KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The city of Kissimmee is looking into a new solution to bring more affordable housing to the area.
Commissioner Angela Eady pitched an idea for the city to help homeowners convert their two-car garages into living spaces to be rented out.
What You Need To Know
- Kissimmee commissioner proposes paying to convert homeowners' garages to affordable housing space
- The idea is in its infancy stage as staff look into whether the plan could work
- After a feasibility study, commissioners would then decide if they'd like to move forward with the proposal
- While some community leaders say the idea is creative, others worry that it's a Band-Aid solution
Shelley Bradford, president of Matthew’s Hope, sees the battles many residents have when finding affordable housing.
"We've often had people living in sheds, or in people's backyards in tents, or maybe even on their back porch," Bradford said. "But a trend we've seen lately is people are renting U-Hauls or staying in storage units.”
Mathew’s Hope stated it provides about 300 people a week with a multitude of services.
Bradford said they focus on mental health and job stability, not just a place to land with an apartment. She said she’s apprehensive about Kissimmee’s plan.
“I feel like we’re just putting a Band-Aid on something,” she said.
Availability is the biggest battle people are facing right now when it comes to affordable housing, according to Martha Are with the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida.
“We really applaud Kissimmee for trying to be creative and figuring out some options,” said Are, who is chief financial officer of the Homelessness Services Network of Central Florida.
“We do this in apartments all the time, where we have people sharing buildings, sharing space together.”
However, until city leaders have a plan on the table, it’s difficult to say how it would be executed.
“It’s a lot of ‘the devils in the details.’ We don’t know enough about that yet to know what the cons might be,” Are said.
In order for the idea to come to fruition, city leaders would still need to look at the feasibility study and take a vote.
“It will need to be evaluated to see if it is viable,” wrote Kissimmee Communications Director Alibeth Suarez in an email to Spectrum News. “We are considering adding the potential for homeowners to seek funding assistance to construct income-qualified accessory dwelling units to our line of housing assistance programs, which would have to be voted on by the City Commission at a later date."