EASTPOINT, Fla. (WTXL) — Franklin County created Team Franklin to address the issue of housing for essential workers like teachers and first responders.
- Team Franklin partnered with Upward Communities to start this project.
- The plan is to build 150-250 new homes in Eastpoint.
- Watch the video above to learn more about how it can help neighbors.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Finding affordable housing is slim to none nowadays, and people have to live an hour from work just to find it.
This field you see is the site where that'll change in Franklin County.
Team Franklin is a public-private partnership to help create affordable housing in the county for essential staff.
According to the superintendent of Franklin County Schools, there are at least eight teachers in the school system who have to live out of the county, like in Wakulla or Gulf counties.
"We have teachers that have come, that have interviewed, that have accepted jobs that were due to start, only to find out the first day of school, they can't find a place to live, so they don't show up," explained Franklin County Schools Superintendent Steve Lanier.
That also goes for the sheriff's office, which says that the salary of a first responder can't afford a $500,000 home.
"So we had been thinking about what we could do, and so the idea of some affordable housing, form of a private, public-private partnership, you know, kind of came to mind," said Franklin County Sheriff AJ Smith.
Sheriff Smith was one of the local officials to help jump-start this because he wants people to be able to live and thrive in the county.
"Hopefully, with this, we can kind of get back the way it was, where, if you're employed here, you'll live here, you'll spend your money here, and that's the way it should be," said Sheriff Smith.
The site of around 150-250 new homes will be right next to the sheriff's office in Eastpoint.
They've partnered with upland communities to bring this to the county. Upward Communities fronted the $25,000 to get this project going for Franklin County.
This project is in its starting stages and will be focusing on using the local resources in the county to get started. They hope to begin work as quickly as possible.
Many of the parties involved think this will help boost the local economy. They are excited to see it come to fruition.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.
