Revitalizing the Parramore Heritage Renovation area: Florida's State Housing Initiatives Partnership program and Orlando's historic African-American community

Housing programs increasingly contribute to broader community revitalizatio n efforts rather than strictly serving production-oriented goals. As implem entation of this strategy moves beyond the traditional housing leaders in c ities such as Boston, Cleveland, and Baltimore, an assessment of other area s is instructive. This article examines how the nation's largest housing tr ust fund, which Florida directs primarily to local governments through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SKIP), contributed to Orlando's ambi tious community revitalization effort in the Parramore neighborhood. Given the consistency between SHIP goals and those of the Parramore project and Orlando's experience with developing partnerships and affordable housi ng initiatives, SHIP should have proven an effective tool. The initial find ings demonstrate that housing programs need to be sufficiently flexible to permit a comprehensive approach to neighborhood revitalization. Such an app roach should seek a balance between product-based redevelopment and people- based housing strategies, expand the role of community development corporat ions, and create housing choice.