Alachua County officials launch pilot program funded with ARPA funds

The kitchen, dining and living areas of the Red Maple model home at the Heartwood Subdivision, 1717 SE Eighth Ave., in Gainesville. The neighborhood will have 34 lots when completed, 11 of which will be exclusively used for affordable housing.

County officials will soon roll out a program aimed at improving home energy efficiency while ensuring affordable housing.

The new initiative, however, initially will only help out a small number of households.

During a special meeting this week, the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners nodded in support of a pilot of the Alachua County Energy Efficiency and Weatherization Grant Program that will aid at least 15 families by making their homes more energy efficient and affordable.

“This is my baby and I’m just so happy to see it up there,” said Commissioner Mary Alford. “It has just made my whole day.”

More:Gainesville officials approve $7 million in pandemic relief to dozens of local nonprofits

More:As pandemic subsides, Alachua County’s workforce is back, employers staffing up

Alford, an environmental engineer, initially proposed the program prior to resigning from her seat earlier this year due to a residency issue. She won the seat back in November, allowing her the opportunity to see the program through.

While only $338,000 of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars have been budgeted for the pilot program, the full program will later receive an additional $2.5 million to serve a larger population. The funds are part of the $52.25 million awarded to the county by the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pilot will run from Jan. 16, 2023, through around August 18, 2023, and is only available to renters who live in Alachua County – though not within Gainesville’s city limits. Qualifying residents must earn 50% below the area median income annually.

Property owners could receive between $5,000 to $15,000 for energy improvements per housing unit, according to the plan. In exchange, they must commit to keeping the unit affordable for a certain length of time.

For awards up to $5,000, landlords must agree to keep the unit below market rate for three years. Those willing to extend the time to five years can qualify for up to $10,000. Those who max out at $15,000 must agree to keep prices down for seven years.

But long-time affordable housing advocate Kali Blount argues that those timeframes are “pitiful.”

“Three years is not a meaningful planning horizon for a family or business to decide how their lives are going to go,” he said. “You’re giving a huge assistance to landlords who have not, so far, supported their tenets with efficiency … Why let them only maintain affordability for three years? That’s nothing.”

Alford defended the affordability timeline, adding that it had to be agreeable with community partners.

“We spent a lot of hours meeting with property owners … and we had to come up with something they would accept because they have to be a willing partner in this,” she said.

For the pilot portion of the program, county staff wants to test the plan to determine whether the program is reaching Alachua County residents with an equity lens. The program seeks to reduce energy insecurity around the county, promote affordable housing and build climate resiliency and energy independence.

Partnering with others

County officials have partnered with Rebuilding Together North Central Florida, a nonprofit organization, to manage the program.

“The idea here is we’re keeping this housing stock available to our citizens and for $337,000 to keep 15 units. I think it’s a really good investment,” said Commissioner Ken Cornell, who added that he’d like to see an extension of the program to include eligibility for Gainesville residents.

Alachua County watchdog Tamara Robbins rebuked Cornell’s sentiment to include the city, arguing it shouldn’t be the county’s responsibility.

“I would not want to see you start allocating county-allocated funding to service the city of Gainesville because they’d make a bad choice,” she said. “The pressure should be on them to make the right choice, to put the money where it should be allocated, and not start providing them a crutch to not do the right thing.”

County staff plans to return to the commission at the conclusion of the pilot program with an update based on data collected to decide what changes, if any, should be made before fully rolling out the program to more homes.

More ARPA funding

Additional COVID-relief dollars were designated to other causes by county officials.

The largest chuck of money is going to a soon-to-be-created county-owned meat processing facility that will aim to address food shortages and help with workforce training.

The Fresh Food Pathways’ pilot program will also get $750,000. A total of $300,000 spread out over four years will be given to Strike out Hunger and the Household Assistance Food Program for disadvantaged communities. Another $250,000 is going to Food System Workforce Development and Jobs Pipeline for disadvantaged communities.

The post Alachua County officials launch pilot program funded with ARPA funds first appeared on Daily Florida Press.

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