HOUSING MATTERS
Dear Friends,
With this, our first digital newsletter, I am writing to invite you to become a partner in our effort to address one of the most urgent, vital, and potentially the most impactful social, healthcare, and economic issue facing our community: affordable housing.
Housing Savannah, Inc. was formed in March 2022 as a result of the community-based and led Housing Savannah Task Force’s Action Plan.
We are a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to:
- Increasing community-wide education, awareness, and support of affordable housing opportunities;
- Developing, increasing, and sustaining financial investments for the Savannah Affordable Housing Fund (SAHF);
- Convening stakeholders and influencers in the affordable housing environment to create new innovative policy and initiatives;
- Tracking and reporting on affordable housing outcomes;
- Partnering with local, state, and national organizations in support of housing affordability initiatives.
Housing Savannah, Inc. is not responsible for building houses, making grants, or offering loans, but to rally and galvanize support for those who do.
We want to increase awareness within the community about the housing challenges we’re facing, the importance of pro-housing efforts and initiatives, and to initiate and foster collaborative relationships with a wide variety of housing practitioners. We are working to identify our community’s unique challenges and opportunities in regard to housing, develop an education campaign to establish a common understanding and common language for the community around affordable housing, and to establish pro-housing advocacy priorities.
We are focused on raising the critically needed funds for the Savannah Affordable Housing Fund (SAHF), which finances home repairs, down payment assistance, constructs new homes, and provides affordable housing development financing. The SAHF supports individuals, groups, agencies, and communities that are engaged in activities that retain, improve, and produce housing for a wide range of Savannah area residents in need of safe, stable and affordable housing.
So, who in Savannah/Chatham County/Coastal Georgia needs affordable housing? Simply put, everyone and anyone that has a stake in the social, economic, and cultural future of our region.
Affordable housing is the centerpiece of a vital and sustainable thriving regional economy. When individuals and families can reasonably devote the federally recommended 30% of their income to housing and utilities, local economies thrive on the investment of the “other” 70% in healthcare, education, training, nutrition, consumer goods, savings, etc. When housing absorbs more than 30% of a household’s income, then the other investments suffer, resulting in poor economic, health, and educational outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.
There is a housing “affordability gap” in the Savannah/Chatham County/Coastal Georgia region, not unlike the remainder of the state, Southeast, and nation. The numerous and enviable economic development opportunities represented by the Georgia Ports, Hyundai Motor Works, and the many related initiatives will never fully benefit our communities if the frontline workers, technicians, hospitality industry employees, food service workers, and a myriad of other essential workers cannot rely upon safe, stable affordable housing for themselves and their loved ones.
Even before the Hyundai announcement, Chatham County was running a 10,000-unit housing deficit across all income levels, from those considered extremely low-income ($25,000 for a family of four) to those who are earning a moderate income ($83,400 for a family of four). The reasons are many, but over the last 30 years, Savannah housing costs have outpaced incomes 2-to-1, with about 40% of households unable to afford quality housing. So, while Hyundai is admittedly an economic boon for our region, we are about to amplify a problem we already have.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We have the opportunity to prioritize housing that is safe, high-quality, and attainable for citizens at all economic levels, and that’s where Housing Savannah, Inc. needs your help and support. I invite you to be our partner in the effort to preserve and create affordable housing in our area.
Together, we can work to promote collaboration and pro-housing initiatives, raise critically-needed funds, and work with citizens and local leaders to build the kind of community we want to have – one that benefits us all.
Sincerely,
Laura Lane McKinnon
Executive Director | Housing Savannah, Inc.
So, What is "Affordable" Housing?
You may have heard the term “affordable housing” tossed around, often in a negative light. Frequently, people use the word “affordable” to unfairly label housing as less than desirable or housing that is only for the poorest of citizens, but it’s time to clear up any misconceptions.
The truth is that affordable housing is any housing that costs less than 30% of a household’s income.
Everyone deserves a safe, stable, healthy home. But more and more, finding affordable housing options close to local jobs is a challenge impacting our recent graduates, our broader workforce, and also our seniors.
Without housing that is safe, stable, and affordable, hard-working Savannahians are having to move farther and farther away to find housing they can afford, and in turn increasingly forced to commute from neighborhing cities and counties, affecting everything from traffic to the local economy.
Housing that is affordable and available throughout the community in areas close to jobs, education, and other amenties, strengthens our community by creating opportunities for residents to build quality lives. When we have an adequate supply of affordable rental units and homes for purchase, residents have a sense of permanence that creates stability. And when citizens have the stability they need, they have the freedom to live, work, shop, and contribute to a community that they feel invested in.
How YOU Can Help
It won’t happen overnight, but Savannah is poised to make significant progress. Each of us plays a role in addressing this dire situation. Citizens can be part of the solution by contributing to the Savannah Affordable Housing Fund (SAHF), by advocating for more, affordable housing options in all areas of our community, or by volunteering to work on a home repair site via United Way’s Housing Heroes program!
Together we can make progress. Together, we can ensure that everyone in our community has a safe, stable, healthy home that they can afford.
Safe, stable, healthy housing is the cornerstone to a thriving community. Housing Savannah is grateful to the Georgia Ports Authority for their recent pledge of $6M over 8 years for the Port of Savannah Workforce Housing Initiative, which will have a tremendously positive impact for neighborhoods near the Port.
“The bottom goal is to really improve the housing that is available in the near port areas, if you will, of the greater Savannah community,” said GPA’s Chief Administration Officer Jamie McCurry. “Our investment with Housing Savannah, Inc. will allow the organization to leverage considerably more in additional funding through different federal and state funding programs.”
This incredible investment in the SAHF will improve quality of life and housing for individuals living in near-port communities through the repair, construction, and purchase of affordable and workforce housing that benefits low- and moderate-income homeowners, first-time homebuyers, and renters. McCurry added that the focus on home improvements will help stabilize property values and improve the quality-of-life in the targeted investment communities.
Thank you, Georgia Ports Authority, for your incredible investment in affordable and attainable workforce housing in the greater Savannah area!
