Founded by leaders in Austin’s disability rights community, Accessible Housing Austin! (AHA!) is excited to be breaking ground later this year for AHA! at Briarcliff. The 27-unit complex in northeast Austin will provide one and two-bedroom apartments for households with incomes below 50% of the median family income. Six of the units will be designated at “deeply affordable.”

In keeping with its mission to provide affordable and accessible housing for tenants with disabilities, AHA! will exceed federal integration standards with half of the units being accessible and the other half adaptable. Find out more about AHA! at Briarcliff at http://ahaustin.org/aha-at-briarcliff/

AHA! at Briarcliff Apartments

About $2.3 million of the funding for AHA! at Briarcliff comes through the Housing Authority of the City of Austin and the federal HOME program. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration has proposed cutting that program, as well as the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG) in FY2018. This is a major concern for AHA! and other nonprofits that rely on federal funding to purchase affordable housing.

In this Keep Austin Affordable video feature, we see a prime example of how AHA! provides affordable, accessible, integrated housing options for people with disabilities who might otherwise be confined to institutions; and how this housing allows them to live independently and participate in their communities.  Sixty-year-old Albert “Sparky” Metz talks about his journey from being institutionalized, to being homeless, to enjoying community life as an AHA! tenant.