Looking back to April of 2023, Abilene had a shortage of more than five-thousand housing units, according to an affordable housing report done by Padsplit. Since then, around six-thousand workers have moved to Abilene to construct the Stargate data center, putting immense pressure on the already stretched affordable housing market.
Gene Reed, chief executive officer of the Abilene Housing Authority, said the influx of workers has put a spotlight on the city’s ongoing housing issues.“
So simple supply and demand, the demand is tremendously outweighing the supply of units, which is driving up those rental units, which is making it very challenging for low-income families to either find the unit or be able to afford the unit,” Reed said.
The Abilene Housing Authority works on behalf of the federal government to administer the Housing Choice Voucher Program, not just in Abilene, but in 20 counties across West Texas. Those who qualify for assistance receive a voucher that they can use in any of the counties that the housing authority serves.
But for a long time, the need has been greater than the available help. Reed said he tells senators and congressmen in Washington, D.C. that Abilene needs more funding to help assist families in the community, because “when the rental rates really start to explode, it doesn’t send us any more money. It just means that we can house fewer families.”
Reed says his agency’s waiting list is 8,000 households long and growing every day. And for some individuals and families, the wait for help puts them in danger of becoming unhoused.
Gage Roach is a founder of Joy Over One Ministries, a ministry that serves individuals experiencing homelessness in Abilene. Roach said he could see the Abilene homeless population doubling within the next ten years since the Stargate data center will create just a few hundred permanent on-site jobs.
“When the construction is done, and all of those employees leave, we’re going to be left with a high housing market, no one able to afford it, and a lot of displaced people,” Roach said.
Roach calls upon churches to help the homeless population and low-income families more than they are right now. He said he’s frustrated with the churches that did not open up shelter during the winter storm that hit Abilene at the end of January.
“With Abilene being the big church center that it is and having as many churches as we do, Christ calls us to take care of people that are poor and weak and need our help,” Roach said. “And I think we’ve really forgotten that. And the churches have really forgotten that.”
But local groups and church programs did work together, and the city’s most vulnerable found ways to get through the bitter cold days of ice and snow. Emergency management coordinator for the City of Abilene, Vincent Cantu, said there were no emergencies related to people experiencing homelessness.
“Working with our homelessness network and our Salvation Army and other organizations that support this population, I believe we were able to find a solution to get those individuals the shelter that they needed,” Cantu said.
The Salvation Army slept an average of 60 people per night, and kept their shelter open during the day as a warming center. Joe Burton, commanding officer of the Salvation Army in Abilene, said that in total, they provided close to 700 people with life-saving shelter from freezing temperatures.
"Fortunately, we did not see any more additional assistance that was needed, so the Salvation Army was able to provide that ministry to the community,” Burton said.
Some of the new tiny-housing and RV park spaces being built to meet the current demand have an end date with a plan to convert them into new uses.Burton said he is concerned that transient workers may be vulnerable to falling into homelessness once their work contract expires.
In the meantime, the region’s low-income residents will still be searching for affordable rentals. That’s pushing some people to move their search for housing further away. Gene Reed said even though his staff recommends that approach, it presents additional problems.
“So for some of the low-income families that we service, they don’t always have reliable transportation, and they depend on the bus system to get around from time to time,” Reed said.
This leaves the low-income sector of the city with a difficult choice: find a place to live that’s farther away and create new complications for employment, or fight for the limited options of affordable housing.
Even those who have their own transportation might not be able to afford more for gas and the impact of extra miles on a vehicle.
The bottom line is that Abilene has a problem that requires the input of officials, social service providers, and community leaders to solve. Reed said the housing authority is eager to do whatever they can to help “in terms of building additional housing for low-income and middle-income families through workforce housing.”
There is some work being done. Landmark on Cypress, a historical downtown building built in 1923, is being renovated to include 49 units of affordable housing. The Overland Property Group website says the complex will welcome residents this spring. The Abilene City Council approved a resolution of support for the development in February of 2025, after initially denying support in January.
There is another request on the Council Agenda to be reviewed at this week’s meeting. Abilene City Manager Emily Crawford says the city is working to encourage public and private housing development in Abilene.