Money that was previously set aside to fund affordable housing projects could now be spent on public safety initiatives in Hillsborough County.
In a 5-2 vote on Wednesday, Hillsborough commissioners repealed an ordinance that previously directed the county to put $10 million annually toward a local affordable housing fund, also known as HOPE funds. County commissioners Gwen Myers and Harry Cohen voted against the measure.
The housing trust fund was named after the Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality (HOPE), a community organization that advocated for its creation in 2019. The group does not receive or manage any of the money allocated to housing.
Commissioner Chris Boles brought the original motion that any new HOPE funds be spent on public safety measures rather than affordable housing, according to the agenda item request.
Housing advocates and religious leaders with HOPE are speaking out against the move.
“Affordable housing is public safety because that brings about stability and security within a community,” co-president of HOPE Sheila Simmons Tribble said.
HOPE funds play a critical role in providing affordable housing for low- to moderate-income residents struggling with rising costs in Hillsborough County, she said.
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That’s despite the fact that the county has diverted money from the local housing fund in recent years to other community needs, like hurricane recovery efforts.
The money has helped bring roughly 1,100 affordable rental units to Hillsborough County, according to leaders at HOPE. One recent example is Mount Zion, a 75-unit affordable senior apartment being built in partnership with a Riverview church.
READ MORE: A Riverview church is building senior housing with county funds
“We do know that we are in [an affordable housing] crisis here in Hillsborough County,” Tribble said. “Over the past six years, we at least … had a tool … to address this crisis, and that was the HOPE fund.”
Now, she said, that tool might cease to exist.
Hillsborough County receives other state and federal funds through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that are required to be spent on affordable housing projects.
The future of the county’s local housing funds will be decided in the coming weeks. A public hearing and a second vote on the issue must take place before any changes to HOPE funds can be made.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay region for WUSF. She's also a Report for America corps member. Here’s how you can share your story with her.
