香港六合彩开奖结果

Spring 2020 | By Nicole Dudenhoefer聽鈥�17

In late 2019, Tamara Frazier 鈥�19MPA聽won a lottery and collected a prize聽that would change her life.

Although it wasn鈥檛 a million-dollar聽jackpot, her prize 鈥� becoming a聽first-time homeowner 鈥� felt just as聽probable as winning the Powerball.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 really hit me聽yet,鈥� says Frazier, a Miami native聽who recently acquired her home聽by winning a lottery for first-time聽homebuyer assistance. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty聽surreal that I鈥檓 securing a foundation聽of my own and in a home I鈥檒l hopefully聽have paid off within the next 30 years.鈥�

While this is a goal for many people,聽74 percent of people in the U.S. can鈥檛聽afford a median-priced home in their聽community, according to a national聽property database. Housing is聽considered affordable only if the cost聽for rent or a mortgage plus utilities聽is below 30 percent of the household聽income.

Located in downtown Orlando鈥檚聽Parramore neighborhood, Frazier鈥檚聽new $205,000 three-bedroom,聽two-bath home has beautiful聽doors and the highest ceilings she鈥檚聽ever seen in a house. The 辫耻产濒颈肠听补诲尘颈苍颈蝉迟谤补迟颈辞苍 grad estimates it聽would have taken her five years聽to save money for the $16,000聽down payment she received in聽grants from Orlando鈥檚 Community聽Redevelopment Agency (CRA).

Instead, she only had to put down聽$1,000 of her own money.

鈥淚 knew that I wasn鈥檛 set on聽moving out of Orlando anytime聽soon, and just because of how much聽rent prices are here I thought about聽home ownership,鈥� says Frazier, who聽was spending more than half of her聽income on rent and utilities before聽purchasing her home.

In 2019, Orlando was ranked聽the worst metropolitan city in the聽nation for affordable housing by聽the National Low Income Housing聽Coalition, with only 13 units available聽for every 100 extremely low-income聽renters 鈥� those whose income is at聽or below the poverty guideline. So聽local government and nonprofits聽are developing programs to provide聽solutions to the region鈥檚 housing聽problems.

Frazier is one of 17 homeowners聽in Parramore, a historically African-American community that has a聽median household income of about聽$15,000, to receive aid from CRA鈥檚聽program for first-time homeowners.聽Another 42 homes in the community聽will become available for those who聽qualify for the program in the future.

The program requires recipients聽to secure a $120,000 loan and have聽ties to Parramore or work in public聽service, which Frazier fulfills as the聽coordinated entry supervisor for聽the Homeless Services Network of聽Central Florida.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been a grateful person,聽but seeing how people become聽homeless on a daily basis because聽they can鈥檛 afford to meet their聽basic needs makes me even more聽appreciative of the opportunity I聽was given,鈥� Frazier says.

In the most basic sense, the聽affordable housing crisis in Orlando聽exists because the supply isn鈥檛 here to聽meet the demand of its 2.57 million聽residents. And as about 1,500 people聽move to Orlando each week, action is聽needed. So while these 59 homes will聽be life-changing for dozens of people,聽they are just one small solution to a聽systemic problem that began with the聽federal government decades ago.

A Historic Problem

From the beginning, the federal聽government鈥檚 public housing policies聽weren鈥檛 intended to help the people聽struggling the most to afford homes.聽After the Great Depression, federally聽funded housing was created to revive聽the dwindling housing industry.

Working-class white people began聽living in these new, modern units聽until other housing opportunities聽became available in the 1950s. The聽Federal Housing Administration聽created single-family homes in the聽suburbs, but with one restriction:聽Black people couldn鈥檛 own them.聽So the urban public housing that was聽once reserved for white people began聽to house underserved black families.

The shift in who could live there聽wasn鈥檛 the only thing that changed 鈥斅爏o did the median income of residents.聽In 1950, those living in public聽housing earned about 57 percent聽of the national median income. By聽1970, they earned 29 percent, and聽in the 1990s they earned 17 percent,聽according to The Washington Post.

鈥淚n 1974, Section 8 was developed聽to help address the demand for聽affordable housing by providing聽subsidy vouchers for rental payments聽that allow people, in theory, to聽access housing in areas they want to聽live,鈥� says UCF Assistant Professor聽Caroline Cheong. 鈥淏ut for many聽reasons, the voucher system has been聽shown to increase and perpetuate聽sociospatial racial segregation, and聽concentrations of poverty are not聽good for anyone.鈥�

On the supply side, programs聽like the Low-Income Housing Tax聽Credit 鈥� which provides tax credits聽to developers who create affordable聽housing 鈥� were developed in the聽1980s. But these units may not聽remain affordable forever. After聽15 years, developers can seek to聽leave the program.

鈥淏etween now and聽2030, about 7,000聽units [in this area]聽will come out of聽tax credits,鈥澛爏ays Mark Brewer, CEO of the Central聽Florida Foundation and member聽of the . 鈥淚magine聽you鈥檝e lived somewhere for the last聽14 years renting an apartment that鈥檚聽perfectly affordable to you, and now聽your rent will rise to market rate.鈥�

As low-cost housing has become聽more difficult to find each decade, the聽U.S. government is implementing a聽new resource to address the problem聽for the first time in a generation. In聽2016, the Housing Trust Fund was聽developed to allocate $174 million,聽with at least 75 percent of the聽funds used to support extremely聽low-income renters.

Low Wages for Locals

While construction is a constant聽in Orlando, the types of dwellings聽being built are mostly pricier homes聽and luxury apartments, with the聽average two-bedroom rental costing聽$1,200. These properties are out of聽the price range of the nearly 922,000聽Floridians who spend more than聽50 percent of their income聽on housing. They are one聽missed paycheck away聽from joining聽the state鈥檚聽homeless聽population, which is the third largest聽in the nation, according to the聽Sadowski Housing Coalition.

鈥淚 see every day how people can聽have different incomes, education聽levels, backgrounds or ethnicities and聽become homeless because of a reason聽they couldn鈥檛 have foreseen,鈥� Frazier聽says. 鈥淚t could be a medical bill they聽have to pay or their hours at work聽were cut, they were short a couple of聽dollars for rent, and now they鈥檙e evicted聽because they can鈥檛 afford their rent.鈥�

The low wages in Orlando have a lot聽to do with one of the biggest economic聽drivers in the region: tourism. In 2017,聽the state鈥檚 tourism industry raked聽in $86 billion. Central Florida alone聽accounted for $35 billion, making it聽the biggest contributor in the state,聽says UCF Assistant Professor Amy聽Donley 鈥�02 鈥�04MA 鈥�08PhD.

鈥淭his area has an image as the聽No. 1 tourist destination in the聽country and internationally, which聽is well deserved. But there are so聽many people in our community that聽are struggling,鈥� Donley says. 鈥淥ur聽reliance on hourly wage jobs聽doesn鈥檛 allow incomes to聽match our rent prices聽or just the cost of聽living here.鈥�

About 280,000 hospitality workers聽across the metro Orlando-聽Kissimmee-Sanford area make up聽the region鈥檚 largest workforce. These聽workers have a median hourly wage of聽$13.60. But adults in Orange County聽need to make at least $25 an hour to聽support themselves and one child,聽according to the Massachusetts聽Institute of Technology鈥檚 living聽wage calculator.

鈥淵ou look at places like San聽Francisco, which is well known for聽having exorbitant housing prices,聽but their median income is so much聽higher because there are so many聽high-wage workers there,鈥� Donley聽says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e dealing with a larger聽base of lower-wage workers, so聽raising wages is essential to help the聽affordable housing problem. Every聽person should be able to afford聽housing, to eat and to get to work.鈥�

Filling the Missing Middle

One solution that Orange County聽is implementing is the recently聽approved Housing for All Task Force鈥檚聽10-year action plan, which UCF聽Assistant Professor Chia-Yuan Yu聽helped develop. By 2030, the goal is to聽preserve and create 30,300 affordable聽housing options. In December 2019,聽the Orange County Commission聽approved a $160 million housing trust聽to support the plan.

Within the task force, Yu served聽on a committee that analyzed the聽region to determine the best locations聽to create new housing, which would聽include single- and multi-family聽homes, multiplexes and townhomes.聽They see the 鈥渕issing middle鈥� as聽one of the best options for these聽developments.

鈥淥rlando is urban-sprawl聽development, so regions like Lake聽Nona and downtown Orlando are聽far away from each other,鈥� Yu says.聽鈥淚nstead of continuing to build聽sprawling developments, which make聽it more difficult to access jobs because聽Orlando doesn鈥檛 have a mass transit聽system, we are looking to utilize the聽space in between existing ones to fill聽the vacant land 鈥� the missing middle.鈥�

Preserving Communities

While locals wait for tens of聽thousands of residences to be built聽in Orlando鈥檚 missing middle over聽the next decade, thousands are聽already popping up in the city鈥檚聽downtown community as the region聽tries to address its current 60,000聽housing unit shortage, according to聽Brewer.

鈥淚 do feel like there鈥檚 a lot聽happening so fast,鈥� Frazier says.聽鈥淛ust driving through the聽neighborhood every day, you see聽different properties being built and聽how downtown is developing. From聽my hometown in Miami I鈥檝e seen聽what happens when the city goes in聽and uplifts a community and that聽can lean toward gentrification.鈥�

Last year, the Central Florida聽Foundation created the Central聽Florida Regional Housing Trust聽(CFRHT) to address this concern聽by preventing home and rental聽prices in the area from potentially聽rising after the opening of 鲍颁贵听顿辞飞苍迟辞飞苍. From CFRHT鈥檚 inception,聽香港六合彩开奖结果 faculty and staff have worked聽with the organization to develop聽plans that protect the community鈥檚聽already existing residents.

鈥淗owever much housing we build聽here, with 1,500 people a week聽moving here, we would never build聽our way out of the affordable housing聽problem,鈥� Brewer says. 鈥淲e have to聽find ways to repurpose and reset the聽market to allow access to housing for聽the talent pool of people living and聽trying to work here.鈥�

To begin accomplishing this, the CFRHT partnered with the Florida Community Loan Fund and New Jersey Community Capital to create the Parramore Asset Stabilization Fund. By May 2020, the fund will provide refurbishments for 83 occupied homes in the community. The residents in these homes were also given new annual leases with an average rent of about $600 a month with a guarantee their rent won鈥檛 increase by more than 2 percent a year for the next 10 years.

鈥淯CF was very much one of the聽founding partners of the concept聽that ultimately became the聽Parramore Asset Stabilization Fund聽because the university wants to be聽a good partner in the community,鈥澛爏ays Rob Panepinto, UCF鈥檚 director聽of Innovation Districts Strategy and聽Partnerships and chair of CFRHT鈥檚聽Housing Action Team (CFHAT).

鈥淎s the Creative Village is expanding,聽there are concerns about folks being聽pushed out of their homes, and we聽want to make sure we minimize that聽impact as best we can.鈥�

Had the trust decided to entirely聽rebuild the homes, the average rent聽would have needed to be double聽because of the cost of construction,聽says CFRHT CEO Frank Wells.

鈥淲e talk a lot about new聽construction, but it actually costs聽close to $200,000 to build a new聽unit these days in this region,鈥澛燱ells says. 鈥淲e need to talk about聽how we preserve things that are聽already affordable because it鈥檚聽certainly cheaper to buy and聽rehab something than it is to聽build something new.鈥�

A Place Called Home

Both Wells and Panepinto, among聽other experts, recognize that no single聽government program, action plan or聽housing trust has the resources needed聽to solve Orlando鈥檚 housing crisis.

鈥淭he reality is we collectively聽are probably going to need to do聽a hundred things, and when you聽add them all up, hopefully they鈥檒l聽have the impact we all want on the聽community,鈥� Panepinto says. 鈥淭his聽is an issue that needs the public,聽business and philanthropic sectors聽working together effectively.鈥�

To facilitate these partnerships,聽CFRHT created a $100 million fund聽through the CFHAT to incentivize聽private developers to build, renovate聽or save 25,000 affordable homes聽over the next decade. As each聽neighborhood is unique, Wells says it聽will take a lot of time and work to create聽appropriate solutions for each one.

鈥淚 think that we should feel hopeful聽about affordable housing solutions in聽Central Florida because now you鈥檙e聽seeing more strategic initiatives聽around this issue that we didn鈥檛 see聽two or three years ago,鈥� Panepinto says.

Despite the troubling conditions聽around housing in Orlando, those聽who live and move here know there鈥檚聽immense potential for a better life in聽this community as public and private聽institutions work together to solve聽the problem.

鈥淣ow that I have a place I can聽afford, I don鈥檛 see anything trying to聽pull me away from Orlando at all right聽now,鈥� Frazier says. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 really nice聽to come home every day to a place I聽can call my own.鈥�