Erin Hill:
Welcome to Voices of Leon, a podcast from Leon County Government. This is where we share the stories behind the services, from the people keeping our community running to the programs that make Leon County a great place to live, work, and play. Each episode, we'll take you inside county operations, highlight local initiatives, and hear directly from the staff and partners making a difference every day. Today, we're exploring how Leon County is helping residents take steps toward homeownership, find affordable housing, and improve their existing homes. From first-time buyer programs and financial assistance to partnerships with developers building affordable housing, these programs open doors and make homeownership more attainable for everyone. Joining us is Jelani Marks, Housing Services Manager, who has been at the forefront of expanding access to safe and affordable homes. Jelani, thank you for being here to walk us through the pathways to homeownership and share how residents and developers alike can get involved.
Jelani Marks:
Morning. Morning. Thank you for having me.
Erin Hill:
Of course. We're so happy you're here. If you could start out with telling us what Leon County Housing Services Division, what is the mission and what is the division's role in supporting homeownership?
Jelani Marks:
Sure. So Leon County's Division of Housing Services has a mission of administering programs to increase and preserve the stock of affordable housing in the community. So these include programs such as down-payment assistance for income eligible first time homebuyers. We have a Homeownership Development Program where we partner with nonprofit organizations and small businesses to create new units for low-income first-time buyers. We've got programs to preserve the stock of affordable housing like home rehabilitation, emergency home repair, and home replacement. So we can address issues of preserving affordable housing by making sure that existing units are safe, sanitary, and habitable for the households that live there.
Erin Hill:
That's amazing. Can you discuss, first define what SHIP funding is, and then can you discuss the usage of SHIP funds locally and why it's important?
Jelani Marks:
Absolutely. So SHIP stands for the State Housing Initiatives Partnership. And SHIP is a statewide program. The State of Florida allocates funding for local governments to administer affordable housing programs across the state. And local governments that participate in the SHIP program receive annual allocations based on their population size. On average, Leon County, we get approximately $700,000 annually in SHIP funding over the past few years. And we use that funding to administer the programs I discussed before, our homeownership development, down-payment assistance, home rehabilitation, and we also use it for rental development. We're also allowed to use our SHIP funding for some special support services like we have an heir property support services program that we recently started to help folks who might have title issues with inherited property because a lot of times we see that folks who maybe inherited a piece of property from a deceased relative and they don't have clear title, that's a barrier to some of the affordable housing programs or even disaster recovery programs.
Folks who don't have clear title can't benefit from our home rehabilitation program because sometimes maybe their relative passed away and the house is still in the relative's name or it's going through probate. So those are things that we can provide legal resources to help folks get cleared up so that they can benefit from FEMA assistance or from a home rehabilitation program if they need it.
Erin Hill:
So you talked about some home developments. Can you talk about some of the recent housing developments housing services has supported and what else is on the horizon for county residents?
Jelani Marks:
Yeah, absolutely. So over the past few years, Leon County has done a lot to address the highest affordable housing need in the community, which is affordable rental units, specifically for very low income households. So we've invested approximately $5.8 million in direct funding in affordable rental units. And we've also authorized over $190 million in bond financing for affordable rental projects. So these efforts are expected to yield about 1,200 new units over the next 12 months, specifically for very low income households, which is the highest affordable housing need that we have. In addition to addressing rentals, we've also done a lot to create new units for homeownership. We look at homeownership as an opportunity.
Most working class people in the United States, their primary source of wealth comes from owning their home. So we try to create opportunities for folks who in some cases may not have otherwise been able to afford homeownership. We try to put subsidies in addition to down-payment assistance to doing things to make homeownership more affordable, specifically for the lower income households. So since we launched our homeownership development program in 2023, we funded the development of 22 units. We've administered approximately $1.5 million in ship funding. We've awarded that funding to small businesses and nonprofit organizations. So these are units that some of which approximately half of them have already been sold to income eligible buyers already, and some of them are currently in development stages.
One of the important partnerships when it comes to homeownership is we have a community land trust at the local level, and a community land trust is essentially a collective community ownership model for affordable housing and for land. So the county and the city of Tallahassee partnered with a local nonprofit called the Tallahassee Lenders Consortium. And we have to give a shout out to them because they're one of our top partners in the community when it comes to affordable housing and fostering homeownership opportunities. But TLC administers the community land trust, and essentially this is a collective ownership model. So TLC has parcels of land, many of which were donated to them by the county or the city, and they develop housing on this land. Sometimes they use county funding, like the SHIP homeownership development funding that I mentioned, or sometimes they use funding from the city or a combination of both.
And they actually develop homes that have long-term affordability restrictions on them. So these are homes that are dedicated for low-income first-time homebuyers, and there are homes that for the long haul, these homes cannot be sold for an extreme profit. There's a limit on how much the folks who purchase these homes can sell them for. And that makes sure that in addition to the initial buyer of these homes being low income and getting a subsidy, being able to access these homes for below market value, it means that the subsequent buyers of the homes also are able to access these homes for below market value. So the homes are set aside specifically for low income households for the long haul. So that community land trust is special because, like I said, it's a collective ownership model. The land itself remains under the ownership of the Tallahassee Lenders Consortium, and the value of the land is actually separated from the cost of the house, so that makes the home more affordable.
So when an income eligible buyer buys a community land trust home, essentially they're buying the home, but leasing the land. The land remains under collective ownership of the land trust. So that guarantees that the home is affordable and that it remains affordable long term. So those are some of the creative types of things that we're doing here, and we think that they're achieving results.
Erin Hill:
That's amazing. Home ownership and making it affordable for all is so important, especially in our community today. Can you describe what pathways exist for someone buying their first home in Leon County and who qualifies for those programs?
Jelani Marks:
Sure. So whenever we interact with someone who is interested in buying their first home, we always send them to the Tallahassee Lenders Consortium because TLC is kind of a one-stop shop for homeownership. Most of the programs that I mentioned before, like down-payment assistance and our homeownership development program, in order for a first time homebuyer to actually benefit from any of these programs, they have to attend a HUD certified homeownership education course, HUD being the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. So TLC is one of the organizations here that offers these HUD certified homeownership courses. So that's a requirement. That's an important first step. So we always send folks to TLC to make sure that they get that interaction and that education first.
So in addition to that, TLC also administers the down-payment assistance funding for both Leon County and for the city of Tallahassee. So we have an agreement with TLC. In addition to the agreement we have for them to administer the community land trust, they also, we give them some of our SHIP funding that's set aside for purchase assistance, which is used to cover a down-payment or closing costs for income eligible households or income eligible first time buyers. And for the county, the down-payment assistance program funds awards funds to households that are up to 120% of the area median or what we would consider moderate income. So just for example, for a four person household in Leon County currently, a moderate income, the income limit would be approximately $111,000 a year for a four person household. For a single person household, it'll be approximately $77,000 a year.
So that's the income limit for what we would consider a moderate income household in Leon County right now. down-payment assistance is the only program that we have that offers assistance to moderate income households. Most of our programs like homeownership development and the home rehabilitation programs we discussed before are exclusively for low income households at 80% are below area median. So for a family of four, we're talking about approximately $74,000 a year or for a single person household, we're talking about a limit of approximately $52,000 of income per year. So we see that there's a lot of variance with these programs in terms of the income levels that they can serve, but we try to focus most of our efforts on low income households.
Erin Hill:
And what is offered in terms of down-payment assistance or mortgage assistance through local partners like the Housing Finance Authority?
Jelani Marks:
So we have a partnership with the Housing Finance Authority of Leon County and they offer, in addition to bond financing for affordable rental developments, they also give the county funding for our emergency home repair program, which can be used to address issues that need to be mitigated immediately like roof leaks, HVAC repairs, particularly in the summer. They also help to fund our annual Spring Home Expo, which is coming up on April 11. The Housing Finance Authority is one of the essential partners that we have that supports our efforts. And we also have a partnership through our Housing Finance Authority with Escambia County, which helps to fund down-payment assistance programs throughout the state.
Erin Hill:
Let's take a quick break to hear about some upcoming events and programs in Leon County.
Elizabeth Loeffelman:
Want to record your own podcast, oral history, or voiceover, the Sound Booth at the Main Library offers a professional studio, completely free with your library card. Equipped with high quality microphones, recording software, in a quiet, acoustically treated space, it's perfect for creators of all kinds. Reserve your session today at LeonCountyLibrary.org/SoundBooth and bring your ideas to life.
Lauryl Phinney:
Thinking about buying a home or looking for ways to care for the one you already have, the 2026 Spring Home Expo takes place on Saturday, April 11 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Leon County Cooperative Extension on Paul Russell Road. Learn about first time home buyer programs, home maintenance, sustainable gardening, and hurricane preparedness. There will also be live demonstrations and giveaways to help you make the most of your home. For details and registration, visit LeonCountyFL.gov/HomeExpo.
Ross Brand:
Did you know your library offers more than just books? With the Library of Things from the Leon County Public Library System, you can borrow useful items for projects, hobbies, and everyday needs. From tools and technology to creative equipment and more, it's a great way to try something new without buying it yourself. Explore what's available and start borrowing today at LeonCountyLibrary.org/Things.
Erin Hill:
We're back with Jelani Marks, Housing Services Manager. What opportunities are there for the developers listening to partner with the county to provide affordable housing?
Jelani Marks:
So the developers are absolutely essential when it comes to provision of affordable housing from a government standpoint. We engage developers through our homeownership development program, both nonprofit organizations that are dedicated to the provision of affordable housing, as well as we partner with a lot of small businesses through that program. And we accept applications for homeownership development funding on a rolling basis. We award up to $100,000 per unit for eligible projects that meet all the project requirements. So we have an application that is open on our website, Leon County Division of Housing Services, and we accept applications as long as funding is available.
Erin Hill:
You mentioned the Homeownership Development Program and funding. How does that program work and what makes it unique?
Jelani Marks:
So the Homeownership Development Program, we launched in 2023 and it's basically a home construction loan program. We offer up to $100,000 in funding per unit to developers that commit to constructing and selling said unit to an income eligible household within a contractual timeframe. Now, the houses do have to be sold with affordability restrictions to guarantee that they are affordable long-term, at least for a 30-year period. So once the developers apply for the funding, we kind of take a look at the project, we make sure it meets all the qualifications. We have a preference for projects that are actually within certain targeted areas that have historically experienced disproportionate rates of poverty, including like Bond, Frenchtown, South City, Griffin Heights, and Providence. So that's the Neighborhood First program, and we partner with the City of Tallahassee to address community development specifically in those areas, but we fund homeownership development projects throughout the county.
So we partner with developers, a lot of them are small businesses and it's been a pretty successful program, but we award up to $100,000 as a deferred forgivable loan to these developers to subsidize the development costs. And the way that we determine the award amount is if a developer says, if they submit an application for a project, let's say that a developer's trying to build a three bed, two bath, 1,500 square foot home, and this is a home that based on the location and the reasonable market comparisons, it could be priced at approximately $285,000, right? Market value. So if based on the budget that that developer submits in their application, we find that the development costs are $200,000 and the estimated market value is $285, and that would be a gap where if the project was eligible, we might fund that developer $85,000 to help cover that gap and subsidize the project.
Now, what would happen is that would be awarded as a deferred forgivable loan to the developer. So the developer would not be expected to pay this loan back unless they fail to construct and sell the unit within the contractual timeframe. So as long as the developer does what they're supposed to do and they're able to finish constructing the unit and sell it to an income eligible county approved buyer within the contractual timeframe, then that loan is forgiven. So that's what makes it kind of unique because it's not a regular construction loan program where we give a developer money and then they pay us back. It's a grant that's designed to function ... It's a loan that's designed to function as a grant. So as long as everything happens the way it's supposed to, we shouldn't have to be paid back and the loan should be forgiven.
Now, the other interesting aspect of it is that once the home is sold to an income eligible county approved buyer with affordability restrictions recorded on the property, that loan is forgiven for the developer, but that initiates a loan period for the buyer. So when the buyer buys the home, they're buying that home. Remember the example is a $285,000 house. They're buying that home for $285, but that $85,000 subsidy that the County put in, they're benefiting from that. So that's $85,000 less that they don't have to finance through their first mortgage. So that's a kind of a soft second, that's a subordinate mortgage for $85,000 that they have with the County. But once again, it's a deferred, forgivable loan, so they don't have to make payments on that. So while they're making payments on their mortgage, their first mortgage for the majority of the cost of the house, that $85,000 is kind of just there.
They don't have to make payments on that loan. As long as they stay in the home, as long as they abide by the rules of the program, which means they continue to use the home as their primary residence for them and their family, they don't try to move out of the house and use it as a rental property, or they don't try to flip it for a huge profit. The goal of the program is to create opportunities for long-term, stable, affordable homeownership. The goal of the program is not to help somebody get into a house for really cheap and then they can flip it or rent it out and sell it and create a hustle or a business opportunity. So as long as they abide by the rules of the program, that loan will eventually become forgiven to them as well. The loan has a 30 year period, but after the tenth year in the loan term, forgiveness starts to be prorated.
So the amount that they would have to pay back, if they were to default on the loan at that point starts to go down until eventually at the end of that loan period, it's forgiven. Now, one question that usually comes up when we're talking about the affordability restrictions on these homeownership development projects, like for the buyer. So we've got a 30 year term. Once the buyer purchases the home that starts the clock on that 30 years, they don't have to stay in the home for that 30 years. They can sell that home. It's just that there are affordability restrictions, meaning there are limits on how much they can sell the home for. They can make a profit off of that home during that period, but there are limits on how much profit they can make. It's a modest profit. And once again, the goal is so that that house is affordable, not just for the initial buyer, but for subsequent buyers for that time, for the remainder of that affordability period.
So yeah, I mean, folks can sell the home, they can move out of the home if they want to, as long as it's within the confines of the affordability restrictions. And if it's not, then that just means that it would trigger a default against that, whatever that loan amount is for the County subsidy, and they may have to repay it back. But those are the conditions under which the loan would have to be repaid back. The goal is for nobody to have to repay the loan back and for it to be forgiven. Does that make sense?
Erin Hill:
Yeah. No, that's so important to ensure that it's not just a one person experiencing the affordable home. It's that down the line, this will be an affordable home for the community going forward. What are the opportunities for developers for rental units, for affordable housing?
Jelani Marks:
Affordable rental is a big thing. Like I said, the highest need for affordable housing in the community that we have right now is affordable rental units for very low income households. The county recently enhanced its rental development program by allocating additional funding for rental developments. We do partner with our local HFA to evaluate applications from developers that are trying to gain funding from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation at the state level. And we do have gap financing and local government contributions that are available that we are accepting applications for, and those applications can be accessed by reaching out to the Housing Finance Authority of Leon County.
Erin Hill:
You talked earlier a little bit about heir property. What is heir property and why can it be a challenge?
Jelani Marks:
So Air's property is inherited after a relative passes away and there is not clear title. There's not clear ownership of the property, and that can affect a lot of things. That can affect an ability to access different programs like home rehabilitation or home repheir programs. It can affect the household's ability, not having clear ownership or clear title can affect the household's ability to access disaster recovery services. There's a variety of things that it can present an issue for. And we know that low income households see a higher rate or experience difficulties related to heirs property at a higher rate. So this is something that in conversations with the community, it was brought up as an issue, is something that in our experiences administering the programs that we do, we see that there are people who from time to time might not be eligible because they're experiencing an heir property situation.
So this is something that we've been working on for a few years. We had a series of heirs property workshops that we partnered with Legal Services of North Florida a couple years ago, and we had them in different neighborhoods around the county. And so those conversations and those workshops offering legal resources to the community kind of evolved. And now in addition to having conversations, and we also, we've been promoting legal services of North Florida and their heirs property services at our home expo for years as well. So promoting and connecting people in the community with legal resource sources to help them get clear title and clear ownership of their property is something that we've been doing. And it's kind of evolved into a whole new level where now we're actually investing some of our SHIP funding and serving those households with heirs property issues as well.
Erin Hill:
I know year round you're preparing for the County Spring Home Expo. Tell us more about the event and how it furthers the mission of the Housing Services Division.
Jelani Marks:
So we love the Home Expo. The Home Expo is a lot of fun. The Home Expo is a time where we get to open up our facility over on Paul Russell Road, and we get to invite the community in. And we usually partner with approximately two dozen community partners. There'll be nonprofit organizations, groups like the Tallahassee Lenders Consortium, the groups like Legal Services of North Florida. We have groups like the City of Tallahassee's housing division. So we partner with a lot of different groups that have resources, that have information. We have folks out there who talk about home maintenance from various perspectives. We partner with the cooperative extension with whom we share a building, and they usually do a demonstration or a workshop on how you can grow food in your garden. So we try to ... The Home Expo, we try to get really creative and approach the idea of homeownership and not just homeownership, but we offer resources for renters as well, but we try to look at homeownership and housing from a holistic standpoint of making the space your own, being as sustainable as you want to be as you can be, learning how to grow food and learning how to maintain your home, not just getting into a house from a financial standpoint of how do I buy a house, but how do you really survive and thrive in that home and make it a space for you and your family to live.
Erin Hill:
Well, thank you so much, Jelani, for joining us today. This has been an incredibly informative conversation.
Jelani Marks:
Thank you for having me, and I appreciate it.