Broward housing experts said they will create a public “scorecard” within the next few months that will help local government keep track of their efforts to tame the affordable housing crisis — and see how neighboring cities fare.
Ralph Stone, Broward County’s director of the Housing Finance Division, said cities are being encouraged to “engage in helping resolve their own affordable housing demand.”
The idea: Cities participate in the growing effort to create housing for the families with the least means to pay for it.
The problem has become pronounced each year as properties have become more unattainable for lower-income workers. Key local industries, such as hospitality and tourism, depend on lower-income service workers to survive.
This spring, the county signed off on a 10-year plan to find ways to create housing based on the estimated shortage of nearly 73,000 affordable houses in Broward, and another 74,000-unit gap of rental apartments.
Among the recommendations for cities: Create an “Affordable Housing Trust Fund” for down payment assistance or rental assistance; hire an ombudsman to “guide and expedite” affordable housing projects; change zoning laws to facilitate construction of affordable housing and create a tracker to see what each city has accomplished, so as to stay accountable.