Construction crews just broke ground on a new, 120-unit apartment complex in West Pensacola that aims to provide affordable housing for military families and veterans.
It’s one of three new affordable housing developments underway in Pensacola that combined will provide 180 apartments and 33 new homes to help meet the area’s critical need for affordable housing.
Advocates who work with individuals and families struggling to find affordable housing say the severe deficit of affordable units has led to a crisis with many teetering on the brink of homelessness and others plunging into it.
Data from the latest Point-in-Time count conducted on Jan. 26 by Opening Doors Northwest Florida, the area’s leading agency on homelessness, highlights the housing crisis.
In total, Opening Doors recorded 1,155 individuals experiencing homelessness in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties on Jan. 26.
Additionally, during the month of January, there were more than 1,500 evictions in Escambia County alone.
In the same period, only about 500 available rental units met the fair market rent definition, significantly fewer than the number of homeless individuals and those facing eviction.
The United Way of Northwest Florida’s 211 call center also received over 1,300 calls during the month of January, specifically related to the housing crisis like homelessness, impending homelessness and inability to pay rent.
“The numbers don’t work,” Opening Doors Executive Director Bruce Cady said. “We do not have enough affordable housing to serve the homeless and to serve those that are housing unstable.”
Ekos at Warrington
Several new housing development projects aim to address at least some of the needs.
Ekos at Warrington is going up at 280 Dogwood Drive in Warrington with 120-units planned for military families and veterans.
Construction is expected to take approximately 16 months, with an anticipated opening in Fall 2027.
Miami-based affordable housing developer McDowell Housing Partners (MHP) said funding for the $41.9 million project was secured through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.
President of McDowell Housing Partners Christopher Shear said it was the only proposal accepted during an “extremely competitive” statewide process, in part, because the need for new workforce and attainable housing is so great here, especially near Naval Air Station Pensacola.
The funds for this type of housing were allocated specifically for areas near military installations as part of the 2024 Live Local Act.
Shear said they’ve been working with NAS Pensacola Housing Service Center to assist in identifying and referring military personnel in need of off-base housing.
The housing project is designed for residents making 30% to 80% of area median income.
“Our goal is to provide something that’s going to service families that are within active-duty status as well as veterans and also any reservists,” Shear said. “This market in particular has a significantly sized military base with NAS Pensacola, so we specifically identified this market as being one of the most in need of new housing options.”
Shear said during the developer’s due diligence process they found more than 30,000 eligible households within Escambia County that could qualify for this type of housing.
“From a development perspective, it did have some of the characteristics we look for,” Shear said. “It has shopping nearby, access to the interstate and public transportation, so from a real estate perspective it had the merits, but it was also in an area that needs some gentrification.”
MHP has also been working with Opening Doors to identify potential clients and provide support services for residents.
Cady said the location of the project also makes it valuable.
“When I look at affordable housing, you look at the primary population as well as the household,” Cady said. “It’s close to the naval air station for the service members, and there’s a good chance that there’s a spouse or a partner that’s also working. There’s so much in the way of jobs in that area, from Mobile Highway north up to I-10. That’s a wonderful place for the rest of the household to seek employment, to continue to raise the quality of life and financial capacity.”
Emerald Meridian Apartments
The Escambia Board of County Commissioners recently approved a plan for the Escambia County Housing Finance Authority to finance the acquisition and remodeling of Emerald Meridian Apartments, a 160-unit multi-family elderly rental housing facility at 1400 E. Johnson Ave., formerly known as Johnson Lakes Apartments.
The complex is in need of significant repairs and upgrades and has made headlines multiple times over the past several years due to residents’ complaints and several county code enforcement investigations into mold, lack of adequate air-conditioning and nuisance conditions on the property.
While some improvements have since been made, the complex is getting ready for a major upgrade after the housing authority was authorized to issue up to $24 million in multi-family housing revenue bonds for the complex.
The county is partnering with Soho Group to provide those improvements. About $60,000 will be spent on upgrades per unit.
The closing process is underway, with construction expected to begin by the fall.
“Amenities will include modernizing the common areas with ergonomic furniture and free Wi-Fi zone, a fitness center, laundry rooms on each floor, an outdoor pool with seating and upgraded recreational and seating areas,” Escambia County Housing Finance Authority Executive Director Lisa Bernau said. “There are also designated spaces for free on-site health screenings and preventative care reviews.”
The housing authority can take advantage of federal tax programs that provide low-interest financing for housing, and the county has no liability or obligation under the bonds.
Programs like rehabilitation of existing properties, new construction, and financial assistance programs for home buyers are part of the Escambia County Housing Finance Authority’s mission.
They also work with those who live in their affordable rental units to steer them toward home ownership when residents are ready and eligible.
“In the family living units, we do have that occur where people, if they had known about our program, they may be able to save up and move out of that to free it up for someone else and for them to experience their first home, ” Bernau said. “And we help others get over that last hurdle of closing costs to get their family in the door of their own home and get their kids in rooms instead of sleeping in a car.”
The housing authority has several ongoing projects and programs but is always looking for opportunities to expand affordable housing across the county and city.
Hancock Meadows
Hancock Meadows—a 33-lot project offering affordable homes with two- to four-bedroom floor plans—is Pensacola Habitat for Humanity’s latest project, designed to address the housing crisis for local workers and low-income families.
The organization held a groundbreaking ceremony at the Brent site on April 7.
Of the 33 single-family homes that will be built on the property, six will be rental units for military families.
Habitat says the development will include a neighborhood park, as well as connecting people with services and home ownership guidance as needed.
Pensacola Habitat for Humanity President Sam Young said it represents the evolution of what the organization has become over the last four or five years.
“We are serving a very wide range of incomes in one neighborhood,” Young said, “and when you drive down the street you won’t be able to tell the difference between somebody who’s at 40% of the area median income versus someone who’s 120%, because all the homes are going to be beautiful.”
Construction is expected to begin next month, with the project expected to be built out within 18 months.
Applications are currently open and available through Pensacola Habitat for Humanity’s website.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Hundreds need housing help. New projects aim to ease crisis in Escambia
Reporting by Mollye Barrows, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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