More and more new homes are being built in Austin, and prices are rising; not unrelated, people are struggling to pay rent or mortgages and finding themselves houseless. With this growing disparity, it might feel like a complicated time to buy a new home. One company that worked on a recent Extreme Makeover in the area has made another small dent in that with a donor-built home and benefit sale on July 31.
One of the nation’s largest home building companies, Taylor Morrison, has teamed up with the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin (HBA) to build and sell a home that ultimately will benefit the at-risk and unhoused people of Austin via the nonprofit HomeAid.
The HBA Benefit Home is a house built mostly – if not entirely – through donations. This means that most or all materials, supplies, labor, financial support, and construction management are donated by members of the HBA. Once an HBA Benefit Home is listed and sold, a portion of net proceeds go to a local charity.
This program has been going on since 1991, and since its beginnings has raised over $2.7 million for local charities including Mobile Loaves & Fishes, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Make a Wish Foundation, Meals on Wheels, and more.
On Wednesday, Taylor Morrison and HBA celebrated the official completion of the 2024 benefit home. It is located in Travisso, a master planned community in Leander. This community stretches across 355 acres of green space, trees, hiking and biking trails, parks, and “resort-style amenities” like a clubhouse, playground, and pool.
The Travisso Community in Leander features 355 acres of green space, trails, and parks.Photo courtesy of Travisso.com
"[Travisso] is nestled among the gorgeous rolling hills just outside of Austin," says April Whitaker, Austin Division President at Taylor Morrison. It offers "stunning views and natural surroundings" creating a "vacation-inspired lifestyle."
The house itself is similar to others in the master-planned community: a single family home with lots of natural light, modern touches, and a well manicured...everything. According to Whitaker, the house has already sold and the buyer will officially close in early August. This is good news because proceeds of this sale will go to HBA, and HBA will then donate half of the funds to HomeAid Austin, a local non-profit providing supportive housing and services for Austin’s at-risk and unhoused population.
A celebratory spread in the (beautiful) 2024 HBA Benefit Home kitchenPhoto courtesy of Tara Shultz, Senior Public Relations Specialist at Taylor Morrison
According to the HomeAid website, its mission is to “help people experiencing or at risk of homelessness build new lives through construction, community engagement, and education.” HomeAid Austin is one of 19 nationwide chapters, and according to Lynne Williams, Austin's executive director, they have a "broad latitude to engage in building projects across the entire Continuum of Care, from emergency shelters to transitional housing to permanent supportive housing."
She adds, "Every HomeAid project supports a [local homeless care] agency that provides services that help residents move toward self-sufficiency, such as education and job skills training, physical and emotional support, and more."
Williams says they learned that HomeAid Austin would be the recipient of half the proceeds from this year's HBA Benefit Home during a board meeting. "They announced that Taylor Morrison would be building the 2024 Benefit Home! Taylor Morrison is a huge supporter of HomeAid Austin, and this is just another of their generous gifts."
As a nonprofit, HomeAid relies on fundraising and grants to operate, and Williams hopes "this money will help us to expand and possibly kickstart a job training program for the population we help serve."
If this work sounds inspiring to you, HomeAid Austin is always looking for volunteers. To learn more, visit homeaidaustin.org.