104 deeply affordable tiny homes going up in southeast Austin

By next summer, southeast Austin will have a new affordable housing and tiny home community. Right now, local nonprofit Foundation Communities is in the middle of building Burleson Studios, a 104-unit affordable housing community for single adults just three miles east of Interstate 35 on Burleson Road. “Many low-income folks have just been priced out of town," said Walter Moreau, the executive director of Foundation Communities. "I really believe that if we want Austin to be a thriving community and a diverse community, we need affordable housing at different price points so we don't lose people."Tiny home community For this project, Foundation Communities is partnering with Mobile Loaves & Fishes, an organization that's building about 600 tiny homes here in Central Texas. Together, the community of micro-homes and affordable apartments will offer resources for residents like healthcare centers and a grocery store. "It'll be one big community," Moreau said. “We really can't help people to get off the street without providing a place to live and some support services to be successful, so this is a really critical component of our homeless system." In Burleson Studios, 50 of the affordable units will be for people who have been living on the streets for a long time and some will also be reserved for veterans. Those units will be deeply subsidized, so residents will only have to pay about a third of their income. Without a subsidy, Foundation Community leaders say rent will be about $600-700, all bills paid. The Burleson expansion of Community First! Village is designed as a green, resilient community. All apartments are all-bills-paid, and the property will include carports with solar panels, contributing to lower utility costs and providing backup power during severe weather. Part of Mobile Loaves & Fishes' development will include 3D-printed homes and duplexes.Resources for residentsThe organization isn't just giving people a place to lay their head at night; Burleson Studios will have several community rooms and social work offices, as well.--Read the full story at KVUE.com.

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