County, Nonprofits Help Put Roofs Over Heads Of Needy Residents

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Low-income families in Hillsborough County are facing a double whammy when it comes to keeping a roof over their heads.

Still reeling from the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, residents are now faced with skyrocketing rent and soaring home prices. For some, the dream of homeownership has never felt so far out of reach.

The nation’s dramatic increase in housing prices hasn’t only affected just the cost of buying a new home. Renters are finding themselves priced out of the market as well, said Hillsborough County commissioners.

"You can imagine the crushing financial challenges that these families face every day," Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County CEO Tina Forcier said.

Since Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County became an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International in 1987, the nonprofit has built or renovated more than 200 homes throughout Hillsborough County.

"We all know that it is nearly impossible to find a modest apartment for $1,000 per month and our homeowner candidates cannot afford to purchase a home with conventional financing in the current marketplace.

Forcier said a family is considered housing cost burdened when they pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing. The latest data shows there are 80,000 households in Hillsborough County earning less than the Area Median Income and paying more than 50 percent of their income for housing.

To make matters worse, Tampa Bay nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity are struggling due to the rising cost of building supplies and land.

"Providing homeownership opportunities is challenging," Forcier said. "In the last few years, the price of land has soared while the cost to build has increased by approximately $30,000 per home. Currently, the total cost for a new home with land is well above $200,000."

Most families would struggle to simply make the down payment necessary for a traditional mortgage, much less the monthly mortgage payments, she said.

As a result, the need for government assistance combined with donations has never been greater, she said.

It's a problem Hillsborough County government officials are struggling to resolve.

Last week, the county and the East Tampa Business and Civic Association celebrated the completion of a years' long effort to renovate the Park Sands Townhomes, providing families in the income-challenged community with high-quality housing at below-market rent for residents making 80 percent or less of the area’s median income.

In 2020, Hillsborough County used more than $3.6 million in Community Development Block Grants, federal coronavirus relief funds and state housing initiatives money to fund the East Tampa Business and Civic Association’s acquisition and rehabilitation of the 28-unit Park Sands Townhomes complex.

The 28 town homes were completely transformed after extensive interior and exterior improvements, including work on roofs, kitchens, bathrooms and parking, as well as providing WiFi for all units.

Hillsborough County commissioners have made providing affordable housing a priority, investing more than $54 million in 2021, directly impacting more than 24,300 households.

The programs and services funded by the county focus on creating new affordable housing, training for residents to further their careers to afford to own homes, and infrastructure improvements that enhance affordable communities.

The East Tampa Business and Civic Association is just one of the nonprofit organizations helping to improve living conditions for families and seniors in the county.

When the East Tampa Business and Civic Association first purchased the town home community in the University Square area, the units were in a sorry state, said CEO of the nonprofit, Dianne Hart.

The roofs leaks, the kitchen appliances were old and in need of repair and toilets were broken.

Hart said when she first set eyes on the dilapidated units, she wondered if they could be salvaged.

"I asked my staff when we pulled up, 'Did we really just pay money for this place?'" Hart said. "I couldn't believe the condition of the townhomes but knew we had to step in to revive the complex."

In May 2020, Hillsborough County Affordable Housing began working with Hart and her team to turn the complex into a place residents would feel safe and proud to call home.

Beverley Hills is one of the residents who now has a beautifully renovated unit.

"I love the area, I love my home, and I'm grateful to be here," Hills said.

Prior to connecting with ETBCA, Hills said she was desperate to find housing that wasn't rundown.

"I was constantly moving from place to place, never unpacking my stuff. I just couldn't do it anymore," Hills said. "I had nowhere to go and just couldn't even imagine how to move forward. Then I found East Tampa Association and Dianne. They were there in my time of need and helped me find my new home. I couldn't be more thankful."

Hills has now unpacked all of her belongings because she no longer has to worry about finding another affordable rental property. She is making the Park Sands Townhomes complex her home.

"Instead of worrying, I now meditate on my own patio and can finally relax," she said.

"The two-year labor of love was worth it, to see residents enjoy (the renovated units) and feel safe," Hart said.

R3 Emergency Rental Assistance

Other residents impacted by the coronavirus pandemic are getting assistance to stay in their homes through the county's R3 Emergency Rental Assistance Program, including one Town 'N' Country family.

Under the program, Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa are paying rent and electric bills that residents can't cover due to COVID-19-related hardships.

Jana Eddy and her three sons were able to remain in their Town 'N' Country apartment thanks to the Rapid Response Recovery Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The federal funds covered their rent from July through October and their electric bill for one month.

Eddy has applied for more temporary assistance as she gets a handle on her finances going forward.

She said she's especially grateful to the program's local administrators who treated her with dignity and respect.

"They treat you like family," she said. "I'm thankful for everything they do."

Eddy and her boys came to Hillsborough County after hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated their home and neighborhood on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands in September 2017. Since then, Eddy said she has struggled to pay household expenses and medical bills for her middle son, who is 14 and has sickle cell anemia.

The financial challenges became overwhelming last summer when her son needed a medical procedure at a local hospital, and Eddy contracted COVID-19.

Bills mounted as she juggled her part-time work schedule to focus on caring for her son and her own recovery.

That's when Eddy's landlord told her about Hillsborough County's R3 Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

"Every storm has a rainbow at the end," she said.

Eddy's son is back in school, and she has recovered from the coronavirus. She said they are grateful to be able to remain at their apartment complex where they're made friends and become part of a tight-knit community.

The R3 Emergency Rental Assistance Program has approved more than 12,000 applications since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. It has paid or is committed to paying about $50 million in federal assistance for rents and electric bills.

Funding is still available for those who qualify.

Hillsborough County renters with household incomes at or below 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) who have past-due payments on active leases, or who have future rental payments they won't be able to make, are eligible to apply.

They also might qualify for assistance with past-due electric bills.

Landlords are encouraged to register their properties so they can receive direct payments when a tenant is approved for funding.

Find more information about eligibility and how to apply. For questions about the program, call the Emergency Rental Assistance Program Call Center at 866-375-9114 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Helping Nonprofits Build And Repair Homes

Hillsborough County has also partnered with the nonprofit Community Foundation Tampa Bay to provide $5 million in financial support to help qualifying Hillsborough County nonprofits, like Habitat for Humanity, continue their mission.

Habitat for Humanity received a$30,000 grant from Hillsborough County’s American Rescue Plan Nonprofit Safety Net Program.

"The pandemic has tremendously impacted the cost of materials to build our Habitat homes," Forcier said. "The ARP funding we received will go toward supplies to help offset these increasing building costs, which helps us continue to provide affordable homeownership opportunities to hardworking local families."

Habitat Hillsborough kicked off its effort to place more families in homes of their own in February during the first "CEO Build" in which 40 CEOs of county businesses along with government officials came together to build a home for a needy Temple Terrace family.

The executives put muscles and sweat behind their donations to the Habitat build site by raising the roof trusses of the Temple Terrace home for the Reyes family.

Kristina Reyes works full time for the administrative staff at Hillsborough Community College and is raising her two young grandchildren. The CEO Build home will provide an affordable mortgage for the family and a safe, secure home for the children who have been traumatized by family issues.

“Thank you for being a huge part of creating peace and security for me and my grandkids,” Reyes told the CEO Builders. “Your time and sacrifice is truly helping two amazing kids and a grandma who doesn’t want to worry about her next move.”

"This is why they come to Habitat for Humanity," Forcier said. "We are able to partner with homeowner applicants who help build their homes (with sweat equity) and who purchase their homes using the combination of an affordable Habitat for Humanity mortgage and down payment assistance available through local programs. Our approach enables families to achieve financial stability. They no longer have to choose between housing and other necessities like medical care or food."