Fort Walton Beach Resolution — 2025-13 Resolution Adopting the FY 2025-30 CDBG Consolidated Plan & FY 2025-26 Annual Action Plan — reading text

Owners Renters Number % Number % No bedroom 0 0% 195 5% 1 bedroom 50 1% 1,075 30% 2 bedrooms 575 10% 1,130 32% 3 or more bedrooms 5,045 89% 1,185 33% Total 5,670 100% 3,585 100% Table 29 – Unit Size by Tenure Data Source: 2016-2020 ACS Describe the number and targeting (income level/ type of family served) of units assisted with federal, state, and local programs. Federal Programs (HUD): Public Housing: The Fort Walton Beach Housing Authority (FWBHA) owns and manages 124 public housing units. These units are town-house style and are provided for low-income families. Housing Choice Voucher Program ( Section 8): The FWBHA has the capacity to assist 844 families with rental assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher program. This program helps low-income families find affordable housing in the private market. Consolidated Plan FORT WALTON BEACH 44 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)  State Programs (SHIP): State Housing Initiatives Partnership ( SHIP) Program: The SHIP program, established by the William E. Sadowski Affordable Housing Act, provides funds to local governments to create and preserve affordable housing. Okaloosa County has used SHIP funds to provide 75 low-income rental units. Local Programs: Residential Rehabilitation Program: The City of Fort Walton Beach uses Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to assist low/moderate-income families with housing rehabilitation. FWBHA owns two properties, Sound Side Apartments and Church Street Apartments, offering market-based rent. These properties consist of 200 units and 12 units respectively. Income Level Targeting: Federal programs like Public Housing and Section 8 primarily serve low-income families. Income eligibility is typically defined based on the Area Median Income (AMI), with different income limits for extremely low, very low-, and low-income families. The SHIP program aims to assist very low, low, and moderate-income families. Local programs like the Residential Rehabilitation Program and the new construction initiatives target low/moderate-income families. Provide an assessment of units expected to be lost from the affordable housing inventory for any reason, such as expiration of Section 8 contracts. While a specific estimate of units expected to be lost in Fort Walton Beach is unavailable, factors like expiration of Section 8 contracts, rising housing cost, landlord incentives, and lack of new affordable housing suggest a potential risk to the affordable housing inventory. Does the availability of housing units meet the needs of the population? In Fort Walton Beach, the housing availability is generally balanced, with some unmet demand for affordable housing, particularly for low-to-moderate income families. While there are efforts to increase affordable housing options and rehabilitate existing housing stock, the demand continues to outpace the supply in some areas. Describe the need for specific types of housing: Fort Walton Beach, like many coastal communities, experiences a demand for diverse housing types driven by its demographics, economic base, and seasonal variations such as affordable housing, housing rehabilitation assistance, public and private sector initiatives, and housing programs. Consolidated Plan FORT WALTON BEACH 45 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)  Discussion Fort Walton Beach recognizes the need for diverse housing solutions to address the needs of its varied population, including a specific focus on affordable housing for low and moderate-income families, as well as providing support for housing rehabilitation and encouraging different types of housing development throughout the city. Consolidated Plan FORT WALTON BEACH 46 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)  MA-15 Housing Market Analysis: Cost of Housing - 91.210(a) Introduction This section provides an overall picture of housing costs within Fort Walton Beach. Specifically, the section describes housing cost trends, rent trends, fair market rents, and affordability. Cost of Housing Base Year: 2023 Most Recent Year: 2025 % Change Median Home Value 296,000 350,000 18% Median Contract Rent 0 1,452 0% Table 30 – Cost of Housing Data Source Comments: Rent Paid Number % Less than $500 221 0.0% 500-999 1,539 0.0% 1,000-1,499 1,193 0.0% 1,500-1,999 218 0.0% 2,000 or more 257 0.0% Total 3,428 0.0% Table 31 - Rent Paid Data Source Comments: Housing Affordability Number of Units affordable to Renter Owner Households earning 30% HAMFI No Data No Data 50% HAMFI No Data No Data 80% HAMFI 873 2,168 100% HAMFI No Data No Data Total 873 2,168 Table 32 – Housing Affordability Data Source Comments: * The source data has wide dollar ranges that do not align with the affordability amounts for each HAMFI percentage. Example: In this area, $379.99 is the affordable amount for a household earning 30% HAMFI. The smallest category from the data source is Less than $500. There is no way to tell how many of those Less than 500 are also less than $379.99. Consolidated Plan FORT WALTON BEACH 47 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)  Monthly Rent Monthly Rent ($) Efficiency (no 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom 4 Bedroom bedroom) Fair Market Rent 1,218 1,398 1,571 2,184 2,638 High HOME Rent 1,141 1,224 1,471 1,690 1,866 Low HOME Rent 892 956 1,147 1,326 1,480 Table 33 – Monthly Rent Data Source Comments: Is there sufficient housing for households at all income levels? Fort Walton Beach faces challenges in providing sufficient housing for all income levels, particularly for low- to moderate-income households. How is affordability of housing likely to change considering changes to home values and/ or rents? According to 2019-2023 ACS data, the median value of owner-occupied housing units in Fort Walton Beach was $296,000. This shows a significant increase compared to the $159,600 value in 2015 mentioned in the initial information. More recent data from May 2025 indicates a median sale price of $350,000, representing a 1% increase from May 2024. According to 2019-2023 ACS data, the median gross rent in Fort Walton Beach was $1,268. This is a notable increase from the $787 in 2015 mentioned in the initial information. Recent data from June 2025 indicates the average rent for an apartment in Fort Walton Beach is $1,462 per month, which is a 0.2% increase over the past year. How do HOME rents / Fair Market Rent compare to Area Median Rent? How might this impact your strategy to produce or preserve affordable housing? Fair Market Rent (FMR) is an estimate of the amount of rent that would cover 40% of the rental housing units in an area, calculated by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD). FMRs are typically used to determine payment standards for federal housing programs like Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, setting a maximum subsidy amount. Area Median Rent (AMR) is also determined by HUD and is used to set payment standards for the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). AMRs are based on the 40th percentile of gross rents for standard quality rental units in a given area. Consolidated Plan FORT WALTON BEACH 48 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)  Affordable housing strategies might have an impact on Rental Assistance programs, encouraging landlord participation, promoting housing development, and policy implications. By maintaining accurate and current FMRs and AMRs is crucial for ensuring the effectiveness of affordable housing programs and promoting the development of affordable housing units in Fort Walton Beach Consolidated Plan FORT WALTON BEACH 49 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 09/30/2021)  MA-20 Housing Market Analysis: Condition of Housing – 91.210(a) Introduction This section describes the significant characteristics of the housing market in terms of supply, demand, condition, and the cost of housing. Describe the jurisdiction's definition of "standard condition" and "substandard condition but suitable for rehabilitation": The following definitions pertain to this section: Standard Condition: A housing unit that meets HUD Housing Quality Standards (HQS) and all applicable state and local codes. Substandard