Tampa aiming to combat affordable housing crisis through Healthy Homes Program
TAMPA, Fla. - The City of Tampa is working to battle the affordable housing crisis by keeping people in their current homes.
The city is using HUD grant funding for its Health Homes Program. The program is geared towards low-income households for certain home repairs, remediation and hazards.
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Local perspective:
Nicole Johnson has raised her four children in their Seminole Heights home for the last 15 years, but over the years, her home has aged.
"We suffered from leaks that caused mold in my bathroom and kitchen, a failing sewer line that clogged up my bathroom sinks and often flooded my laundry room, electrical issues that caused a short in my kitchen and affected my appliances," Johnson said.
Johnson said that for several years, she applied for different types of aid, but wasn't able to get help to make the home repairs.
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"I dealt with it for so long, as much as I could, and did the best that I could," Johnson said.
Johnson was eventually able to qualify for about $100,000 through the Healthy Homes Program.
What they're saying:
"The Healthy Homes program focuses on homeowners that are at 80% or below of the area median income," Abbye Feeley, the City of Tampa's director of development and growth management, said. "And for a household of four, that's approximately $84,000 right now for 2025."
The program funds repairs like plumbing, electrical, structural and HVAC repairs, and lead-based paint, radon, allergens and mold remediation.
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By the numbers:
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said the city needs about 26,000 affordable units. She said this program is one way to help combat the affordable housing crisis, without having to build more homes and units.
"Ensuring that individuals aren't forced out of their homes because they don't have the funding necessary to address those repair issues that, you know, there's just that domino effect," Castor said.
What you can do:
The city said the Healthy Homes Program is open. You can check your eligibility and apply for assistance by clicking here.
The funding for the program came from Housing and Urban Development (HUD). You can find more information about the program here.
The Source: Information for this report came from the City of Tampa.