Home. It's more than just an address. It's a place in the heart. A place to raise a family, rest from the rigors of work and enjoy the companionship of friends.
But
not everyone in Austin can afford an adequate home. The high cost of housing
can leave the elderly, disabled and disadvantaged without a decent place to
live. For over 70 years, the Housing Authority of the City of Austin has housed
low-income Austinites by providing decent, affordable and safe homes. HACA strives
to serve its residents in ways that lift them out of poverty and add dignity
to their lives.
In providing this fundamental need, HACA led the way among housing authorities across the United States. Soon after the U.S. Congress passed the Housing Act of 1937, which provides federal assistance to local public housing authorities, HACA became the first housing authority in the nation to begin constructing a housing development. Under the 1937 act, residents began moving into that development, Santa Rita Courts, in 1939.
One of the principal authors of the Housing Act of 1937 was Lyndon Baines
Johnson, then a young congressman from Austin. Johnson built a prodigious political
career around his desire to alleviate poverty. HACA was one of the first three
housing authorities to receive federal funds from the Housing Act. Johnson
had the grants announced in alphabetical order so recognition of Austin
would precede the other two cities, New Orleans and New York.
HACA's first meeting took place in 1937, making 1997 the authority's 60th
anniversary. The first residents moved into Santa Rita Courts in 1939. Later
that year residents moved into Rosewood Courts, and in 1940 the last of the
three original developments, Chalmers Court, was ready for occupancy.
Today, the Housing Authority of the City of Austin has grown to 19 developments
with 1,929 units, 22 single-family homes and the Housing Choice Voucher Program
subsidizes housing for more than 5,000 low-income individuals and families.
From the Great Depression to the Information Age, HACA has given families and
others a chance to come home to a place more than just an address.
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