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San Antonio task force recommends 3,200 specialized homes for veterans, older adults, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ youth
Summary
City staff presented initial task‑force recommendations to create about 3,200 homes over 3–5 years for veterans using VASH vouchers, people with vision or hearing disabilities, older adults and LGBTQ+ youth, and urged partnerships, targeted funding and marketing to encourage landlords to accept vouchers.
Veronica Garcia, director of the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department, told the Planning and Community Development Committee on Feb. 24 that a city task force is recommending a suite of short‑ and long‑term steps to add roughly 3,200 homes serving four populations: veterans using VASH vouchers, people with vision and hearing disabilities, older adults and LGBTQ+ youth. "Our goal today is to share the initial recommendations from the task force and hear feedback from you all," Garcia said.
The draft targets include about 250 homes for veteran voucher holders near the medical center and transit, 500 accessible homes for people with disabilities, 2,400 age‑restricted units for older adults, and 100 supportive homes for LGBTQ+ young people. Garcia said the estimates are an initial finding based on stakeholder engagement, site visits and a city survey that yielded more than 350 responses. "While the today's recommendations are based on all of these efforts, the recommendations are not final," she said, asking the committee for feedback.
Staff urged a mix of strategies rather than only relying on city funding: acquire land with current bond funds, partner with nonprofit and private developers, explore donated land or facilities, use federal and state grants, and consider master‑leasing arrangements so organizations can sublease units to voucher holders. "We would look at how do we work together to market what housing options there are directly to veterans, so making sure that they know of the communities that serve them," Garcia said.
Councilmembers pressed staff on feasibility, data and implementation. Councilman Galvan asked whether stakeholders discussed locating veteran housing near the VA clinic and medical center; Garcia said stakeholders preferred proximity to VA services and transit. Councilman Court asked for the methodology behind the goals and for more dashboard data tying units to funding sources; Garcia said the final report will include demographic analysis and that the city's SHIP dashboard currently shows units by AMI but does not yet list funding sources.
Committee members also discussed accessibility measures for people with vision or hearing impairments, marketing and leasing materials in Braille or ASL, and potential code or incentive changes to require more accessibility. Garcia noted that current state tax credit or city incentive programs typically require about 2% of units to be ADA accessible and recommended exploring higher accessibility requirements in future rounds of gap funding.
Garcia said the task force has set aside $9 million from the existing housing bond for strategic land acquisition and that additional bond funds and state or federal advocacy could support larger goals. The committee expects a final report in the coming month and follow‑up briefings and council actions on recommended programs and code changes.
The committee did not take a formal vote on the recommendations; staff will return with a final report and data breakdown for council consideration.
