Looking for affordable housing in Palm Beach County? New tool shows what’s available

Nearly 8,000 Affordable and Workforce Housing Units in Palm Beach County

Nearly 8,000 affordable or workforce housing units either already exist or are planned in Palm Beach County, and current or prospective residents can look through them all in a new county tool, county officials say.

On Friday, the county announced the launch of its affordable and workforce housing dashboard, offered on the following website: https://discover.pbcgov.org/HED/Pages/Countywide-Housing-Dashboard-.aspx

People can use the tool to look for affordable housing opportunities across the county, some of which are already completed and some of which are still under construction.

Of those nearly 8,000 units, 5,668 are completed, 505 are under construction and 1,654 are in the pre-development phase, according to the latest dashboard figures shown Friday afternoon. The county may continue to update the dashboard as new projects arise.

The dashboard is intended to serve as an extra resource for people looking for options during the current housing crisis, Jonathan Brown, the county’s director of housing and economic development, said in a statement.

Key Findings

According to the dashboard, much of the affordable and workforce housing options can be found in a cluster within the greater West Palm Beach area in municipalities such as Riviera Beach and Mangonia Park.

Nearly 5,000 affordable and workforce housing units are concentrated in this district, with 4,125 of those completed, 365 under construction and 408 in the pre-development stage, meaning they will begin construction in the future.

The need for affordable housing options in this area makes sense after a recent study conducted by Florida International University identified areas where poverty rates remain extremely high, which they found in areas in the greater West Palm Beach area.

Here’s how the county’s other pockets fare with affordable housing offerings, according to the dashboard:

• Near Jupiter and Juno Beach, 144 completed housing units exist in three different projects.
• In a region that encompasses parts of West Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Palm Springs and Greenacres, more than 700 completed affordable and workforce housing options are scattered throughout, with more than 400 units in the pre-development phase.
• In West Delray and West Boca, more than 200 completed housing units have risen with 17 under construction and 14 in the pre-development phase.
• More than 700 homes are in the pre-development stage in the more rural municipalities of Belle Glade and Pahokee.

According to county documents, a two-person household that brings in $51,420 or less, for example, could pay about $1,200 for an affordable one-bedroom unit. If that same two-person household instead brought in nearly $120,000, then their monthly rent could hover more around $2,800 for a one-bedroom unit.

Jack Weir, the board of directors chairman for the Housing Leadership Council of Palm Beach County, said the dashboard is a step in the right direction because “we have been trying to get more information out on the amount of workforce and affordable housing units in existence,” he said.

Providing this information is important in two ways, he said: One way is so that county residents can know what’s already available and what’s coming online, and another way is so that people can see which municipalities or unincorporated parts of the county are producing a lot of affordable housing options and which are lagging behind.

“It’s similar to standings in a sport,” he said.

Other Efforts in the Works

This dashboard is the latest initiative in a string of efforts by the county to tackle the affordable housing crisis. In May, different developers stepped forward to apply for chunks of the county’s $200 million affordable housing bond resulting in the approval of three more affordable housing projects.

Last year, the Housing Leadership Council had also discussed a “Housing For All” initiative that would aim to create 20,000 workforce and affordable housing units by 2032, part of which would be funded by the bond.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 1: No Poverty – The article discusses the need for affordable housing options in Palm Beach County, which is connected to the goal of reducing poverty.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – The article focuses on the county’s efforts to provide affordable and workforce housing options, which is related to creating sustainable cities and communities.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership, and control over land and other forms of property – The article highlights the county’s efforts to provide affordable housing options for low-income individuals and families.
• SDG 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums – The article discusses the county’s affordable and workforce housing dashboard, which aims to provide information on available housing options.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• The number of affordable or workforce housing units completed, under construction, and in the pre-development phase can be used as indicators to measure progress towards providing access to adequate housing (SDG 11.1).
• The affordability of housing units based on income levels can also be used as an indicator to measure progress towards ensuring equal rights to economic resources (SDG 1.4).

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: sun-sentinel.com