moreau, executive director of Foundation Communities. 'We are honored to provide a beautiful new community where families can find safe housing, support and success," Moreau said in a statement. "This ribbon cutting is our chance to celebrate and thank all the people who helped to make this new community possible.' Development of the Parker Lane Apartments was made possible, in part, by $15 million in low-income housing tax credits from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for construction costs. The project also received about $9.7 million from the City of Austin – $4.1 million in funds from 2022 general obligation bonds and $5.6 million in Project Connect dollars. Other funding sources included Wells Fargo, St. David's Foundation and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas. 'The construction of this new community demonstrates the growing need for affordable housing and the city's ongoing efforts to increase affordable housing options for low-income working families,' Mandy DeMayo, interim director of the city's Housing Department, said in a news release. 'The financial assistance of Project Connect dollars reinforces our mission to prevent displacement of families as Austin improves and modernizes its transit infrastructure.' More: Chalmers Courts affordable housing project in East Austin completes final phase Fourteen units will be set aside for families with children who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. In addition, 10 units are earmarked for families with annual incomes at or below 30% of the Austin-area's median family income. At 30% of the Austin-area's median family income, the annual income limits for eligibility are $30,250 a year for a two-person household, and $37,800 a year for a family of four. Of the remaining 111 units, 58 are reserved for families earning at or below 50% of the median family income, and 53 are reserved for families making at or below 60% of the area's median. At 50% the annual median income, the income limits for eligibility are $50,400 a year for a family of two, and $63,000 a year for a family of four. At 60% of the median, the annual income limits are $60,480 for a family of two, and $75,600 for a four-person household. As far as the unit mix, 25 of the Parker Lane Apartments are one-bedroom residences; 68 units are two bedrooms; and 42 are three bedrooms. The new development carries on the legacy of a church. The apartment complex was built on eight acres that housed Parker Lane United Methodist Church for more than 60 years. When the church closed in 2019, its leaders decided to have affordable housing for families built on the property rather than selling it. After interviewing several different potential partners, they decided to work with Foundation Communities to make their plan a reality. Church leaders liked the fact that the nonprofit offered services such as after-school programs, a no-cost healthy food pantry and job training — all important functions their churches provide, Schuelke said. 'Parker Lane United Methodist Church has a long history of presence and service to this community, and we wanted to figure out a way to continue their legacy, to continue their service to others, even though they are no longer physically here,' Brooks Schuelke, lay leader for church's Capital District, said in a statement. Foundation Communities has a 99-year lease agreement that includes a designated office space for the church. The initial occupant is Justice for our Neighbors, which is affiliated with United Methodist Church and provides immigration legal services and education. Under the lease, United Methodist Church can use the on-site learning center for a worship space or other church activities, Schuelke said. And for Foundation Communities, "this was a rare opportunity to secure eight acres of land in a centrally located, transit-connected neighborhood in Austin – which has been increasingly difficult and expensive," he said. People interested in applying for a unit at the new apartment complex can get on a list at or call the leasing office at 512-575-2800. Resources for affordable housing in general are available online at My work isn't possible without Statesman subscribers. If you subscribe, thank you! And if you don't, consider signing up today. Have tips or story ideas? Contact me at 512.913.4503, snovak@ or @snovak999. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Affordable housing complex debuts in SE Austin with below-market rents
