Vice Mayor Marlon D. Bolton has been unanimously appointed to the City’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. According to Newswire, this committee “advises and makes recommendations to the Commission to encourage or facilitate affordable housing while protecting the ability of properties to appreciate in value.” As required by a new Florida law, each municipality must have one elected official participating in its SHIP (State Housing Initiative Program). The goal of this law is to provide increased accountability while also ensuring the creation of effective policies. In addition to the elected official, between eight and eleven city residents also serve on this Committee; residents must be involved in related industries, including but not limited to:
- Housing
- Home Building
- Local Planning Agencies
- Providers of Essential Services
A Serious Crisis
Vice Mayor Bolton notes that “The lack of affordable housing in South Florida is a serious crisis that we need to address, especially in light of the number of people at risk due to the pandemic. I am proud to represent the City and will do all I can to ensure that our housing assistance programs are effective in addressing the needs of our residents.”
According to the SHIP website, SHIP dollars may fund a variety of projects, including but not limited to:
- Emergency repairs
- New construction
- Impact fees
- Construction and gap financing
- Homeownership counseling
Tamarac’s Participation
As noted in the City of Tamarac’s Draft 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan, Tamarac “is a member of the Broward County HOME Consortium which distributes federal HOME funds to member cities to develop affordable housing in the region. The City is an annual recipient of this fund.” The HOME program is a federal program administered by HUD, which “provides grants to state and local governments to create affordable housing for low-income households.”
To learn more about Tamarac’s participation in the State Housing Initiative Partnership Program (SHIP) and the Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP), click here.
To learn more about the City’s Housing Administration Department, visit https://www.tamarac.org/367/Housing-Administration.
