Tallahassee, Fla. –Today, Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled his 2021-22 budget proposal providing $423.3 million for affordable housing programs from the State and Local Government Housing Trust Funds. Funding at this level, especially during a pandemic, shows the Governor’s persistent leadership and commitment to safely housing our citizens.
Florida Housing Board Chairman Ron Lieberman said, “Providing sustainable, affordable housing for families in Florida continues to be the mission of Governor DeSantis and the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Our continued commitment and this funding will go a long way in assisting households that are most in need, especially as we recover from this pandemic.”
Florida Housing Executive Director Trey Price said, “Since taking office, Governor Ron DeSantis has been a strong advocate for housing. Together, the Governor and the Legislature appropriated more than $550 million for fiscal year 2020-21 in housing, disaster relief and pandemic funding, while aiding tens of thousands to find safe, stable, affordable housing. This money also provided significant economic impact in communities throughout our state.”
As the state’s housing finance agency, Florida Housing oversees a number of programs and policies that were a success in 2020 that we plan to carry forward into 2021. Rental housing funding for programs such as the State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL) Program leverages millions of dollars in federal resources for developers to build even more affordable rental developments throughout the state. Additionally, homeownership funding for our veterans, and down payment assistance and closing costs for first-time homebuyers that helps families achieve the American Dream, will also continue.
Florida Housing’s largest affordable housing programs funded with state dollars are:
The State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL) Program provides gap loan financing to developers to leverage funding available under both the Multifamily Mortgage Revenue Bond and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit programs, resulting in the full financing needed to construct affordable rental units for families and elders. These are low-interest loans awarded on a competitive basis to developers of affordable rental housing.
The State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program provides funds to local governments as an incentive to create partnerships that produce and preserve affordable homeownership and multifamily rental housing. The program is designed to serve very low, low and moderate income families. The minimum allocation per county is $350,000 and may be used for a variety of strategies such as home rehabilitation and emergency repairs, down payment and closing costs assistance, homeownership counseling, new construction and homelessness prevention.
Florida Housing was created by the Legislature 40 years ago. We are the state’s housing finance agency (HFA) that administers state and federal resources to help provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for the citizens of Florida www.floridahousing.org.
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