Decrease Housing Cost Burden

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Housing cost burden remained relatively flat between 2010 and 2019, showing an overburden on those who rent versus those who own their homes. The Census Bureau did not release its standard 2020 ACS 1-year estimates because of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on data collection.

In 2021, the City Council passed the Strategic Housing Implementation Plan (SHIP), a ten-year plan to develop a Coordinated Housing System, increase City investment in housing, increase affordable housing production, rehabilitation, and preservation, protect and promote neighborhoods, and ensure accountability to the public.

As of December 2021, single family homes in the San Antonio area saw a 19% increase in median home price over December 2020, from $262,400 to $311,000, according to the San Antonio Board of Realtors (SABOR). The National Low Income Housing Coalition released its 2021 Out of Reach Report, which shows that a person in Texas must make $21.98/hr to afford a 2- bedroom rental home. The San Antonio/New Braunfels area requires $21.42/hour to afford a two-bedroom rental home.

The Housing and Transportation (H+T®) Affordability Index provides a comprehensive view of affordability that includes both the cost of housing and the cost of transportation at the neighborhood level. This index shows that the annual transportation costs for people in Bexar County are $12,609 with the average costs for housing and transportation making up approximately 50% of household income.

In 2021, The Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic at The University of Texas School of Law released a report, Ousted: The City of San Antonio’s Displacement of Residents through Code Enforcement Actions, that showed the City of San Antonio uses code enforcement tools that displace residents at much higher rates than other Texas cities.

The City of San Antonio’s Neighborhood Housing Department offers rental or mortgage assistance and resources.

In the May 7 bond election, San Antonians approved 6 propositions: streets, parks, drainage, affordable housing, public safety facilities, and library and cultural facilities. The passage of the affordable housing proposition allocates $150 million for the preservation and production of affordable and supportive permanent housing.