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Orange County Task Force Releases Recommendations for Addressing Affordable Housing Crisis

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons
Andy Dean Photography
Photo: Flickr Creative Commons

A new plan is out for improving Orange County’s affordable housing options. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings’ task force on the issue released the plan on Friday.

The plan calls for zoning incentives that would encourage more affordable housing near public transportation and jobs.

It also calls for current federally funded housing projects to be preserved. 

But advocate David Swanson says there needs to be more supportive services for residents who might own their own apartment for the first time. This could include counselors and case managers.

“Somehow the community, the public sector, the private sector and government have got to come up with a sustainable source of funding for both of these things-affordable housing and homelessness-if we’re going to sustain this over the long term. ”

And Swanson says leaders should expect some pushback from residents who might not want more affordable housing in their own backyards.

" 'Well this is going to diminish our property values. This is going to add traffic, add crime all those kinds of things'. That’s just something that has to be contended with.”

The National Low Income Housing Coalition ranks the Central Florida region worst in the nation in terms of the number of housing units available to low income renters.

To read the full plan, click on the link.
If you'd like to listen to the story, please click on the clip above.

Danielle Prieur is WMFE's education reporter.