Housing for All task force to tackle affordable housing crisis in Orange County

From the Orange County Newsroom

Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings’ Housing for All Task Force has launched and will prioritize short and long-term solutions to address the affordable housing crisis in Orange County. The effort aims to take the prior work from Orange County’s 2018 Regional Affordable Housing Initiative, analyze the recommendations and put them into action.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings

The Task Force will reexamine the current state of housing with a specific focus on the needs of Orange County residents and the necessary partnerships of developers, nonprofits, financial institutions and jurisdictions to help sustain and accommodate the County’s growing population. The initiative’s launch has always been a main priority for Mayor Demings, and coincides with his first 100 days in office.

“Now is the time to roll our sleeves up, take the research and information we’ve obtained through our regional dialogue and implement specific changes to tackle our local housing needs,” said Mayor Demings. “The recommendations from the Housing for All Task Force will help Orange County create public-private partnerships to increase the supply of affordable housing throughout all areas of our community.”

LIFT Orlando Chief Operating Officer Terry Prather and The Keewin Real Property Company owner Allan Keen are co-chairs of the Housing for All Task Force. Together they will lead the 38-member group, which includes three sub-committees consisting of representatives from all six Orange County districts, leaders from a diverse group of non-profit and major employers, local builders, real estate developer associations, community partners and financial institutions.

The Task Force will have the final action plan completed by the fall of 2019. The plan will also propose code and policy changes as well as incentives to support a greater diversity of housing products in Orange County. These will include mixed-use and mixed-income neighborhoods, transit-oriented developments and creative housing prototypes.

The goal of the Housing for All Task Force is to promote a transparent system that encourages community engagement. It will also educate and inform local residents, and will ultimately provide practical and lasting solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Orange County.

For more information and a full list of Task Force members, visit www.ocfl.net/HousingForAll. The first Task Force meeting will be held sometime in April and the public is encouraged to attend.