- Elizabeth Illing moved with her daughter to the Casata micro-housing community in Austin, Texas, to save on rising rents
- After originally paying just $1,340, her prices for the small property have increased almost thirty percent to $1,700.
- Due to the increase in rents, Illing and her daughter may now face the prospect of becoming homeless
An Austin woman who moved to a micro-housing community in the city after finding it difficult to make ends meet may find herself homeless after her rent increased by nearly 30 percent.
Elizabeth Illing had originally moved to the micro-housing community of Casata in South Austin, as a way to live a more affordable life.
After moving into the community in February 2022 and paying $1,340 in rent, including utilities at a rate of $150.
Now Illing must pay $1,700 after the rent increased, meaning she and her daughter could potentially become homeless.
Elizabeth Illing originally moved to the micro-housing community of Casata in South Austin, as a way to live a more affordable life
Speak with KVUEIlling said, “It’s just really sad because I could see myself staying here for the long term.”
She continued, “I didn’t want to uproot my daughter. I wish we were here, and now I can’t afford to live here anymore.
‘I grew up in a small town. I wanted to be able to take my child outside to play.
“I’ve gotten help from churches, I’ve gotten help from family members. I have recently had unforeseen additional expenses in my personal life. It’s a struggle every month.’
Casata CEO Aaron Levy said the community’s rates are directly comparable to apartment rental prices in their area.
Levy told the newspaper: “We know that in the first year of our operation we actually made a loss because we gave a lot away to the resident.
“But unfortunately the cost of living is what it is. If you lived in a small house and expected a small rent, where is it located and what amenities do you get?
“It’s very challenging to maintain true affordability and feasibility and get all the benefits of all the things you see around you and that you want.”
Sick faces having to pay $1,700 after rent increases – meaning she and her daughter could end up homeless
Casata CEO Aaron Levy said the community’s rates are directly comparable to apartment rental prices in their area
According to FoxAustin was the most expensive city in terms of cost of living in the state of Texas last year.
Some residents told the newspaper that rents in the city had increased by as much as $800.
The Texas Tribune reported last September that the Austin City Council is making an effort to loosen city limits on the amount of housing that can be built to address the problems.
Current restrictions are hampering the city’s ability to build homes to meet crushing housing demand, leading to higher home prices and rents.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson told the newspaper, “We have a significant affordability crisis and it is an emergency.
“We have a supply and demand problem, and we’re going to have to come up with unique and different ways than we’ve thought of in the past to solve it.”