AUSTIN, Texas — Nonprofit HousingWorks Austin put together data breaking down rent prices, comparing 2020 to 2021 in the 10 city council districts in Austin.
According to the data from HousingWorks, rent increase prices ranged from $179 a month in District 1 to more than $400 in Districts 8 and 10. Some prices have jumped even higher in 2022.
"We were shocked to see such an increase. I think the statistic from 2020 to 2021, it was a 26% increase in rental prices but only 11% increase in income," said executive director of HousingWorks Austin Nora Linares-Moeller. "On the low-income side, it is devastating to them."
Linares-Moeller said some people who were renting in Austin had to make adjustments.
Many had to move out of Austin, including those with work in the city.
Linares-Moeller said some of those people stayed in Central Texas but moved to more affordable cities. Linares-Moeller is hoping we can bring more affordable housing to the city.
"Push all our ends to keep people where they are, and keep Austin weird like we always have been, and at the same time flourish as a city and stay economically sound. I think you can do that it takes sound policy and strategic process to keep people here," she said.
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