Navigators help renters and homeowners access housing resources from the city and other organizations.
City: Austin, TX
Purpose: To connect people directly to resources to help them stay in their homes with assistance from paid Navigators.
Lead Stakeholders: Business, Philanthropy, Government
Process: Between 2021 and 2022, rents in Austin rose by 35%, while the median home price jumped nearly 22%. More than a third of local households are cost-burdened.
The Displacement Prevention Navigator one-year pilot program (running June 2023 to May 2024) focused on two neighborhoods at high risk of displacement. Compared to Austin as a whole, the pilot neighborhoods had higher shares of both cost-burdened residents and residents who have lived in their homes for more than 20 years.
Thirteen people were selected for the pilot cohort of Navigators. They were trained in how to use housing tools and resources and then connected community members with those resources to prevent displacement.
Outcomes:
- Navigators distributed housing materials to nearly 2,900 households and attended 66 community events.
- Over 300 households received assistance during the project’s pilot, with plans to open the program again in summer 2025.
View or download PDF of the Displacement Prevention Navigator Pilot Program case study.
