Q: How does the lack of affordable housing impact my constituents?

• Affordable housing is important to a community's ability to attract business that will produce quality products and services, and pay top wages to its employees.
• According to the National Governors Association, housing costs are a primary factor in determining whether a state can attract and retain employees and businesses.
• A survey of employers and commuters conducted in early 2007 by the Urban Land Institute confirmed that large companies were greatly affected with problems resulting from long commutes and an inadequate supply of affordable housing; problems included high employee stress and high turnover.
• In a recent ranking by Texas Transportation Institute of the 85 most urbanized metropolitan areas for traffic delays, Charleston topped the list of small urban areas under 500,000 people for hours lost to traffic delays.
• For every dollar that's saved by moving to a house that's more affordable but farther from work, a family pays, on average, an additional 77 cents to cover the transportation costs of car payments, insurance, gas, parking and maintenance.
• Homeless children miss up to 25 percent more school days than those with a stable home environment.

Q: How can LHT assist my municipality in addressing affordable housing issues?
With the goal of expanding the production of high quality affordable housing in the tri-county region, LHT assists municipalities in planning and zoning to accommodate quality affordable housing that meets the needs of a diverse workforce. These services include but are not limited to Planning Assistance, Zoning Assistance, Coordinating the Development Process, Identifying Funding Sources, Indentifying Development Incentives, and Development Agreements.

Q: What is a Housing Trust Fund?
Housing trust funds are distinct funds established by cities, counties, and states that dedicate sources of revenue to support affordable housing. Housing trust funds are usually created by legislation or ordinance. At present, there are more than 300 housing trust funds in the United States.

Q: Where can I find more in depth info from around the country on this topic?

National Housing Trust Fund Campaign
The National Housing Trust Fund is a dedicated fund to provide local communities with revenue to build, preserve, and rehabilitate housing for people with the lowest incomes. The Trust Fund was enacted in Public Law 110-289 on July 30, 2008.

A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH) - King County, WA
In existence for eight years, A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH) regional housing trust fund has committed more than $13 million to the creation and maintenance of affordable housing in King County, Washington . 1,600 units of affordable housing have improved the lives of low- to moderate-income families, seniors, homeless and people with special needs. The ARCH fund is an innovative example of regional, cross-jurisdiction cooperation in addressing a community's affordable housing needs.

Community Housing Assistance Program (CHAP) - Boulder, CO
The Boulder Community Housing Assistance Program (CHAP) was created in 1990. Its primary goal is to create housing that is affordable to households earning between 30-60% of the area median income. The City intends to produce sufficient affordable housing so that at least 10% of its housing stock is permanently affordable to households earning up to 80% of the area median income. Boulder also wants to have an affordable housing continuum, with housing choices and options at different income levels. The Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan guides all key policies and plans.

The William E. Sadowski Act - State of Florida
Florida's housing trust fund was created in 1992 with the passage of the William E. Sadowski Act. The Act actually created two trust funds. Thirty-one percent of the funding goes to the state government housing trust fund. The remaining sixty-nine percent goes to the local government housing trust fund.