Austin City Council Passes Measure Aimed At Ending Economic Segregation

AUSTIN, TX — Austin City Council members on Thursday approved a measure designed to combat economic segregation in Austin.

The proposal by council member Greg Casar was the 57th item of a packed council agenda. It aims to support properties that participate in the low-income housing tax credit program and are located in moderate to high opportunity areas.

The city's Strategic Housing Blueprint reported that the “lack of affordable housing citywide exacerbates segregation created through historical policies and practices,” Casar's office noted. The councilman's item addresses this specific issue by further affirming the Fair Housing Act and encouraging economic integration, particularly in areas of high opportunity in Austin.

“Our working families and seniors should have the option and the freedom to live in neighborhoods with great schools, public transportation options, and access to healthy food. No neighborhood should be walled off entirely by unaffordability," Casar said. “We have a long way to go in getting Austin off the list of most segregated cities in the country, but this item—along with our efforts in recent years creating the largest recurring City funding stream for affordable housing, pushing our fair housing goals, and strengthening tenants’ rights—will move us in the right direction.”

Co-sponsored by Mayor Steve Adler, and council members Delia Garza, and Pio Renteria. the measure gained unanimous approval.

Casar's proposal comes in the wake of a study finding Austin to be the nation's most economically segregated metro area. Brisk growth has spurred gentrification in many residential pockets, often with the effect of displacing longtime residents unable to afford property tax payments in light of consequently rising valuations.

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