(The Center Square) – A report by the Florida Legislature’s research arm found that an affordable housing grant program aided more than 9,000 families in obtaining a house from 2018 to 2020.
According to the report by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, the program also spent $37.5 million from 2018 to 2020 and assisted 4,487 rental units, which the report says has the effect of “enhancing stability and quality for very low, low and moderate income families.”
The report recommends that one important aim of affordable housing grants and regulation is to set aside units for a targeted population such as teachers, law enforcement or the homeless.
The State Housing Initiatives Partnership provides local governments with funds to encourage them to create partnerships designed to both build and preserve affordable housing for both renters and homeowners. From 2018 to 2020, local governments have spent $250.3 million in state funds in this program.
There are 23 strategies that local governments use to best utilize the initiative funds that include down payment assistance and rehabilitation for existing homes, funding to build new homes; rental subsidies for qualified households; relief after a disaster; foreclosure prevention programs with mortgage assistance for three to six months and payment of fees required for renters.
The report also said there were 11 housing incentive strategies implemented by the 82 initiative program participants. This included expedited development approvals, fee waivers for affordable housing, flexible zoning, accessory dwelling units that share a single-family lot with a separate dwelling, easing street construction regulations and allowing flexible lot shapes among others.
In a survey conducted by state officials, local officials reported construction of mixed-income projects with expedited permitting and flexible zoning designed to support affordable housing.
The spending was divided between $173.7 million (69.4%) spent by counties, $51.2 million (20.5%) by municipalities and $25.4 million (10.1%) by counties that have interlocal agreements with municipalities.