CONSOLIDATED PLAN & STRATEGY 5-YEAR ... - City of Lakeland

seven that are in Polk County. Source reports that there is a need for housing for this
group of persons.
Estimated Housing Needs for Families on the Public Housing and Section 8
Waiting Lists
According to Lakeland Housing Authority, their agency administers 453 public
housing units and 1,445 housing choice (Section 8) vouchers. There are 201
applicants on the waiting list for Section 8 housing choice vouchers. The list is
closed currently and has been for the last twenty-six (26) months. Of those
applicants on the waiting list, 438 are families with children; 39 are elderly families;
and 60 are families with disabilities. Black applicants are strongly overrepresented
on the waiting list, comprising 362 of those waiting.
The length and depth of the waiting lists for elderly public housing and Section 8
vouchers are indicative of an ongoing unmet need for assisted rental housing in
general. Among the population comprising the waiting lists for these facilities, there
is need for the supportive social services necessary to attain self-sufficiency. (See
“Needs for Public Housing” section for more details).
Condition of Local Housing Stock
Using indicators of housing problems available from the 2000 census, the following
narrative describes the local housing stock.
Because of the lack of routine maintenance, older housing usually becomes
substandard. Substandard units have leaky roofs, faulty plumbing, and hazardous
electrical and weak walls. Substandard units with the above mentioned housing
problems require extensive repairs or rebuilt in order to bring the units into
compliance with the minimum housing code. The 2000 census reported that 15,641
of the total owner-occupied housing stock were built before 1960. Among owner
units in Lakeland, 250 units lack complete plumbing facilities, such may be lack of
hot and cold piper water, bathtub or shower and a flush toilet. Families are living in
substandard housing because they cannot afford repair costs on their homes and
their incomes limit housing choice.
Substandard housing can also be described as overcrowding. Overcrowding is
directly related to the wear and tear sustained by a housing unit. More than one
person per room is used as a threshold for defining living conditions as overcrowded.
In 2000, there were 1,182 owner housing units with more than one person per room.
Due to current economic conditions, there are many more families doubling with
relatives.
The following table summarizes deficiency types in Lakeland.
Housing Condition Characteristics, 2000
Persons Per Room* House Heating Fuel* Kitchen Facilities Plumbing Facilities
Place
1.01 or
More
Persons
per Room
Share of
Occupied
Units (%)
No
Fuel
Used
Share of
Occupied
Units (%)
Lacking
Complete
Facilities
Share
of
Units
(%)
Lacking
Complete
Facilities
Share
of
Units
(%)
3-5 Year Strategic Plan 26