Sarasota County to consider establishing affordable housing committee

Sarasota County staff has drafted a report for commissioners after they requested an update on the county's affordable housing efforts in February.

The conversation arose after Jon Thaxton, former commissioner, asked Carolyn Mason, chairwoman, if Sarasota County had an advisory council for affordable housing, as Manatee County has an affordable housing advisory committee.

The staff report outlines current efforts and upcoming iniatives. 

The county and the city of Sarasota both contribute to the Sarasota Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD). According to the report, the county has allocated responsibility to the organization for assessing the county's need for affordable housing and also managing federal and state funds related to that need.

The county's chapter on housing in the comprehensive plan, and the Sarasota OHCD's housing plan, from 2006 made a prediction that by 2015, 48,252 county households would be paying more the 30% of income for housing, however: the 2013 data used in the staff report stated that out of the county's 177,694 households, about 73,136 pay more than 30% of their income for housing. More than half of that demographic are paying more that 50% for housing. The percentage of cost-burdened households was already 50% higher than the projected totals in 2015, "indicating that the affordable housing condition has moved in a more negative direction," the report states. 

According to the report, the level of poverty in the county has not improved since 2000. The number of people in poverty doubled from 24,817 in 2000 to 49,237 in 2013. The population of the county expanded from 325,957 in 2000 to 390,429 in 2013 according to U.S. census data; while population only increased by 17%, the number of people in poverty increased by 50%.

The housing chapter of the comprehensive plan will be discussed in public workshops for the plan's revision and update November through December this year. During this time, the Sarasota OHCD will also be working on a new analysis of affordable housing in the county and impediments to acquiring affordable housing.

Among the list of accomplishments, the county included the completion of the Venetian Walk apartments in Venice, which provide affordable housing for low-income seniors. However, the goal was to see 100 new housing units created by 2014; the Venetian Walk provided only 61.

The staff report outlined the next steps for the county over the next two years. In the spring, the county and city commissioners will consider extending the interlocal agreement with Sarasota OHCD for continued administrative management of housing and community development programs and this fall, both entities will consider creating an affordable housing committee and the housing chapter of the county comprehensive plan will be updated. Sarasota OHCD will create a new 5-year housing plan and an analysis of impediments to affordable housing.