SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE

April 11, 2005

Clearing a path for affordable housing

By Cory Schouten

MANATEE COUNTY -- A year ago, drawings of a proposed farmworker housing project called La Estancia had duplexes that looked like military barracks.

Neighbors, who were never consulted, fought the plans.

The Palmetto project faced a myriad of problems despite a $3 million commitment from the federal government.

A new foundation being unveiled this week would help affordable housing projects like La Estancia overcome such problems and get closer to being built.

The new Jumpstart Foundation hopes to ease bureaucratic headaches and build community support for affordable housing for migrant workers, low-income residents, first- time home buyers and others who can't afford a home on their own.

The group will locate potential sites, provide logistical support and fight for policy changes.

"We've got to light the fire," said County Commissioner Pat Glass. "This is the beginning of that."

Glass will introduce the group on Thursday.

Anyone can become a member of the foundation, but its board is comprised of builders, produce growers and developers -- a group Glass described as "movers and shakers who have experience in affordable housing."

The idea is that a privately funded group can help get the hammers pounding on workforce housing projects.

The foundation wouldn't pay to build the projects but could help find land and build community support, said developer Pat Neal, a board member.

A big part of the population can't afford a home without help, he said. And rapidly rising real estate costs make it harder every day.

"We all employ these workers and need housing for them," Neal said.

If working people can't afford to live where they work, they won't stay in Manatee County, said Esperanza Gamboa, coordinator of the Farmworker Education and Services Program at Manatee County Technical Institute.

"Where are our people going to live?" she asked. "This is not a farmworker issue anymore. It's an issue for everyone."

She said if the La Estancia project goes well, it could clear the way for more badly needed housing for seasonal farm workers.

The county has allocated $400,000 to purchase 16 acres on 28th Street Court East in northeast Palmetto. And the Manatee Housing Authority has developed new plans for the community.

The project would include 36 units of farmworker housing and 24 single-family homes designed for first-time buyers, said Rob Rogers, executive director of the Manatee Housing Authority.

The next steps include meetings with the community and an appearance in front of the County Commission. They hope to have the project built in the next three years.

"It's a drop in the ocean, but it's a wonderful beginning," said Gamboa.