Affordable Housing
CAJM Affordable Housing Initiative
Summary Background Information
Identifying the Issue
At the inception of the Capital Area Justice Ministry in 2021, Affordable Housing was one of two issues selected by member congregations on which to focus our efforts (the other issue being Gun Violence and Civil Citations). Our extensive research on affordable housing in the City of Tallahassee and Leon County has made it evident that the main problem is the paucity of rental housing that households with very low incomes (VLI = 50% or less of Area Median Income) and extremely low incomes (ELI = 30% or less of Area Median Income) can afford. It is these families who are at greatest risk of homelessness. As borne out by research, the main reason for homelessness nationwide is the lack of affordable housing. The stories we heard at our house meetings and other research led us to focus, for the past four years, on advocating for more affordable rental housing for these families.
Our Strategies
Our strategies are grounded in prayerful faith. The CAJM Affordable Housing Committee utilized the personal stories we heard from our congregations; interviewed affordable housing experts and developers; met with potential allies; researched relevant data and national studies on affordable housing; questioned commissioners at the Nehemiah Actions, held numerous meetings with City and County Commissioners and staff; and were visible and vocal at commission meetings to identify, hone and advocate for the issue.
Seeking Justice from the City Commission
Starting with the Nehemiah Action in 2022, and again at the Nehemiah Action in 2023, we asked our City Commissioners to commit to creating a trust fund to incentivize developers to set aside more rental units that are affordable to the lowest income groups. Such incentives are necessary to create affordable rentals for VLI and ELI families. We pointed out that while the city’s current affordable housing programs and policies focused on home ownership and households earning 80% or less of the Area Median Income, the main problem in the city was the lack of affordable rental housing for ELI and VLI families (see “Renter Households & Rental Production”). These are primarily working members of our community who cannot afford a place to live (see “Wages, Job Categories, Housing Leon Co”). While we had the support of Commissioners, Matlow and Porter at the Commission’s 2024 budget workshop in June 2023, Mayor Dailey and Commissioners Richardson and Williams-Cox opposed our proposal
Seeking Justice from Blueprint
Acting on the suggestion of Mayor Dailey at the 2024 budget workshop, we turned our attention to Blueprint. The Blueprint budget with the most dollars available was the Blueprint Infrastructure fund and that became our focus. In order to add affordable housing to the allowable list of Blueprint Infrastructure projects, we needed the support of supermajorities of both the City and County Commissions. After numerous meetings with commissioners and staff, at the final vote on May 16, 2024, the motion to add affordable housing to the list of projects failed because only two City Commissioners, Matlow and Porter, supported it. We were encouraged however, by the fact five of the seven of the County Commissioners did support the motion: Cummings, Maddox, Minor, O’Keefe, and Proctor.
Seeking Justice from County Commission
Therefore, starting in summer 2024, we turned out attention to the County Commission. In January 2025, CAJM packed the County Commission chambers with over 150 members in green shirts! See the “Affordable Housing Update” to find out what happened and our next steps.
Wages, Job Categories and Housing Costs, Leon County
Median wage for Leon County, 2023: $19.92/hour. A full-time, year-round worker with this wage can afford $890 in rent.
Sources: National Low Income Housing Coalition, Out of Reach; Shimberg Center
How much can workers afford to pay for housing each month?
-
Fast Food & Counter Workers (<$600)
-
Bartenders
-
Cashiers
-
Childcare Workers
-
Restaurant Cooks
-
Customer Service Reps
-
Farmworkers
-
Food Preparation Workers
-
Hairdressers
-
Home Health & Personal Care Aides
-
Hotel, Motel & Resort Desk Clerks
-
Janitors & Cleaners
-
Nursing Assistants
-
Preschool Teachers
-
Receptionists
-
Retail Salespersons
-
Security Guards
-
Substitute Teachers
-
Waitstaff
-
Auto Techs & Mechanics
-
Bus Drivers
-
Construction Laborers
-
Dental Assistants
-
Light Truck Drivers
-
Medical Assistants
-
Mental Health & Substance Abuse Social Workers
-
Office Clerks
-
Painters
-
Pharmacy Techs
-
Roofers
-
Secretaries & Administrative Assistants
-
Tellers
-
Vetenary Techs
-
Carpenters
-
Child, Family & School Social Workers
-
Correctional Officers
-
Electricians
-
Firefighters
-
HVAC & Refrigeration Mechanics
-
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
-
Median, All Occupations
HUD 2024 fair market rents for Tallahassee/Leon County
| Efficiency | $1,062 |
|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | $1,183 |
| 2 bedroom | $1,339 |
| 3 bedroom | $1,708 |
| 4 bedroom | $1,903 |
Source: HUD
| Hourly Wage | Monthly Wage | Available for Rent (30% minus utilities) |
|---|---|---|
| $18.00 | $3,120.00 | $786.00 |
| $19.00 | $3,293.00 | $838.00 |
| $20.00 | $3,466.67 | $890.00 |
| $21.00 | $3,640.00 | $942.00 |
| $22.00 | $3,813.33 | $994.00 |
| $23.00 | $3,986.67 | $1,046.00 |
| $24.00 | $4,160.00 | $1,098.00 |
| $25.00 | $4,333.33 | $1,150.00 |
| $26.00 | $4,506.67 | $1,202.00 |
CAJM Affordable Housing Initiative
Update, 2025
Relentlessly advocating for the past four years for increased rental units that are affordable to very low and extremely low income (VLI and ELI) families is yielding results in 2025!
In January 2025, over 150 CAJM members packed the County Commission chambers at their first commission meeting for the year! Our spokespersons described for the Commissioners the plight that they or their friends face in finding affordable rental housing and advocated for allocating 20% of the county’s annual Blueprint surcharge revenues, beginning in 2026, for the duration of Blueprint 2020, to fund an Affordable Rental Housing Land Acquisition and Leaseback Program modelled on the Penny for Pinellas Land Assembly Fund. The motion we sought, made by Commissioner O’Keefe and seconded by Commissioner Proctor, did not pass. However, Commissioner Maddox made a subsequent motion which passed, directing CAJM and other stakeholders to collaborate with county staff to develop an approach that would address gap financing and incentives to create more affordable rental housing with funds from the annual General Revenue budget; the outcome of such collaboration to be presented at the Commission’s 2026 Budget Workshop in June 2025. We viewed this as a positive outcome because General Revenue funds can be used more flexibly than Blueprint infrastructure funds.
At our March 2025 Nehemiah Action, we asked the three County Commissioners who attended, Minor, O’Keefe and Proctor, to commit to the following, which all three did:
1. Support allocating General Revenue funds (in addition to SHIP funds) for an Affordable Rental Housing Trust Fund to provide gap financing for developers who commit to reserve more than the minimum required units for 99 years at rental rates households with very-low and extremely-low incomes can afford.
2. Support allocating sufficient funding in the 2026 General Revenue budget to substantially increase the supply of rental housing these households can afford.
3. Support annual allocations to the trust fund thereafter for as long as the program is effective.
In May 2025, at the Blueprint Board meeting, Commissioner Maddox made a surprise motion, which passed, to allocate $250,000 per year from the Office of Economic Vitality budget for an Affordable Housing Gap Financing Incentive Program for 2025 through 2040, the last year of the Blueprint 2020 initiative!