Commissioner Calvert Creates San Antonio Housing Bond, Leads to Election Victory

First Black County Commissioner and First Black Mayor Lay Groundwork for $150 Million

SAN ANTONIO, May 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert created San Antonio's housing bond with former Mayor Ivy Taylor in 2015. Voters approved the second version of the housing bond on May 8, 2022, with $150 million to help with housing and homelessness in San Antonio, Texas.

As the seventh-largest city in the United States, San Antonio continues to grapple with poverty issues as first spotlighted in 1968 by the CBS Reports documentary, "Hunger in America."

Commissioner Calvert led a citywide campaign to community and neighborhood leaders with the foresight that the first $20 million housing fund, which was carved out by Mayor Taylor and approved by voters in 2017, could be expanded. The original housing bond provided limited funding in 12 geographic areas in the city for the private sector to build workforce housing.

The newly expanded bond program validates Calvert's bold vision with a plan that mirrors his original proposition for $45 million for homeownership rehabilitation and preservation, $40 million for rental housing preservation, and $25 million for permanent supportive housing for those experiencing homelessness due to mental health and other wraparound services.

"Many housing leaders are thankful that Commissioner Calvert draws from a wide variety of voices and pushes policy changes to help all Bexar County residents," said Jennifer Gonzalez, Co-Chair of the Mayor's Task Force on Housing and the Executive Director of Alamo Community Group. "He was sounding the alarm on these issues before most leaders understood there was a problem, and we would like to see more leaders support him in addressing the housing crisis."

With rising property taxes forcing people out of their homes, the median price for a house in San Antonio has skyrocketed to $311,000. Commissioner Calvert is now being heralded as a visionary for years of hard work educating voters on the need to build wealth through homeownership in one of the largest cities in this country.

"I believe that if we can help the San Antonio Spurs rehab their arena, we ought to help you rehab your home," explained Commissioner Calvert. "I've been talking for eight years about how the American dream of homeownership was slipping away. Now, Bexar County needs to join the City of San Antonio in having plans for both city and county residents to rehab their homes and secure the ladder of opportunity that provides homeownership."

About Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert
Tommy Calvert is Bexar County Commissioner for Precinct 4. He's the youngest and first African American County Commissioner in Bexar County history. Los Angeles Weekly called him San Antonio's "wunderkind," and Gardner Selby of the Austin-American Statesman said he is "one to watch." Calvert represents over 500,000 residents in Precinct 4 of the 2 million who call Bexar County home.

Media Contact:
Carlos de Leon
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SOURCE Tommy Calvert, Bexar County Commissioner, Precinct 4