By Editorial Board | Gainesville Sun
Here in Gainesville, a lack of affordable housing is apparent in the long waiting lists for public and other subsidized housing.
Plenty of housing is being built in Gainesville, but little of it is affordable to residents already struggling to pay their bills.
A report issued earlier this year by the United Way found that 50% of Alachua County households face difficulties being able to afford basic necessities such as housing and food. The figure grew by six percentage points from 2010 to 2016.
Statewide, 46% of households were reported to be experiencing similar struggles. Florida residents face a particular challenge in being able to secure affordable housing, with the United Way finding that high demand for housing has pushed down vacancy rates and created a deficit of more than 309,000 affordable housing units across the state.
Given the scale of the problem, one might expect affordable housing to be a top state priority. Yet Florida lawmakers once again raided a trust fund intended for affordable housing.
Back in 1992, the Legislature increased the documentary stamp tax on real estate transactions to fund affordable housing through the Sadowski trust funds. But in recent years, lawmakers have used much of the money for other purposes.
The state budget passed in the recent legislative session would sweep $125 million from the Sadowski trust funds into general revenue. Another $115 million would be used for Hurricane Michael recovery in the Panhandle, while $85 million would be spent on affordable housing statewide.
The Sadowski Coalition, a group of statewide business and nonprofit organizations, is encouraging Gov. Ron DeSantis to line-item veto the $125 million being swept into general revenue. DeSantis had recommended in his budget that every penny of the Sadowski funds be used for housing programs.
Here in Gainesville, a lack of affordable housing is apparent in the long waiting lists for public and other subsidized housing. The city had proposed new incentives for developers to include affordable housing in their projects, but the plan was dropped amid opposition from some residents.
Time is of the essence to address the problem as new luxury student housing seems to keep sprouting up in Gainesville with nary an affordable apartment in site. The City Commission’s rental housing subcommittee is slated to wrap up its work, which is expected to include new energy and safety standards for housing, soon.
The plan must ensure rental properties are energy efficient to keep down utility costs without causing rents to be even less affordable. Getting more landlords to accept Section 8 vouchers is also important, and new options should be considered such as a single-room occupancy building to help move the homeless into housing.
Recent land-use changes at the Oaks Mall property opens up the possibility up new affordable housing there, possibly for seniors due to its close proximity to medical facilities. But given the city’s budget crunch, state and other outside funding is critical to facilitating such projects.
A line-item veto by DeSantis would show the Legislature that affordable housing funding should be dedicated to that purpose, especially in places like Gainesville where it is badly needed.
Article last accessed on May16, 2019 here.
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