Monday, January 3, 2022

City seeks volunteers to join committee tasked with guiding affordable housing investments in Austin

 


Interested persons must complete an application by Feb. 1st

Austin, TX – The City of Austin seeks applicants interested in guiding affordable housing investments in Austin to join the Housing Investment Review Committee (HIRC). The volunteer committee is tasked with quarterly review of affordable housing projects and ensuring that all housing development proposals comply with program guidelines. Interested applicants must complete an application by the deadline on February 1st.

Additionally, the newly appointed HIRC members will work with the City of Austin Law Department to draft bylaws that will provide guidance for future iterations of this committee.

Interested persons must complete an online application and also submit a resume, headshot, and brief description of previous housing-related experiences via email to Ellis.Morgan@AustinTexas.gov. Applicants that have prior experience in one or more of the following areas are preferred: experience being a part of a development team (for profit or non-profit), development finance, academic-based housing research, legal counsel, relevant experience that enables multiple perspectives of housing in Austin, or have had a personal account of housing instability (e.g., lived in subsidized housing or experienced homelessness).

Membership to the HIRC is completely voluntary and limited to two-year terms with an estimated commitment of two hours every quarter.

The deadline for online application completion and email submittal is Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Applications received after the deadline will not be eligible for consideration.

City of Austin staff will review all applications and make appointment recommendations to the HIRC no later than March 1, 2022, with confirmations to the committee expected by March 30, 2022.

For more information, contact Ellis Morgan at (512) 974-3121 or by email at Ellis.Morgan@AustinTexas.gov.
 
About the Housing Investment Review Committee (HIRC)
The Austin City Council adopted Resolution No. 20070308-010 on March 8, 2007, which established a Housing Bond Review Committee composed of two representatives of the Community Development Commission (CDC) and three representatives from the community who have demonstrated experience in housing development and finance.

In 2018, The Housing Bond Review Committee was retitled as the Housing Investment Review Committee (HIRC) and reviews Rental Housing Development Assistance (RHDA), Ownership Housing Development Assistance (OHDA) applications, irrespective of the source of funding that may be dedicated at the end of the review process.

About Housing and Planning Department
The Housing and Planning Department provides resources related to planning, zoning, housing, and community development to enhance the quality of life of all Austinites. Equitable, efficient, and comprehensive planning with displacement prevention as a prioritized focus is the Department’s core charge in delivering housing services to the community.