THE ISSUE
From adequate rentals to starter homes, Comal County lacks enough affordable housing. In 2018, the median market rate in New Braunfels for a two-bedroom apartment was $1,183 per month before utilities. In contrast, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) set the fair market rent for the same apartment at $1,001 per month, including utilities. Assuming rent should be approximately one-third of a family’s annual expenses, an hourly wage of $20.48 per hour ($42,599 per year) is needed to afford the market rate or $17.33 per hour ($36,046 per year) for the HUD rate. Considering the minimum wage in Texas is $7.25 per hour, many working families struggle to maintain housing.
Our neighbors in need include:
- minimum/low wage earners
- people living on the streets
- people who are couch surfing
- families living doubled up in single-family spaces
- youth aging out of foster care
- seniors on limited fixed incomes
- families stuck in poor building and site conditions that are unsafe, unhealthy, and over-priced
Average worker making min
wage would need 2.5
full-time jobs just to afford
housing in New Braunfels
Source: HUD/National Low Income Housing
Coalition 2018 Out of Reach Report
2.5 jobs
Number of full-time jobs a minimum wage earner needs to afford rent
$1,001
Two-bedroom fair market rent
$40,040
Annual income needed to afford a two-bedroom rental
The Inspiration
We envision a community where every child and adult is able to count on something most families take for granted – a bed.
New Braunfels is experiencing one of the fastest population explosions in the country. While new housing is being made available every year, it is not on a level to match those who already live here in addition to the influx of new residents. This has caused a housing crisis that has resulted in inflated rent prices; pushing once-affordable housing out of the grasp of lower-income residents. So we’ve started doing something about it. Something big. Something that could break the cycle of homelessness for families for generations.
