Austin residents speak out against HOME initiative

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin residents and homeowners protested against the initiative called Home Options for Middle-income Empowerment, or HOME.

"We demand that the council takes a step back and implement a collaborative process as promised," says the president of the Austin Neighborhoods Council Ana Aguirre.

Austin City Council members introduced the initiative that was divided into two phases as resolutions earlier this year. It passed with the support of 9 out of 11 council members.

City leaders believe the land development codes need to be changed, so more people can afford to live in Austin.

"This is a critical time for all Austin neighborhoods without the promised conversations the council is moving forward, by deregulating our neighbors for developers and for their profits single family neighborhoods are in jeopardy of losing big with this gross over wage of the city council," said Aguirre.

Phase one will allow up to three homes to be built on single family lots with the option for additional housing for relatives or caretakers, passive income, or tiny homes.

Phase two proposes smaller lots for smaller homes.

Austin residents and homeowners protested against the initiative called Home Options for Middle-income Empowerment, or HOME.

"Homeowners and families should not have to fight the government to protect their investment or the neighborhood lifestyle that they have chose," says former Travis County Judge Bill Aleshire.

According to the city, HOME also offers first-time home buyers affordable starter homes, and works to increase housing supply. However, residents say it has the opposite effect.

"For-profit redevelopment plans like home are the cause of housing affordability crisis not the solution," says GAVA Executive Director Carmen Llanes.

Records from the city indicate a shortage of nearly 152,000 homes are considered affordable enough for two-person middle-income households.

"It won't make housing more affordable; it won't protect the climate or the environment and what it is, is forcing zoning change on homeowners, thousands and thousands of homeowners," says Save Our Springs Alliance Executive Director Bill Bunch.