The Affordable Housing Production Task Force recently held its first meeting, with the aim of addressing the shortage of affordable housing units in Delaware. The task force, which consists of 15 members and is co-chaired by Delaware State Housing Authority Director Cynthia Karnai, State Rep. Kendra Johnson, and State Sen. Russ Huxtable, aims to come up with recommendations on how the state and local governments can promote the production of affordable housing.
During the meeting, Delaware State Housing Authority Chief Strategy Advisor Caitlin Del Collo highlighted the existing shortage of affordable units, with a backlog of over 19,000 rental units. Del Collo also pointed out that there are only 8,730 units available for renters making 0-30% of the area median income, with around 22,000 renters falling into this income bracket. Additionally, renters making 120% of the area median income or higher are facing scarcity in their higher affordability range.
Del Collo emphasized the need for partnership and collaboration among various sectors to address the affordable housing crisis. The task force has established five subcommittees to tackle different aspects of the issue and will meet once per month from October to December to deliver their recommendations to state leaders by March 1.
The task force’s work is crucial in finding solutions to the affordable housing crisis and ensuring that all residents in Delaware have access to suitable and affordable housing options.
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Photo credit www.delawarepublic.org
