The Broward Housing Council adopted its 2024 Work Program schedule on December 8, 2023. This schedule is designed as a living document and will be updated as the need constitutes.
Purpose
To serve in an advisory capacity to the County Commission and to facilitate coordination between the County, Municipalities, the business community and not-for-profit groups to address housing issues including, but not limited to, affordable housing, workforce housing and homelessness.
1. Facilitate Coordination
- Seek regional collaboration with other agencies to address affordable housing issues.
- Sponsor an annual Affordable Housing Workshop for municipal, business and legislative leaders.
- Report on all Broward Housing Council activities for the year and submit to the Board of County Commissioners for acceptance.
- Maintain the Broward Housing Council website with a focus on affordable housing policy, research and studies.
- Prepare quarterly newsletter and distribute via e-mail.
- Maintain the countywide Affordable Housing Dashboard with the most current available data.
- Promote the Broward County Ten-Year Affordable Housing Master Plan, following adoption by the Board of County Commissioners.
- Support an amendment to the Broward County Charter, Sec. 1106 regarding the Broward Housing Council membership.
2. Increase Affordable Housing Stock
- Support the allocation of Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) funding for affordable housing.
- Support policies that address flexible sources of “gap financing” for affordable housing (i.e. second mortgage programs).
- Engage the development community to increase affordable housing production especially for very low income rentals.
- Continue to recommend the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) allocate set-aside of units for Broward County tax credit projects, based on need.
- Support partnership between Broward County and South Florida Community Land Trust.
- Continue monitoring the status of developers’ voluntary commitments to construct affordable units as an approval condition of a Broward County Land Use Plan Amendment.
- Track retention of affordable units with expiring affordability restrictions (i.e., 15 years or 30 years).
3. Enhance Housing Stability
- Develop an outreach campaign to educate local municipal, business and legislative leaders on affordable housing issues and funding strategies.
- Invite presenters to share information about affordable housing initiatives at bi-monthly Broward Housing Council meetings.
- Support the acquisition and rehabilitation of existing affordable housing inventory that will preserve the housing stock.
- Update local leaders on affordable housing policy issues
- Encourage foreclosure counseling workshops by HUD certified agencies and local banks and encourage local funding of foreclosure counseling/assistance programs and homebuyer education courses.
- Highlight locally successful neighborhood improvement programs and other affordable housing projects.
- Encourage improved transportation programs that support affordable housing.
4. Advocate for Legislative Change
- Support legislation that provides full appropriation and recurring revenue for affordable housing initiatives such as the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) and State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL).
- Advocate affordable housing programs and policies that include workforce housing.
- Support policies that assist renters and homebuyers by reducing the gap between household income and housing costs.
- Seek to leverage business community involvement in affordable housing advocacy efforts.
- Support the County’s advocacy efforts at the State Level regarding condominium building safety legislation, and associated assessments, to alleviate the cost burden on senior condo owners
5. Streamline Process
- Support the Affordable Housing goals, objectives and policies in BrowardNEXT.
- Support bonus densities and other land use policies to incentivize affordable housing construction.
- Provide planning support to the County’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) in identifying affordable housing incentives for the annual AHAC Report.
6. Address Homelessness
- Support the county-wide homeless services of the Broward County Continuum of Care without duplication of efforts.
7. Support Countywide Financing
- Support Broward County’s allocation of public funding towards the Broward County Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
- Work to leverage private sector investments in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund that support the production and preservation of affordable housing units.
- Encourage the County Commission to pursue multiple funding opportunities identified through the Ten-Year Affordable Housing Master Plan.
