Escambia County Commissioners approved two initiatives last week to help address the area's lack of affordable housing.
One of the approved measures is an agreement with Habitat for Humanity to sponsor 10 new-construction single-family homes in the amount of $32,500-$45,000 depending on household income.
Garett Griffin, the county's Neighborhood Enterprise Division Manager, said the county has worked with Habitat before, most recently on the construction of four houses in existing neighborhoods using HOME Investments Partnership funding.
“These partnerships are essential for a community of our size,” added Griffin in an email interview. “By combining the strengths and leveraging resources of multiple organizations, we can accomplish much more together. Each partner brings unique funding and expertise to the table, which allows us to tackle various aspects of affordable housing — from new construction to repairs and rehabilitations. The more we collaborate, the greater our collective impact on ensuring that all Escambia residents have access to quality, affordable housing.”
In addition to the Habitat partnership, commissioners also approved transferring 14 county-owned properties to the City of Pensacola to become affordable workforce housing. The addresses of the homes can be found here.
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves addressed the properties at his weekly press conference Tuesday and said it’s a “step in the collaborative effort” between the city and county to find solutions. Housing is the No. 1 issue in the city’s 10-year strategic plan.
“We all recognize that housing is a crisis that needs to be dealt with yesterday,” he said.
Even with this welcome news, there will still be more work ahead, said Griffin which includes grant initiatives and federal entitlement dollars for new construction and grant funding for rehabbing existing properties.
“(Funding) will support critical projects, such as roofing, full rehabilitations, demolitions, replacements, and infill programs,” said Griffin. “These projects are essential to our long-term vision of a community where everyone has access to safe, affordable housing.”
“These opportunities will help us grow our affordable housing stock and provide more families with the stability they deserve.”
