March 11, 2016 | The Tampa Times
Letter to the Editor by George Romagnoli
The Florida Housing Coalition appreciates the work of the Florida Senate and House in coming to an agreement to recommend that $214.1 million be appropriated from Florida’s housing trust funds toward affordable housing.
We appreciate that they increased the budget for affordable housing by a large percentage and provided funding for the homeless and other housing projects.
Florida is becoming a difficult place to find affordable housing. More than 900,000 very low-income Floridians pay more than 50 percent of their income on housing. We have the third-largest homeless population in the country. More than 700,000 elderly, low-income households in Florida live in housing that is unaffordable, substandard or overcrowded.
We are grateful that the Legislature appropriated most of the housing trust funds for housing. With these funds houses will be repaired, down payment assistance will be offered to increase homeownership, and the homeless will be housed.
George Romagnoli, New Port Richey
The writer is chairman of the Florida Housing Coalition.
Article last accessed here on March 21. 2016.