San Antonio City Council unanimously approved a critical zoning change Thursday that would allow a local nonprofit to build an apartment complex on the South Side for people experiencing homelessness.
“It is indicative of the city’s commitment to addressing the issue of homelessness and advancing permanent supportive housing specifically,” said Nikisha Baker, president and CEO of SAMMinistries, which provides housing and other services for people experiencing homelessness. “It’s one step on our journey — with a very big one coming next week.”
Whether Bexar County will contribute the funding it had set aside last year toward the project will be determined by the Commissioners Court on Tuesday. Commissioner Tommy Calvert (Pct.4) delayed a December vote on the nearly $4 million allocation. Some residents in the Hot Wells neighborhood where the complex will be located have said they were unaware of plans for the Acequia Trails complex until after that vote and that led to their opposition to the project.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg urged the county to pass the spending plan during Thursday’s meeting.
“We can’t end homelessness in the city without the county and the city working together,” Nirenberg said. “This particular project is an example of that, so I look forward to the outcome of their meeting.”
Commissioner Calvert did not respond to a request for an interview or comment Thursday.
Brady Alexander, president of the Hot Wells Neighborhood Association, spoke against the project at the city meeting and said he will continue to voice the neighborhood’s opposition next week to county officials.
The Hot Wells neighborhood has enough subsidized housing, Alexander told City Council. The neighborhood’s criticism of the project is more about location than who will be living there, he said. “Segregating those in need only further stigmatizes them and hinders their future potential.”
The Commons at Acequia Trails, 201 apartments owned and operated by SAMMinistries, would be the third single-site permanent supportive housing project in San Antonio. This homelessness mitigation approach combines services like meals, addiction recovery and other counseling with housing for people who are chronically homeless and have a disabling physical or mental condition.
Sangmin Kim, who has been the recipient of such housing, used sign language to speak through an interpreter, telling council that he had been homeless for years while living with PTSD from a sexual assault.
“Luckily someone told me about Haven for Hope … finally I got into the [housing] program with SAMM,” said Kim, who moved to San Antonio from South Korea in 2010.
He now works full-time at H-E-B and lives in an apartment that makes him feel “safe and secure. …. I am managing my life well because of this permanent supportive housing program.
Kim lives in one of SAMMinistries’ “scattered site” units, which are located in apartment complexes across the city. These units don’t have on-site services, but case managers make site visits. Acequia Trails would be the second single-site permanent supportive housing project managed by SAMMinistries, after the Hudson Apartments opened last year.
“The counseling has helped tremendously. And now I can do without medication which was a big accomplishment and I think that I am ready to become a little more independent,” Kim said.
SAMMinistries and Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran (D3), whose district includes the project site, requested a delay of the city’s zoning vote last month. Since then, the zoning request has been scaled back to apply to 12 acres — instead of the original 55 — in an attempt to compromise with those who opposed the project.
SAMMinistries still plans to purchase the remaining acreage from Brooks Development Authority to build out additional services and facilities, which may include more housing, a public park or employment opportunities for residents.
One of the reasons some were opposed to the zoning change was that there was no final plan for the remaining acreage.
“Their concerns and questions did not go unheard,” said Daniel Ortiz, a land use attorney representing Brooks which currently owns the land. Ortiz noted that several neighborhood meetings about Acequia Trails and tours of similar projects have occurred since December.
Viagran said the project can’t be delayed any longer, noting that the community’s 10-year affordable housing plan calls for 1,000 permanent supportive housing units.
“It’s ready to go,” she said. “We are going to be addressing this issue.”
The zoning change approved Thursday covers 7 acres for Acequia Trails and another 5 acres for a separate facility that will provide supportive housing for youth aging out of the foster system, Baker said.
That fits into Brooks’ long-term development plan for the former Air Force base that calls for a mix of market rate and subsidized housing and commercial development.
“As a part of that, we revisited our vision to more specifically emphasize our efforts to really help develop a community that … creates prosperity in the surrounding community,” said Leo Gomez, president and CEO of Brooks.
Councilman Manny Pelaez (D8) attributed opposition to the project to “NIMBYism,” meaning opponents don’t want subsidized housing or “poor people” in their backyards, but they disguise that reason with claims of segregation and transportation concerns.
“We’ve heard that over and over again,” Pelaez said. “SAMMinistries, if ever you want to do a project like this in District 8: Bring it. I would love to have something this compassionate and wonderful in my district.”
Disclosure: Leo Gomez sits on the San Antonio Report Board of Directors.
