To assist in providing low income families with a choice of safe and affordable housing options and opportunities for economic independence for residents of Wakulla County.

Housing Choice Vouchers are administered locally by public housing agencies (PHAs). The PHAs receive federal funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the voucher program. The program assists very low-income families, elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Since the housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses and apartments.

Wakulla County participated in the Escambia County Housing Finance Authority Homeownership Program to assist first time homebuyers by offering up to $8,000 in down payment assistance and interest rates at 4.79%. Click here to view brochure or you can contact 1-800-388-1970 or 1-850-432-7077.

Section 8

Place a priority on the Choice Vouchers Program (section 8) for the affordable housing. Provide support for the elderly, persons with disabilities, and for working families with children. Ensure through all available means that all affordable housing in Wakulla County is safe and decent. Permit no net loss of committed affordable housing, and make every reasonable effort to maintain the supply of affordable market rate housing. Reduce the number of households in serious housing needs for low income housing. Increase the number of housing units with two or more bedrooms in order to match the needs of households with children. Ensure, through all available means, that housing discrimination is eliminated. Provide housing services effectively and efficiently.

Florida Housing administers the State Housing Initiatives Partnership program (SHIP), which provides funds to local governments as an incentive to create partnerships that produce and preserve affordable homeownership and multifamily housing. The program was designed to serve very low, low and moderate income families. SHIP funds are distributed on an entitlement basis to all 67 counties and 50 Community Development Block Grant entitlement cities in Florida. The minimum allocation is $350,000 and the maximum allocation is over $9 million. In order to participate, local governments must establish a local housing assistance program by ordinance; develop a local housing assistance plan and housing incentive strategy; amend land development regulations or establish local policies to implement the incentive strategies; form partnerships and combine resources in order to reduce housing costs; and ensure that rent or mortgage payments within the targeted areas do not exceed 30 percent of the area median income.

SHIP Programs

To ensure that residents of Wakulla County with low, extremely low, and moderate incomes have access to safe and affordable housing. To provide grant funding to the eligible residents of Wakulla County in order to meet the critical housing needs of low to moderate income residents. To provide assistance to very low and moderate income households on the path toward home ownership, assist with necessary rehabilitative repairs, and provide assistance with access fees.

LIHEAP is a federally funded block grant program that is implemented at the State, Tribal, and Insular Area levels. Grantees serve from low income households who seek assistance for their home energy bills. LIHEAP has been operating since 1982 and its purpose is: "to assist low-income households, particularly those with the lowest incomes, which pay a high proportion of household income for home energy, primarily in meeting their immediate home energy needs." The program encourages priority be given to those with the "highest home energy needs", meaning low income households with a high energy burden and/or the presence of a "vulnerable" individual in the household, such as a young child, disabled person, or frail older individual.

Outreach to assist as many low-income customers as possible, increase the number of LIHEAP Crisis grants received, encourage low income energy users to be more energy efficient, participants in the Customer Assistance Program (CAP), assist troubled customers who received assistance in receiving Energy Assistance Education, and assist Low-income customers and Senior citizens in making payment arrangements.

Home Energy Assistance
Crisis Assistance Program
Emergency Energy Assistance

The Weatherization Assistance Program was created in 1976 to assist low-income families who lacked resources to invest in energy efficiency. The Weatherization Assistance Program is operated in all 50 states. We have 25 agencies in Florida that administer the program. The funds provided by Congress are used to improve the energy efficiency of low-income dwellings, using the most advanced technologies and testing protocols available in the housing industry. The energy conservation resulting from the efforts of state and local agencies helps our country reduce its dependency on foreign oil and helps to decrease the cost of energy for families in need while improving the health and safety of their homes.

To reduce the energy bills of low-income families instead of offering aid, weatherization reduces dependency and liberates these funds for spending on more pressing family issues. Attempt the reduce the average low income family's home energy heating bills by 32% and the overall energy bills by $358 per year at current prices.

The Weatherization Assistance Program was created in 1976 to assist low-income families who lacked resources to invest in energy efficiency. The Weatherization Assistance Program is operated in all 50 states. We have 25 agencies in Florida that administer the program. The funds provided by Congress are used to improve the energy efficiency of low-income dwellings, using the most advanced technologies and testing protocols available in the housing industry. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides grants to local governments and nonprofit agencies to assist eligible low-income households in meeting the costs of home heating and cooling. The majority of the funds are used for annual one-time utility payment assistance and two seasonal crisis assistance payments. Weather-related and supply shortage emergency assistance is provided when federal emergency contingency funds are provided.

If you have any questions as to our programs feel free to contact our staff.

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