*This is reported by KVUE.
On Wednesday, an Austin-based group broke ground on a new affordable housing development geared toward LGBTQ+ senior citizens.
The development, which will be known as Iris Gardens, is located at 1013 Montopolis Drive in southeast Austin. It will consist of 150 units for people aged 55 and older and will be considered a first of its kind for Austin through a partnership with Family Eldercare and the national housing developer, Vecino Group.
It will also offer on-site services, including mental wellness and social connection programs.
“This project just felt like it was the right thing to do,” Family Eldercare CEO Dr. Aaron Alarcon said.
Alarcon said people who are at or below the 30% to 60% area median income will be accepted. The goal is to give people who live at the complex a safe and affordable space.
At the moment, there’s an uptick of elderly people experiencing homelessness, according to Austin’s Homeless Strategy Officer David Gray.
“Oftentimes, what happens is seniors are on a fixed income, but the cost of living in our city and in our county is going up,” Gray said.
Gray said his office plans to lend a helping hand to reduce barriers and will have a list of people set to move in. Those barriers include moving expenses, helping get identification and clearing old debt.
When it comes to adding more affordable housing in Austin, Gray noted that the city is on track to to add 1,200 units by 2026 as part of its homeless response system.
Other barriers people face as they try to gain access to affordable housing are criminal backgrounds and evictions. Gray said that one tool with landlords is to reduce screening criteria by looking past criminal history and past evictions.
However, when it comes to Iris Gardens, Gray said the city wanted to focus on a community that was not being properly served.
“While this is the groundbreaking for this development, this is not the first [and] this is not going to be the last. And we’re really excited to have more of these celebrations in the future,” Gray said.
Other organizations, like Rainbow Connections ATX, will also help with outreach.
“I feel that this is necessary; it’s a long time coming,” said Annie Saldivar, project manager for Rainbow Connections ATX.
The four-story building has a price tag of $51 million, with money coming from the Austin Housing Finance Corporation, Travis County, CITI Bank and Redstone Equity.
Austin breaks ground on new affordable housing for LGBTQ+ seniors
Iris Gardens in southeast Austin is set to be completed by spring 2027.
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Author: Kelsey Sanchez
Published: 4:56 PM CDT June 18, 2025
Updated: 9:13 PM CDT June 18, 2025
AUSTIN, Texas — On Wednesday, an Austin-based group broke ground on a new affordable housing development geared toward LGBTQ+ senior citizens.
The development, which will be known as Iris Gardens, is located at 1013 Montopolis Drive in southeast Austin. It will consist of 150 units for people aged 55 and older and will be considered a first of its kind for Austin through a partnership with Family Eldercare and the national housing developer, Vecino Group.
It will also offer on-site services, including mental wellness and social connection programs.
“This project just felt like it was the right thing to do,” Family Eldercare CEO Dr. Aaron Alarcon said.
Alarcon said people who are at or below the 30% to 60% area median income will be accepted. The goal is to give people who live at the complex a safe and affordable space.
At the moment, there’s an uptick of elderly people experiencing homelessness, according to Austin’s Homeless Strategy Officer David Gray.
“Oftentimes, what happens is seniors are on a fixed income, but the cost of living in our city and in our county is going up,” Gray said.
Gray said his office plans to lend a helping hand to reduce barriers and will have a list of people set to move in. Those barriers include moving expenses, helping get identification and clearing old debt.
When it comes to adding more affordable housing in Austin, Gray noted that the city is on track to to add 1,200 units by 2026 as part of its homeless response system.
Other barriers people face as they try to gain access to affordable housing are criminal backgrounds and evictions. Gray said that one tool with landlords is to reduce screening criteria by looking past criminal history and past evictions.
However, when it comes to Iris Gardens, Gray said the city wanted to focus on a community that was not being properly served.
“While this is the groundbreaking for this development, this is not the first [and] this is not going to be the last. And we’re really excited to have more of these celebrations in the future,” Gray said.
Other organizations, like Rainbow Connections ATX, will also help with outreach.
“I feel that this is necessary; it’s a long time coming,” said Annie Saldivar, project manager for Rainbow Connections ATX.
The four-story building has a price tag of $51 million, with money coming from the Austin Housing Finance Corporation, Travis County, CITI Bank and Redstone Equity.
The development is set to be completed by spring 2027.
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