Guest opinion: What is affordable housing?
When we use the term “affordable housing” are we all speaking the same language? Do we mean workforce housing? Essential worker housing? Or something else? Has the term “affordable housing” become a pejorative, eliciting a vision of decaying housing projects our misguided cities built decades ago, with inadequate reserves for maintenance?
The workers upon whom we depend on daily fall in all income categories. Everyone agrees we need teachers, nurses and policemen.
What about gardeners and pool cleaners, restaurant and grocery store workers, and many similar jobs earning at levels HUD would categorize very or extremely low? Most of these jobs fall in the $14-16 hour range, or about $30,000 per year. Apartments renting for $1000 per month are virtually non-existent. Are we prepared to do without this entire category of workers? Consider the consequences of losing most of them.
What about our senior citizens who have lived here all their lives, and survive on fixed income? How do you offset a 40% rent increase with a $28 raise in your social security check?
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We need to consider all categories of people struggling with these hardships. It’s no wonder the number of cars lining up for food pantry distributions now, is greater than during the height of COVID-19. After paying rent and fuel to get to work, there’s often nothing left to buy food.
The need for affordable housing in Collier County (and all of Southwest Florida) is not just a problem faced by the poor. It’s soon going to be everyone’s problem as we learn to do without these folks. We’re already seeing gas stations, restaurants, even country clubs limiting the hours they’re open. The amount of overtime hours our emergency service folks are working is frightening; after eighty hours a week is a Naples policeman still at his best making split second decisions?
Consultants tell us we’re already 5000 housing units short today, with few of the 1000 a year we need being added. The future looks dim without an “all hands on deck” response of urgency.
Our County and City leaders need to be applying new thinking to these long existing problems. Of course we don’t want government agencies in the housing business! (We’ve seen examples of this in all our big cities).
But local government needs to do more than they’re doing today to induce developers to come to Collier County and build affordable housing. With the cost of land skyrocketing, building costs multiplying and interest rates rising, it’s just too risky for developers to do this on their own.
We need the County to identify and donate surplus land and fund the purchase of additional land through annual ad valorem tax allocations. We need increases in density allowances and more creative zoning requirements to allow smaller homes, relaxed parking and more suitable setbacks. We need impact fees to be deferred for as long as rents are controlled - in perpetuity would be best.
We need rentable guest houses. And strong lobbying with the State to restore local rule to limit vacation rentals. We need these properties back in the residential marketplace.
The time to get creative is now. We can solve these problems in time, but only with immediate strong action by our government leaders. THEY NEED TO HEAR OUR VOICES. Doing the same things isn’t working.
Joe Trachtenberg, Chairman, Collier County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Affordable housing solutions in Florida require news ways of thinking
