Fort Worth city leaders must educate the public on the realities of the local housing crisis and increase the amount of bond money dedicated to supporting attainable housing, advocates say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s bond election is expected to be the first time Fort Worth city leaders ask voters to support public dollars for affordable housing. The council is considering $5 million in a related proposition, according to the latest bond proposal<\/a>. That\u2019s less than 1% of the total $840 million bond package expected on the May 3 ballot.\u00a0<\/p>\n The housing measure would pay for about two dozen single-family homes. Such an investment is not enough to meaningfully address the housing crisis in a city of 1 million residents, advocates say.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPeople just aren\u2019t used to the fact that you can\u2019t buy a house here, and just be a teacher, fireman or whatever,\u201d said Donna VanNess, president of the nonprofit Housing Channel. \u201cBefore, it was more accessible, and now it\u2019s become out of reach for even the middle class.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Council members meet Jan. 13<\/a> to hammer out how much funding to allocate toward each bond proposition. That planning will take into consideration the input residents gave during a series of community meetings last fall, City Manager Jay Chapa said at a December bond meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fort Worth faces an increasingly competitive housing market as it nears a spot in the country\u2019s top 10 cities ranking. From 2017 to 2025, Fort Worth\u2019s population grew by 16% while average home values rose from $188,536 to $305,476, according to the Tarrant Appraisal District.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last year, average Fort Worth home prices hit $384,000, but hovered around $320,000<\/a> as of November, according to the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors.\u00a0<\/p>\n At next week\u2019s meeting, council member Chris Nettles plans to push for $40 million for the housing proposition. He wants such funds to have flexibility to use on multifamily housing as well.<\/p>\n \u201cFort Worth is a place that wants to see everybody thrive, and not just a certain class,\u201d Nettles said. \u201cI mean, I hope that\u2019s the Fort Worth that we live in, and I think we do. But we have to tell that story and that narrative.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n City spokesperson Kevin Neal declined an interview about the current funding proposal, saying questions related to housing availability and costs had been addressed in public meetings.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bond elections<\/a> allow voters to decide whether government entities may borrow millions to billions of dollars for specific infrastructure projects. Those funds are repaid with a portion of the city\u2019s tax rate.<\/p>\n The May ballot will include five other propositions to fund improvements for streets and mobility, parks and open space, public libraries, public safety, and animal care and shelter facilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n Housing advocates, including VanNess, applaud city leaders for adding an affordable housing proposition after it wasn\u2019t included in the original proposal. But they hope to see more dollars added before it\u2019s sent to voters.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBy Fort Worth not really allocating money to affordable housing, it feels insulting. It feels like we\u2019re neglecting the working-class population,\u201d said local Realtor Whitney Wood Juarez. \u201cIt\u2019s very important for Fort Worth to step up. They\u2019re falling behind.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n What\u2019s on the table?<\/p>\n If approved for the May ballot, the $5 million for housing would support about 20-25 single-family homes for buyers who earn between 80% and 120% of the area\u2019s annual median income of about $92,000, according to a December city presentation<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n About $1 million would go toward acquiring vacant lots that nonprofit and private developers would use to construct homes. The other $4 million would fund infrastructure costs \u2014 such as street, stormwater and sewer improvements \u2014 to support the new homes.<\/p>\n Neighborhood Services director Kacey Thomas said at a December council meeting that staff focused the proposition on single-family homes assuming that voters would be more likely to support an affordable housing proposal that way.\u00a0<\/p>\n City management also cautioned against multifamily projects that might turn off voters at the ballot box.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other cities across Texas such as Dallas, Denton and Austin have passed bond packages with funds for affordable housing ranging from $15 million to $350 million. In 2024, Dallas voters approved about $82 million dedicated to housing projects and homelessness reduction efforts across three bond propositions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n