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Whether they call it affordable housing, workforce housing, next-generation housing or senior housing, virtually all communities are faced with the challenge of providing adequate and affordable housing to their residents. How they go about meeting that challenge, however, is as individual as each community itself. The suitability and effectiveness of solutions will depend on unique local circumstances—what works in one community, or even in part of one community, may not work in another. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the affordable housing issue—a combination of strategies is necessary to effectively address this challenge.

In rapidly growing communities with strong housing markets, inclusionary zoning could be an effective strategy for increasing the supply of affordable housing. Policies to diversify the housing stock to include townhomes, smaller homes and higher-density rental housing also could be appropriate strategies for housing the current and expected future population in these areas. In established communities, particularly if they are landlocked, the focus might be on redevelopment and adaptive reuse in downtown areas, rehabilitation of housing in older areas and increasing density around transit. If first-ring suburbs in the community have problems with aging housing stock and loss of economic opportunity, then strategies such as economic development or community land trusts might be appropriate. Older communities might be faced with losing rental units to expiring federal subsidies, while new suburban communities often face opposition to the development of higher-density and rental housing.

So the purpose of this toolkit is to provide information on a wide range of housing strategies, including the effectiveness of these strategies in various situations. The toolkit links to many excellent resources already available, and it organizes those resources in a manner that makes it easier to learn about solutions that will work in your community. In addition to the tools, this toolkit includes links to other housing resources; relevant housing publications; funding sources; local contacts and initiatives; sources of housing data; and definitions. On the right side of many of these pages are Project Profiles, examples of affordable housing projects from around the country and right here in Central Florida.

Finally, there is a page with materials from the Orange County/East Central Florida Regional Planning Council Workforce Housing Summit, which was held on May 5, 2006.