AUSTIN, Texas — More and more people are calling Austin home.
While the arrival of more and more people into the city has many positives, the constant arrival of new residents has caused the supply of affordable housing to lag behind the trend.
The affordable housing issues have inspired the creation of a new program called the "Austin Small Developer Training," which aims to increase the amount of affordable housing in the ever-growing Capital City.
“[The program] supports smaller scale developers who are working to bring more affordable housing to the City of Austin,” said Daria Guzzo with Capital Impact Partners.
The City, Capital Partners and HousingWorks Austin have teamed up to launch the program. The training lasts four months and puts a particular focus on women and people of color. Twenty developers were selected to participate.
"[Participants are] receiving access to experts in the field that includes experienced developers, city officials, lenders, other development professionals [and] architects, really gaining a lot of insights from folks doing this a long time," Guzzo said.
Lex Miller loves to call Austin home, with his wife and 3-year-old daughter. He is one of the aspiring developers participating in the program.
"I have my own aspirations as developer. I think the city needs a lot more affordable housing, so I have my own aspiration to build in different parts of the city," Miller said.
Miller said more affordable housing is needed, especially for people who work in Austin but struggle to live in the city.
"It's problematic when the teachers, the firefighters, essential workers cannot afford to work in the communities that they serve. So I think this is step to changing that narrative," Miller said.
Miller sits on the Chestnut Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation board, which already helps with affordable housing. But he said he also wants to bring affordable housing on his own as a developer.
Miller is a month into the program and said he's learned a great deal so far.
"I think it's connected me with people that see the vision. That's the first step, just people to see [the] vision and see the need. And by the end of the program, hopefully we can make that a reality," Miller said.
One of Miller's goals is to build more housing west of the Mopac Expressway, which he sees as untapped land.
Boomtown is KVUE's series covering the explosive growth in Central Texas. For more Boomtown stories, head to KVUE.com/Boomtown.