City staff outline State Housing Initiative Partnership rules as Titusville prepares three-year housing plan

Neighborhood services staff briefed the council on the State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP) program and the city's upcoming three‑year Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP).

Ms. Franklin, neighborhood services director, summarized SHIP’s purpose and rules and said the program stems from the Sadowski Act. She told the council SHIP “allows local governments to design programs for homeowners and affordable housing developers” and that allocations are based on population. “SHIP is governed by the Florida statutes and the Florida Administrative Code 67‑37,” she said during the presentation.

Staff outlined statutory program constraints that guide local program design: at least 65 percent of SHIP funds must be reserved for homeownership activities, up to 25 percent may be used for rental housing, a 20 percent limit applies to manufactured housing, and a maximum of 10 percent may be used for administrative functions. Staff also said at least 30 percent of funds must serve very low‑income households and 30 percent must serve low‑income households, with definitions based on HUD income limits by household size.

Ms. Franklin said the city’s SHIP allocation for the year starts in July and “this year's allocation was, I believe, around $387,000,” adding that approximately half of that allocation is typically directed to rehabilitation activities. A councilmember asked for the city’s housing stock and demand data; Ms. Franklin agreed to provide the requested information by email and noted the LHAP will be submitted in May with a new program cycle beginning in July.

The presentation detailed the local calendar for SHIP: stakeholder meetings in March, reconciliations with finance in April, LHAP preparation in May, expenditure and compliance deadlines in June, and an annual report due September 15 with committee reporting by December 31. No formal council action was requested at the informational session.