Jackie Toledo seeks $3 million for statewide affordable housing program

Tampa Rep. Jackie Toledo is seeking $3 million for a statewide workforce housing readiness initiative.

In an appropriations request filed Monday, Toledo is looking to fund the Neighborworks Florida Collaborative, a non-profit that creates workforce housing, fosters sustainable homeownership, provides payment assistance and enhances community development options.

The organization is backed by NeighborWorks America, which charters the 12 local organizations throughout the state who would utilize the funds. The branches cover Alachua, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Leon, Miami-Dade, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach and Pinellas counties.

The funding would be divided between administrative overhead costs and back office support ($100,000), and expenses to increase attainable housing units, commercial space for small business and capital for down payment assistance, micro-loans or mortgages ($2.9 million).

The federal government is expected to provide $2.5 million to the program, with an additional $500,000 from other donors, according to the request.

The request cites the impact of the pandemic on residents as just one of the reasons the funding is needed. 

“The funds would be spent to stabilize Florida neighborhoods and communities which have been physically and economically impacted by increased rates of eviction, foreclosure, disinvestment and disaster over the past 10 years, and more recently the pandemic,” the request says. 

The organization did not appear to receive non-recurrent funding last year. The $3 million request may be a tall order.

The state remains in a tough budget posture as economists had projected a 6.1% drop in revenue. That number was later revised down $1.49 billion to $32.48 billion —  still sitting far lower than in previous years.

But, with the eviction moratorium expiring March 31, many families may soon need to turn to more affordable housing options than before.