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Clearwater housing staff outlines affordable-housing programs, disaster-relief aid and funding priorities
Summary
Acting housing manager Dylan May presented the department's five-year consolidated plan, funding sources and recent accomplishments, and announced a disaster-relief program for homeowners after Hurricane Helene and Milton. Board members raised concerns about low owner-occupancy in the CRA and the risk of displacement as development proceeds.
At the Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency meeting, Acting Housing Manager Dylan May presented the department's five-year consolidated plan and an array of affordable-housing programs funded through federal, state and local sources.
May said the consolidated plan includes objectives and goals for housing, homelessness, special needs, community development and economic development, and described specific products the city offers, including down-payment assistance, residential rehab loans and construction loans for single-family development and multifamily projects.
The plan matters because the department combines limited local funds with federal and state programs to preserve and expand affordable units in a part of Clearwater that City staff and board members said faces development pressure. Kennard, the meeting facilitator, said the CRA area is less than 36 percent owner-occupied and warned that rising development interest could push long-term residents out if the agency does not pair development incentives with programs that help owners stay.
May said funding for the department comes from multiple sources: the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) and HOME-ARP (HOME funds allocated under the American Rescue Plan), the state's SHIP program (State Housing Initiatives Partnership), local sources such as the Pinellas County Housing Trust Fund, general-fund allocations, CRA funds and remaining ARPA dollars. He described how staff stacks federal, state and private investment when participating in larger multifamily projects to leverage more units per local dollar.
Staff described key program details and recent outputs. According to May, the department: - Originated 19 down-payment assistance loans - Closed 10 residential rehab loans - Originated 13 single-family construction loans - Closed or advanced an 81-unit tax-credit project on Cleveland Street (currently under construction) - Provided $292,707.65 in grant funds to 11 nonprofits for services to low-income residents and people experiencing homelessness - Provided $1,675,939 in grant funds for 15 facility improvement projects - Allocated $300,000 in general-fund support to nine organizations working on homelessness
May also said the council approved acquisition of Indigo Apartments, a 207-unit project that will be restricted to households at or below 80 percent of area median income; the city is participating in that project with roughly $1 million in CDBG and SHIP funds and was "on track to close that before May" (no year specified in the meeting transcript).
Disaster-relief program after hurricane damage May said that after Hurricane Helene and damage in Milton, staff paused normal programs and launched a disaster-relief program. The disaster-relief program covers insurance deductible payments, rental assistance, emergency repairs to stabilize homes, reimbursement of emergency supplies and inspections to identify life-safety concerns and scope of work. May urged residents with storm damage to contact the housing department.
On eligibility, May said the disaster-relief program is funded with SHIP dollars and that Florida Housing Finance Corporation (the state SHIP administrator) granted approval to fund applications on a conditional basis. May said applicants must have documentation from their insurance company; if FEMA or other insurance later reimburses the household, the recipient must repay the city the duplicate funds.
Board concerns and next steps During board comments following the presentation, Kennard and other board members emphasized two concerns: the low owner-occupancy rate in the CRA (Kennard gave a figure of "approximately 35% of all residential properties in the CRA are owner occupied") and the need to preserve the existing community as private investment increases. Board members urged pairing developer incentives with programs that help long-term owners retain their homes and recommended exploring revenue-generating strategies so the CRA can sustain programs once initial funds are spent.
May left contact information attached to the agenda materials and encouraged residents to call the housing department for assistance. "If you know of anyone looking or that has damage to their home due to the hurricane, we want to hear from them," May said, adding, "we'd be happy to help."
