State housing agency, regional nonprofit helping area low income tenants secure decent housing

January 20, 2011

by TDHCA

Category: News || Housing & Development, Property, Rentals, Transactions | No Comments

AUSTIN, TX – January 20, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) today announced a major funding award to a regional nonprofit organization to assist eligible low income residents of four communities in Coryell, Gregg, and Henderson counties obtain safe, decent rental housing, helping set them on the path toward self-sufficiency.TDHCA awarded $220,464 in rental assistance funds to Affordable Caring Housing, Inc., a nonprofit housing organization headquartered in College Station. The organization will use the funds to help a total of 20 low-income households living in the cities of Athens, Copperas Cove, Gatesville, and Kilgore secure housing and meet their monthly rent payments.

“Finding a decent, affordable place to call home can be an enormous challenge for many rural Texans,” said TDHCA Executive Director Michael Gerber. “Incomes tend to be lower in smaller communities, and residents typically have fewer rental housing options. These funds will not only make an immediate impact on the lives of these tenants, they have the potential to create the long-term benefits of self-reliance while bringing greater stability to the entire neighborhood.”

Affordable Caring Housing will use the award to help subsidize rents and make security and utility deposits for eligible low income households, ensuring they can find decent, affordable rental housing. The assistance is available for up to 24 months. In return, tenants must participate in a self-sufficiency program with the goal of ending their dependency on assistance programs and achieving financial independence.

This award was made through TDHCA’s HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HOME funds are designed to assist households at or below 80 percent of the area median family income.

For more information about this award, please contact Affordable Caring Housing, Inc. directly at (979) 485-0567.

About The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is the state agency responsible for affordable housing, community and energy assistance programs, and colonia activities. The Department currently administers $3 billion through for-profit, nonprofit, and local government partnerships to deliver local housing and community-based opportunities and assistance to Texans in need.

Contact:
Gordon Anderson 512-475-4743
Jill McFarren 512-475-2844