FLORIDA AFFORDABLE HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY

To facilitate the preparation of updates to the housing elements of co mprehensive plans, and to focus more on affordable housing, the Florid a legislature revised Chapter 163 of the Florida Statutes in 1993, est ablishing a uniform methodology and data source for housing elements. This paper describes the methodology that has been developed in respon se to that mandate, the data sources used to create a statewide housin g data resource, and also the obstacles to achieving a methodology for use in all jurisdictions. The data sources and methods used to make e stimates and projections for all communities in Florida can be applied in other states. Noll has a Master of Architecture degree and an MCP from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Senior Management Analyst with the Florida Department of Community Affairs. He has taught at Mi chigan State and Florida State Universities, and was Research Director for the Housing Assistance Council and Director of Planning for Phila delphia's housing agencies. O'Dell is an Associate in Research at the Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing at the University of Florida. H e holds a Bachelor of Design and an MA from the University of Florida, and has worked as a local planner. Smith is the Associate Director of the Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing. He has taught at the Univ ersity of Florida and Temple University. He has a PhD from the Ohio St ate University and an MCP from the University of Pennsylvania. Sulliva n holds a BA and an MA from the University of Florida and is a compute r programmer and database consultant at the Shimberg Center for Afford able Housing.