City of Tallahassee Surpasses House America Affordable Housing Goals

January 30, 2023

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced that over 100,000 families and individuals have been housed through the federal initiative House America. In May 2022, the City of Tallahassee joined over 100 communities across the nation pledging to grow the affordable housing pipeline, and by the end of November 2022, the City had already surpassed its goal.

Encouraging the construction of affordable housing units is a priority in the City's Strategic Plan.

Tallahassee's Mayor and City Commissioners have taken effective actions to urgently address affordable housing and homelessness in the community.

"Since the City Commission made this issue one of its top priorities, there has been a 67 percent increase in the number of certified affordable housing units that have been completed or are in progress across our community," Mayor John Dailey said.

This boost is the result of new policies and targeted development incentives that encourage builders to offer more affordable options and by being an attractive community for new job growth. The City remains well-positioned to continue bringing affordable units to residents.

"The City's forward-thinking policies and actions have successfully added new affordable housing units in the pipeline at three times the rate of the previous decade," Mayor Pro Tem Dianne Williams-Cox said.

Actions include the implementation of innovative strategies such as the inclusionary housing ordinance, infill construction loans, community land trust, down payment assistance program and policy changes that support the construction of affordable units.

"The results of our collective efforts are having an impact on the local economy with 26 projects - an estimated $600 million investment in affordable housing - happening throughout Tallahassee," Commissioner Curtis Richardson said.

Lafayette Gardens and Magnolia Oaks are two recent examples of new developments adding certified affordable housing units to the growing pipeline. In addition to supporting construction of new units, the City works to preserve existing affordable housing through rehabilitation programs and partners with landlords to provide housing stability for vulnerable and at-risk tenants. City initiatives have been successful in helping to increase new and maintain existing affordable housing stock.

House America launched as a partnership between HUD, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) and individual communities to respond with urgency to address the crisis of affordable housing and homelessness. As part of efforts to create strong, vibrant neighborhoods, the City provides a variety of programs and works with HUD and USICH, as well as its many local partners, to use available resources to increase the stock of affordable housing units for low-income households and to make homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring in the local community.

Learn more about the City's tools and strategies to grow affordable housing stock and view the interactive dashboard at Talgov.com/Housing.