Broward County sets aside $20 million for affordable housing
DEERFIELD BEACH - Even though friends warned him, nothing prepared Devin Hutchison for the sticker shock of renting an apartment in South Florida.
He's paying $2,000 a month in rent. "It's hard. I gotta work a lot and I'm in school. It's hard to balance everything," he says.
With rents out of reach for many workers especially in the service industry, Broward County is setting aside money in next year's budget for housing help.
Twenty million dollars has been earmarked for affordable housing. In addition, $1.3 million is set aside for supportive housing and $300,000 is available for a pallet village to house ten families.
The pallets are small, easily constructed temporary housing units.
Joel Smith says $20 million in county money for affordable housing is a start but not enough.
Smith is founder of Deerfield Beach Cares, a non-profit helping struggling families.
Smith says county help needs to go beyond a roof over a family's head.
"With insurance, transportation, utilities and food costs people can't survive on the wages they are making."
Broward County currently is helping to build an affordable housing apartment building a mile south of the Hard Rock Casino.
With the new money they hope to be able to construct 300 to 400 affordable apartments.
Depending on size and income, a worker would pay between $500 and $1,100 in rent.
The county commission votes on the budget next week.
The affordable housing funding is made possible through property tax revenue.