- January 19, 2025
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By: Pat Kuehn
Volusia County Community Information
Like all communities across the nation, Volusia County is facing an affordable housing crisis caused by a growing disparity between wages and housing costs. The County Council on Tuesday, July 19, affirmed its commitment to tackling the issue by unanimously accepting a comprehensive and detailed five-year plan compiled by county staff with findings from three affinity groups.
Led by members of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, the affinity groups were composed of 32 community members who focused on community land trusts, funding and land development regulations over the past several months.
The plan presented to the County Council outlined 10 key strategies for success:
“Knowing that there is no one solution for providing affordable housing, this plan represents a toolbox of strategies to build more affordable housing opportunities for the citizens of Volusia County,” said Anne Evans, chair of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee.
There are more households in need of housing in Volusia County than there are affordable housing units available to them. According to the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies at the University of Florida, there are 10,615 renter households earning 30% or less of the area median income, but there are only 4,865 units that would be affordable to them.
County Chair Jeff Brower called the plan a working document and call to action.
“There are things in this that all of us are not going to agree with, but it’s full of great ideas," Brower said. "This is a document that won’t solve the housing problems in the next few months. This helps us get started with some really focused strategies for success.”
County Councilwoman Barb Girtman made the motion for acceptance.
“I certainly support the plan,” she said. “It matters that we be very thoughtful about the dollars, identifying every opportunity. Quite a bit of funds have been identified to put toward these efforts. I’m real proud of the work the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, staff and the community have done. Everyone came together to make this happen. I’m grateful for it.”
County staff will move forward with implementation. Necessary items will be brought before the County Council for review and discussion.
The complete plan can be viewed at www.volusia.org/ahi.
