By Moses Leos III.
With its multicolored façade, the Encino Pointe Apartments in San Marcos looks much like any other apartment complex in the area.
The difference?
All 252 units at Encino fall under what some call “low income housing."
Managers and residents at these properties now try to dispel the many misconceptions surrounding developments in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program.
Suzanne Hinchey, Encino Pointe’s community manager, fields many calls about the apartments and, as she put it, the misperceptions of what some call workforce housing. Some even use the word “projects”.
When Hinchey takes those calls, she explains what the property offers.
“I tell people we provide a program that if you qualify by our income standard, you’ll be eligible to live here,” she said. “We are not low income; we are based on median income.”
Those “we” are apartment complexes built under the LIHTC program where developments and communities must restrict rent costs based on local area median income levels.
Encino Pointe works under the Hays County median income average of $73,200. The community accepts residents who make between 30 and 60 percent of the median income.
But who exactly lives in a 100 percent tax credit development such as Encino Pointe?
“It’s young families transitioning through life,” said Hinchey. Most are age 21-30. Of the 661 residents at Encino Pointe, 546 are under 30; 38 percent (251) of those are 21 to 30 years old.
Residents of Encino Pointe hail from a variety of job disciplines. Common employers are CFAN, H-E-B and San Marcos CISD.
“It’s not just one particular group,” Hinchey said. “It’s a very large spectrum [of people].”
Hinchey also fields concerns over the perceived high crime rate in LIHTC developments.
She dispels those rumors with their application rules, which bar convicted felons, persons with pending felony cases and those with a history of felonies or misdemeanors involving drugs, property or sexual crimes.
Workforce housing developments must provide community programs, per rules from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA).
Two years ago, finding an affordable, safe place to live became critical for San Marcos resident Dan Matlock.
What drew him to Encino Pointe was the complex itself. He came to find out the facility went against the perceived notions of affordable housing. The well-kept landscape and housing units defied the image of “low-income housing.”
“We looked here and noticed a difference. It wasn’t what I expected,” Matlock said. “It’s a great opportunity for young families.”
Matlock said any “stigma” placed on those on affordable housing is non-existent.
“I haven’t worried about [a stigma], or even seen it,” he said.
LIHTC developments aren’t just for the working class. Many cater to senior citizens, as well.
One of these senior living centers is Mariposa Apartment Homes on Hunter Road. Patti Bedsole, property manager, said 80 percent of the residents are 55 years or older.
Mariposa’s residents hail from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from the working class to widowers living on social security.
Similarities lie in the income restrictions. Bedsole said rent rates “are based on middle to lower incomes.”
Bedsole also combats the negative stereotype surrounding the Section 8 voucher program. The program, headed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), provides housing assistance for very-low income families, the elderly and disabled for “decent, safe and sanitary housing.”
However, many associate Section 8 with public or government housing.
“People see the Section 8 program negatively,” Bedsole said. “But many of our seniors are in [the program].”
For Judy Hendrixson, the camaraderie and sense of community exceeded her expectations of a low-income facility.
But the biggest asset is the affordability of the complex.
“As you’re aging, your body is falling apart and costing more in upkeep,” Hendrixson said. “At least the [Mariposa] rent is affordable. I would not be here without affordable housing.”
