AUSTIN, Texas — Applications are now open for $20 million in Project Connect Anti-Displacement Community-Initiated Solutions funds.
According to the Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) and the City of Austin Housing and Planning Department (HPD), the funds will support nonprofits and partnerships dedicated to investing in programs that will benefit Austin residents who face displacement risk and live within one mile of Project Connect lines and stations.
The AHFC and HPD said investments will prioritize programs that support residents and neighborhoods by avoiding evictions and foreclosures, support homeownership expansion and create "asset-building opportunities that improve people's economic mobility."
"Our goal is to fund ideas proposed by organizations where community members drive decision-making,” HPD Director Rosie Truelove said. “We want local organizations to provide solutions to address Austin's displacement challenges. We also want the support of the community to select which proposals get funded. The city aims to provide real help, in real ways to folks who call Austin home.”
Proposals eligible for the funding include programs for households that address one or more of the following funding priorities:
- Renter/tenant stabilization
- Expansion and preservation of homeownership opportunities
- Other housing-focused, anti-displacement strategies that support economic mobility opportunities
This funding is part of the larger Project Connect anti-displacement strategy to invest $300 million over 13 years. Earlier this year, the Austin City Council approved the allocation of $65 million for years one and two. In addition to this $20 million for Community-Initiated Solutions contracts, $23 million is available for land acquisition and $21 for land development.
The deadline to apply for Community-Initiated Solutions funding is June 13 at 4 p.m. Nonprofits and partnerships that are interested in learning more are encouraged to attend a virtual information meeting on Wednesday, April 20, at 5 p.m.
For more information and access to the Notice of Funding Availability and the online application, visit AustinTexas.gov/CommunityInnovation.
For the latest Project Connect news, head to KVUE.com/ProjectConnect.
Britny Eubank on social media: Twitter
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: