The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted this week to award nearly $5.4 million in State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) grant agreements to local partners for affordable housing.

The grants will provide assistance to 48 very low and 49 low-income households including 53 households that include individuals with special needs.

The SHIP program is solely funded by the State and is locally governed by the strategies in the Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP) adopted by the Board on March 21, 2023. The program places a priority on serving very low, low, and special needs households and requires 65% of the funds be spent on homeownership activities.

The grants were awarded to:

Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties, Inc.

• $2,222,188 – Down Payment Assistance for of 32 households which includes nine very low and 23 low-income households. At least eight of the households include individuals with special needs.

Lee County Housing Development Corp.

• $255,000 – Construction of three single family houses for one very low and two low-income households. All three households include people with special needs.

• $385,000 – Down Payment Assistance for of 10 households which includes five very low and five low-income households. At least four of the households include people with special needs.

• $750,000 – Owner Occupied Rehab for 10 households which includes five very low and five low-income households with all 10 households including individuals with special needs.

• $1,115,540 – Rental New Construction for 12 very low and 12 low-income households with at least 12 of the households including individuals with special needs.

Affordable Homeownership Foundation

• $300,000 – Rental New Construction for two very low and two low-income households with at least two of the households including individuals with special needs.

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida

• $380,628 – Rental rehabilitation of 14 units at Jean Devereaux Apartment for 14 very low-income households with all 14 households including individuals with special needs.

Lee County has received funds since 1999 from the SHIP program for the provision of affordable housing. The SHIP program is funded by revenues collected by the state from a surcharge on documentary stamps and distributed to counties and local governments as grants. Distributions are made on a population-based formula through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, a state agency created to assist in providing a range of affordable housing opportunities.

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Source: Lee County Government