The State of Texas is growing rapidly, leading to an increased need for housing, healthcare, transportation, education and economic opportunities. In 2017, Texas was home to four of the five fastest growing cities in the nation, and its statewide annual growth rate of 1.7 percent ranked 7th in the country. However this rate of change threatens to leave many Texans behind, stuck in poverty and pushed outside city-limits. In order to ensure that everyone benefits from Texas’s growth and economic gains, affordable housing must be connected with other vital wealth-building initiatives. These efforts include closing the financial gap through asset building and access to affordable credit, providing residents educational opportunities and job training, and building inclusive communities through place-based planning strategies and employer subsidized housing. 

HousingWorks Austin and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas held its educational Summit  Housing + Equitable Communities: Building with Purpose bringing together audiences interested in better understanding the challenges and opportunities around equitable communities. This one-day summit took place on Friday, March 1, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Austin Hotel, Austin, TX.

Featured confirmed speakers to date include keynote speaker Richard Reeves, Senior Fellow at Brookings Institute author of the popular book “Dream Hoarders”; Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder in Residence, PolicyLink; Diane Yentel, President & Chief Executive Officer, National Low-Income Housing Coalition;  Shirley Franklin, Former Mayor of Atlanta, Executive Board Chair, Purpose Built Communities;  Austin’s’ Mayor Steve Adler and Mechele Dickerson, Arthur L. Moller Chair in Bankruptcy Law and Practice University Distinguished Teaching Professor, The University of Texas School of Law.  Please see full agenda for more confirmed speakers.