As a newly sworn-in Williamson County Commissioner, I was recently invited to my first ribbon cutting in Round Rock. Many times, these events celebrate new businesses that will offer employment opportunities. In this case, we commemorated a unique apartment complex designed to aid in breaking the cycle of poverty for working families through quality, accessible and affordable housing with on-site educational support.

Round Rock continues to be a fast-growing community, and for some families, finding affordable housing sometimes can be challenging. When city and county leaders try to entice businesses to relocate to Round Rock, the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce is faced with questions like, “Where will my company’s workers be living with the unemployment rate so low and housing costs so high?”

The Waters at Sunrise, located at 2570 Sunrise Road, is built by Atlantic Housing Foundation, Inc., a non-profit company that owns more than 30 communities in three states. Atlantic Housing is trying to fill in some of these housing gaps. Kent Foster, based in Austin and in charge of Development and Asset Management, said, “The site off Sunrise was just perfect to provide such a housing community with close proximity to hospitals, schools, and employers.”

“Any hard-working person deserves affordable housing,” said Kendall Scudder, manager of Community Services, who works at Atlantic Housing’s headquarters in Dallas.

What I appreciate most about Atlantic Housing is their mission to not only promote and preserve quality, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families, but to also provide holistic support for their long-term success.