The affordable housing crisis in Florida, arising from the state's booming real estate market, has pushed moderate income residents out of the housing market. Florida's legislature passed a bill in 2006 to create new programs addressing the problem.
"The bill also created the Community Workforce Housing Innovation Program, encouraging local public-private partnerships to develop workforce housing for workers with incomes up to 140 percent of area median income. Representing $50 million in funding for innovative solutions for workforce housing, this program is the first of its kind in the country.
Many local governments around the state are also working hard to develop their own solutions.
Housing is an essential component of our communities' infrastructures and -- just like jobs, roads, schools and transportation -- must be addressed to ensure the continued and proper growth of our state.
Even with policies and programs in place to help either meet or counter this growing problem, our work would be far from finished. The Legislature must now take the most important step needed to deal with this issue by fully funding the Affordable Housing Trust Funds. We've seen that affordable housing for working families is a prerequisite to maintaining the economic prosperity Florida has enjoyed over the last several years."
Thanks to Sheryl Stolzenberg
Read the full story: Bill a good start, more needed
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