Faith leaders and housing advocates packed a Northside assembly this week to renew a call for a $10 million affordable housing trust fund, urging Mayor Donna Deegan to put the money in her next city budget. The Interfaith Coalition for Action, Reconciliation and Empowerment, better known as ICARE, drew nearly 800 people and cast housing as an urgent crisis for seniors, working families and people exiting homelessness.
ICARE Renews Push For $10 Million Seed
“It is a crisis, and it is the number one issue on most people’s minds,” Joy Viau, a member of ICARE’s housing committee, said, according to News4JAX. Organizers pressed Deegan to include $10 million in her upcoming budget, but the mayor stopped short of a firm commitment during the Nehemiah Assembly.
Mayor Stays Cautious As Budget Season Nears
Deegan said her administration will try again to seed a permanent trust fund when she rolls out a proposed budget this summer, while warning that she needs a clearer picture of city revenue first. She added that she would "commit to doing the very best I can" and said she expects to know the amount in the next couple of months, as reported by Jacksonville Today.
Council Previously Cut The $10 Million Plan
City Council’s Finance Committee stripped out the same $10 million seed from the mayor’s 2024 proposal, a move advocates say stalled a public private strategy to build more deeply affordable units. The Deegan administration has said a city investment of that size could have leveraged about $30 million in private money and helped support roughly $120 million in housing development, according to News4JAX.
Numbers Show How Tight The Market Feels
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in Duval County is about $71,277, and many households are considered cost burdened. Builders and advocates told Jacksonville Today that someone earning roughly half that amount can end up spending more than 65% of their income on housing, which is why they say gap financing is so critical.
What A Housing Trust Fund Could Do
City officials say a dedicated trust could act as gap financing that helps make affordable housing projects financially viable. Potential tools include down payment assistance, home repair programs, rental support and eviction prevention. The city has moved ahead with smaller efforts. In March, a program using SHIP funds began seeding a revolving single family development loan to build 10 affordable owner occupied homes and set aside $500,000 for down payment help, according to the City of Jacksonville.
ICARE leaders say they plan to keep the pressure on the mayor’s office and City Council as Deegan crafts her budget, since any seed money would still need council approval. Advocates argue that even a modest $10 million start could unlock far larger private and philanthropic investment if the city ties the funds to clear priorities and ongoing support.
