TALLAHASSEE, FL - Like many of her colleagues, Donna Carman is waiting. As lawmakers began meeting Thursday to form a compromise budget plan, the executive director of Indiantown Non-Profit Housing Inc. braced for cuts at a time when she says progams are needed more than ever. "The economy is hitting lower income residents especially hard," said Carman, whose agency oversees affordable housing projects across the Treasure Coast. "Now is not the time to cut programs to help them stay in their homes."
Florida lawmakers wrangling over how to fill gaps in the state budget are cutting housing budgets and eyeing a $333-million pot of money sitting in a trust fund created years ago. They also propose to eliminate or reduce housing support for the state's poorest residents as they meet in the next few weeks to hammer out an austere budget.
Local community development officials say they hope lawmakers will look elsewhere to plug holes in the state's $65 billion budget. "We hope (lawmakers) will resist using trust funds, especially affordable housing trust funds, for other uses," said Tricia Swift-Pollard, Port St. Lucie director of community services. "They should be spent on what they were intended."
Each chamber intends to make cuts to affordable housing efforts. The Senate's $321-proposal represents an 18 percent cut from last year. The House's $243-million package is nearly 38 percent lower than last year. House budget negotiators also plan to take $333 million in affordable trust fund reserves and use them to fill gaps in the state's ongoing budget. The Senate plan limits the raid to $75 million. "Those cuts are something that would really hurt low and extremely low income residents here," said Sasan Rohani, Indian River County chief of long term planning.
Port St. Lucie receives $1 million a year from the state, which it leverages to provide $3 million a year to pay for downpayment assistance, home repair and renovation projects. "It really is the lifeblood of our (affordable housing) efforts," Swift-Pollard said.
Indian River County receives about $1.2 million in affordable housing money. About two-thirds is leveraged for downpayment assistance and the rest is used for rehabilitation. Of the 150 applications the county receives each year, the program can only help less than 50 applicants. "The current funding is enough to only satisfy only a small portion of the need," Rohani said. "Further cuts would make that even less."
Jeff Oris, Martin County director of community development, said the state's $1.2 million contribution to the county's affordable housing program is especially critical now as economic time become more difficult. Further, such groups as Habitat for Humanity and Indiantown non-profits use state money to do their work. Indiantown receives about $1.9 million from the state and it is part of a $2 million to $3 million annual budget for homebuilding, renovation and repair.
Source: TCpalm.com