JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Affordable housing continues to be a pressing issue for the city of Jacksonville.
On Wednesday night, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund hosted a panel discussion to address the challenges and opportunities in creating more affordable housing.
The panel brought together public officials and private-sector leaders to explore collaborative solutions.
Among the panelists was District 6 City Councilman Michael Boylan, who has long advocated for affordable housing.
Boylan chaired the critical Quality of Life Issues committee two years ago, focusing on housing, healthcare access, and homelessness.
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“We need to create more inventory and diversity in our housing to make it more affordable for a variety of families,” Boylan said. “My children live here, and I want them to stay and afford a home in Jacksonville. This work is about creating opportunities for people to stay in our community.”
Jacksonville faces a significant affordable housing gap.
According to Chris Crothers, the Director of Impact Investing for the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, the city will need an additional 106,000 affordable housing units over the next 20 years.
“The market alone won’t solve this problem,” Crothers said. “There has to be intentionality and financing to create housing that is affordable for those earning below 120% of the area median income.”
Brett James, the Planning and Development Director for the City of Jacksonville, emphasized the importance of guiding city growth to make development easier.
“Right now, we’ve got a large shortfall of housing needs,” James said. “So if I can push some things through the council to simplify and streamline development, we can get more housing out there, which will help the affordable.”
The city is currently short about 35,000 affordable housing units, according to Joshua Hicks, Jacksonville’s Affordable Housing Administrator. He highlighted the impact of rent increases after COVID-19, which left many residents struggling to secure housing.
“Affordable housing is a real crisis,” Hicks said. “Our goal as a community and a city must be to ensure our residents remain housed and that we have quality, affordable inventory for families.”
For more information on affordable housing efforts and resources, visit the Jessie Ball duPont Fund website.