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Austin’s 4,500 affordable units sit empty amid shortage

9/9/2026

24 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

U.S. cities report vacant affordable units because the poorest cannot afford them.
Austin, Texas has over 4,500 affordable units empty, a 16% vacancy rate.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition says 4 million affordable rentals serve 11 million extremely low-income households.
Only about 12% of 2024 LIHTC-financed affordable units target extremely low-income renters, per Cato Institute economist Chris Edwards.

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Story summary

U.S. cities report vacant affordable units because the poorest cannot afford them.
Austin, Texas has over 4,500 affordable units empty, a 16% vacancy rate.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition says 4 million affordable rentals serve 11 million extremely low-income households.
Only about 12% of 2024 LIHTC-financed affordable units target extremely low-income renters, per Cato Institute economist Chris Edwards.