Pensacola, Escambia advisory committee approves separate three-year SHIP plans and adds community land trust language

The Affordable Housing Advisory Committee for the City of Pensacola and Escambia County voted to approve separate three-year Local Housing Assistance Plans (LHAPs) for 2025–2028 and instructed staff to add explicit language recognizing community land trusts (CLTs) in the county plan.

Committee members said the split — creating distinct city and county LHAPs instead of a single joint plan — reflects differing priorities and program needs and will allow more targeted use of State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) funds. Meredith Reeves, housing administrator for the City of Pensacola, told members the LHAPs must be submitted to the state and that the document is “a living document” that can be amended over the three-year cycle.

Why it matters: SHIP is a state-administered grant program; local LHAPs set the policies and dollar allocations that determine how SHIP dollars are spent in each jurisdiction. Committee discussion focused on how reduced state revenue and statutory set-asides affect the number and mix of activities local governments can fund, including owner-occupied rehabilitation, demolition/reconstruction, purchase assistance, rental preservation and limited disaster or rental assistance.

During discussion, Escambia County Division Manager Garrett Griffin said the county’s rehabilitation waiting list is “approaching 400 families right now,” a constraint that…