In 2016, the Shapers set out to examine the ideal of a welcoming city and quickly realized that affordability was one of the biggest identified challenges for Austin residents. As a result, the Shapers began a MFI study on the 78702 area of Austin, historically East Austin, partnering with professors from the University of Texas and Huston Tillotson to publish a white paper on the subject.
In 2017, the work grew to include an affordable housing resident research survey and the group was also accepted into Impact Hub's Housing Accelerator. Today, two Shapers sit on the board of the non-profit that was formed and continue to do work around helping better understand how to best create a more affordable.
