Tallahassee, FL - This week, Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled his Framework for Freedom budget proposal, including more than $500 million for workforce and affordable housing and full funding of the state’s affordable housing programs, with more than $402 million dedicated to the State and Local Government Housing Trust Funds, and $100 million to continue the Hometown Heroes program, which provides down payment and closing-cost assistance for community heroes, including law enforcement, first responders, nurses, military and veterans, and educators. Funding at this level demonstrates the Governor’s continuous commitment to providing Floridians with safe and affordable housing, a must have for our workforce and families.
“Providing safe, quality and affordable housing for families in Florida continues to be the mission of Governor DeSantis and the Florida Housing Finance Corporation,” said Mario Facella, Chairman of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors. “Since taking office, Governor DeSantis has been a strong advocate for Florida’s affordable housing programs, recognizing that these funds help us meet critical housing needs for the folks that make up this great state, and in turn provide significant economic impact to our communities.”
As the state’s housing finance agency, Florida Housing successfully implements both state and federal affordable housing programs. State funding for programs such as the State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL) Program leverages millions of dollars in resources to incentivize developers to build more affordable rental developments statewide. The State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program provides funds to local governments to create partnerships that produce and preserve affordable homeownership and multifamily rental housing.
The Framework for Freedom Budget includes the following funding recommendations for Florida Housing’s largest affordable housing programs:
- $121.7 million for the SAIL Program.
- $281 million for the SHIP Program.
- $100 million for the second year of the Hometown Heroes Housing Program. This program makes homeownership affordable for eligible frontline community workers such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, educators, healthcare professionals, childcare employees, and active military or veterans, by providing down payment and closing cost assistance to first-time, income-qualified homebuyers so they can purchase a primary residence in the community in which they work and serve.
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Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Florida Housing) was created by the state Legislature more than 40 years ago to serve as the state’s housing finance agency (HFA) that administers state and federal resources to help provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for the citizens of Florida.