Election day returns show Austin’s $65 million affordable housing bond passing by a wide margin, with nearly 61 percent of voters approving the measure.
It’s the second time in a year affordable housing has been on the ballot in Austin. Last year, a similar bond proposition was narrowly defeated.
Walter Moreau the executive director of Foundation Communities, a non-profit that builds and operates affordable housing, this year's bond benefited from a more extensive voter education campaign and shorter ballot.
“Last year was such a huge ballot – it was a presidential election and all the other bonds – and so, I don’t think a lot of voters had an opportunity to know what it was," Moreau says.
Supporters expect to build or renovate about 3,500 homes or apartments with the bond money over the next few years.
