1. COUNTY STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND JOBS
NARC Conference 2019
Daria Daniel, Associate Legislative Director, NACo

2. ABOUT COUNTIES Counties vary in population and land mass.
The 144 largest counties total 50 percent of the U.S. population.
70 percent of counties are considered rural with populations less than 50,000.

3. HOUSING AFFORDABILITY

4. WHAT IS HOUSING AFFORDABILITY ?
Not a characteristic of housing, but rather a relationship between housing and people.
Housing affordability relates the experience of households to their housing situation. It is the general level of housing prices relative to the general level of household or family income.

5. LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IMPACT
Impact on county operations and county budgets
transportation
social services costs
economy
Lack of affordable housing translates to increased costs for counties in both the short- and long-term

6. TOTAL HOUSING UNITS
There were more than 129 million housing units in counties across the nation in

7. MEASURES OF HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
The standard threshold is 30 percent of income spent on housing, including utilities.
Households that spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing are referred to as cost-burdened.
Households that spend more than half of their income are referred to as severely cost- burdened.

8. MEASURES OF HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
In 2016, over one third of all homes were unaffordable for those living in them.

9. COST BURDENED RENTERS
In 2016, more than 51 percent of renter households—in counties were cost-burdened.

10. COST BURDEN BY REGION
The highest number of cost-burdened homeowners was reported in the South (6.3 million households) followed by the West (4.5 million households).
The highest share of cost-burdened renters was reported in the West (53 percent) followed by the Northeast (52 percent).

11. SEVERELY COST-BURDENED OWNERS
Nationally, 10 percent of owner households – more than 7.4 million homeowners – were severely cost- burdened in 2016, meaning that they were spending more than half of their incomes on housing.

12. NACo AFFORDABLE HOUSING SERIES
AccessToHousing
HousingConnections
BuildingHomes
PlanningAhead

13. NACo AFFORDABLE HOUSING TOOLKIT
AffordableHousingToolkit

14. AFFORDABLE HOUSING EXPENDITURES
In 2016, counties invested more than $11.5 billion in housing and community development.

15. INTER-JURISDICTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Multiple levels of government
Study potential partnerships and funding
Partner with private companies
Community Engagement
Identify community needs
Build support for programs
Engage residents in program development
Affordable Housing Task Force

16. FUNDING AND FINANCING SOLUTIONS
Housing Trust Fund
Service Sharing
Other Taxes and Fees
Commercial linkage fees
Developer impact fees
Demolition fees
Fees on short-term rentals / hotel-motel taxes
Additional property/sales taxes
Community Land Trust

17. PLANNING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
County Comprehensive Plans
Infrastructure expansion
Economic development
Natural / Cultural resources
HOUSING
Housing Needs Analysis
Evaluate current and future needs
Location, form, cost
Potential incentives for developers
Affordable Housing Impact Statements
Similar to environmental or economic impact statements

18. ZONING AND LAND USE SOLUTIONS
Subdivision, setback and lot size requirements
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
Inclusionary zoning
Density bonuses
Form-based code
Medium-density zoning
Overlay zone

19. County-Owned Land / Buildings Expedited Permitting
COUNTY-OWNED PROPERTY, PERMITS & FEES
County-Owned Land / Buildings
Expedited Permitting
Reduced Developer Fees
6.7%

20. COUNTY DATA & HOUSING AFFORDABILITY PROFILES
For more on the county data and the housing affordability profiles, please go to explorer.naco.org

21. HOUSING AFFORDABILITY PROFILES

22. QUESTIONS? Daria Daniel Associate Legislative Director
National Association of Counties