For five decades, Affordable Homes of South Texas has worked to expand housing opportunities for families across the Rio Grande Valley, evolving from a small housing initiative into a comprehensive organization focused on long-term community stability.
Founded in 1976, the nonprofit was created during a time when many Valley families lived in colonias without indoor plumbing, electricity, or access to credit.
Much of that legacy was built under the late Robert ‘Bobby’ Calvillo, who led AHSTI for nearly 30 years before his passing in 2025 and whose belief that every hardworking family deserves a home still anchors the organization today.
According to President and CEO Myra Martinez, the organization’s mission has always centered on creating opportunities for working families often overlooked by traditional lending systems.
“Fifty years is humbling,” Martinez said. “What we’ve built over five decades isn’t just homes. It’s dignity. It’s generational wealth where none existed before.”
Since its founding, AHSTI has helped more than 4,500 families achieve affordable homeownership and has built, rehabilitated, or preserved more than 5,250 homes. Since 2011 alone, the organization has also supported more than 13,400 households through pre-purchase counseling and homebuyer education services.
Martinez said one of AHSTI’s greatest accomplishments has been developing a full-service model that supports families throughout the entire homeownership process.
“We’ve grown into something truly rare: an organization that walks alongside a family from their very first homebuyer education class all the way through construction, financing, and sustained partnership, all under one roof,” she said.
Over the years, housing challenges in South Texas have shifted significantly. While the earliest concerns centered on unsafe living conditions and lack of infrastructure, today’s families face rising land costs, expensive insurance premiums, and limited housing inventory.
Martinez said AHSTI has adapted by expanding its services beyond home construction alone.
“The need has never been greater, and it’s never been more complicated,” Martinez said. “We don’t just build and repair homes — we educate, we finance, we develop, and we support homeowners long after they get their keys.”
One growing issue the organization is addressing involves generational property ownership. Many families inherit land without a clear legal title due to a lack of estate planning, making it difficult to access equity or qualify for assistance programs. To help solve that problem, AHSTI launched Generaciones™, a program designed to assist families with heirship and title issues.
Martinez said the organization’s long-term approach to housing stability begins with education and preparation. Some families arrive mortgage-ready, while others benefit from financial coaching and homebuyer guidance before entering the lending process.
For borrowers unable to qualify through traditional lending channels, AHSTI offers its own financing products. The organization also provides brokerage services for families pursuing FHA or conventional loans, while continuing to support homeowners after closing through emergency repair grants, rental and mortgage assistance, and home improvement programs.
As AHSTI looks ahead, the organization is also investing in future-focused initiatives. One of those efforts is the development of a Community Land Trust model intended to preserve long-term affordability in areas experiencing rapid increases in land costs.
Another initiative, HERBuilt™, aims to create more opportunities for women in construction trades.
“The workforce shortage in the building industry is real, and we believe there’s an untapped pipeline of talent right here in our own community,” Martinez said.
Despite its success, AHSTI continues to face significant challenges. Martinez pointed to rising construction costs, soaring insurance rates, and a tightening labor market in the building trades connected to federal immigration enforcement as some of the biggest hurdles in recent years.
Still, she said the organization remains committed to adapting and growing.
“The need is too great for us to slow down,” Martinez said. “Fifty years of being the organization that figures it out has given us a confidence in our own capacity.”
Looking toward the future, Martinez said the organization’s vision centers on expansion, sustainability, and preserving affordability for generations to come.
“The next chapter is about scale and permanence,” she said. “I want families fifty years from now to be able to point to a home — maybe a home their grandparents bought through AHSTI — and know that this organization was part of how their family got a foothold.”
