Florida Supportive Housing Coalition

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is moving toward federal policy changes that would have immediate and harmful consequences for Florida—both for people experiencing homelessness and for taxpayers who ultimately bear the cost.

Why this matters now is simple: decisions being made today would undo decades of proven progress and shift costs back onto hospitals, jails, and local governments.

Supportive Housing is not a social experiment—it is one of Florida’s most cost-effective and results-driven investments in reducing homelessness and housing instability among our most vulnerable residents. Proposed HUD policy changes threaten to dismantle this success and expose communities to far higher downstream costs.

Supportive Housing provides affordable housing paired with supports for people living with long-term disabilities who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Many residents are seniors, Veterans, survivors of domestic violence, or individuals with complex medical needs. Residents have standard leases with all of the responsibilities of a lease and live in the community like any other renter.

From a performance standpoint, the model works. Over 95% of residents in supportive housing remain stably housed, dramatically reducing repeat hospitalization     s, incarcerations, and crisis services utilization. The security and stability of a home promotes improved health and increased income. Many move on to more independent housing—freeing units for others with higher needs.

Should HUD change its policy, Florida’s exposure is significant. More than 17,000 Floridians with disabling conditions rely on supportive housing today. Proposed changes would place nearly 7,900 households at risk of losing housing, potentially increasing unsheltered homelessness statewide by nearly 50%. At the same time, Florida could lose more than $137 million annually in homelessness funding, while spending hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars in avoidable emergency services—a clear net loss for taxpayers and local communities.

There is also substantial risk to Florida’s affordable housing market. Over the past three decades, the state has leveraged the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program to develop more than 13,000 supportive housing units statewide, combining federal operating support with private capital. These developments depend on predictable funding streams. Weakening supportive housing funding jeopardizes property viability, undermines investor confidence, and destabilizes a financing model that has successfully expanded housing supply across Florida.

The benefit of Supportive Housing is not about ideology. It is about protecting investments, managing fiscal risk, and avoiding higher downstream costs. Supportive Housing delivers measurable returns—and dismantling it would be an expensive mistake Florida cannot afford.

Respectfully,
Florida Supportive Housing Coalition

Contact Info

Caleb Enget
Florida Supportive Housing Coalition
executivedirector@fshc.org
P.O. Box 11242
Tallahassee, FL, 32302