AUSTIN, Texas —
The city of Austin is hosting its 2024 Fair Housing Conference Tuesday and Wednesday.
The event includes a resource hub for anyone looking for a place to live or for those with questions about their current living situation.
The conference is taking place at the Norris Conference Center in North Austin and will kick off with a tour of the Colony Park affordable housing development. Then there will be a resource hub with different community organizations set up at the conference center.
Attendees can also expect informational panel sessions and workshops where topics like community development, displacement prevention and legal updates to housing and renters' rights will be discussed.
The goal is to give people the resources they need to find an affordable place to live, whether they're renting, buying or fixing up what they already have.
It will be a one-stop-shop for resources.
"If you are looking for homes and housing assistance, you're, this is where you need to be. If you're looking for programs to help renovate and help – say, for example, with your elderly parent to stay in their home – you need to be at this conference," Dr. Dr. Tamela Saldana, interim director of the city's Office of Civil Rights, said.
Organizers said resources include help with a down payment, programs to assist with monthly utilities and legal consultation for any rental issues you may be having.
"One of the things for the city of Austin is that we are really seeing that the housing market, people having availability and access to affordable housing, is a key issue here," Saldana said. "So, one of the things we're hoping to do is that this conference [Tuesday and Wednesday] serves as a bridge, leads to opportunity, leads to the ability for you as a citizen to walk away with that information."
The event is free and open to the public. Organizers prefer you register to attend but won't turn anyone away at the door. You can find a link to register online.