In recent years the Town of Patagonia experienced dramatic increase in market values of housing. Housing costs are out of reach for teachers, health care workers, police officers, and other public and private sector employees.
In December 2005, the Patagonia Regional Community Foundation (PRCF) and La Semilla, a local non-profit community stewardship organization invited a group of local leaders to convene a steering committee to address the issues of affordable workforce housing in our community. Patagonia Mayor Gary Gay & Town Clerk/Treasurer Randy Heiss have provided strong local leadership with representatives from throughout the community. They held monthly meetings in which they assessed resources available to the community and the needs and opportunities, supported the creation of local community housing trust, Community Houses of Patagonia, and conducted an affordable housing survey.
The Affordable Housing Steering Committee met with representatives of Habitat for Humanity, Chicanos por La Causa, Project PEPP, USDA Rural Development and others, toured different projects by these groups, and worked with the Arizona Department of Housing to get more information into the community about existing programs.
Community Houses of Patagonia is an independent, locally controlled 501c3 organization. It is a community membership organization providing permanent access to land for working individuals & families in our community so that they may build or buy a quality, affordable home. It serve as local structure and focus for implementation of short and long term strategies.
Through the AZ Department of Housing the Affordable Housing Steering Committee hs contracted with the Drachman Institute at the University of Arizona to do a community housing assessment which will form the technical basis for community- driven decision-making. The Drachman Institute will compile demographic information for Patagonia that is directly relevant to their need for housing. In cooperation with the Town of Patagonia and the Arizona Department of Housing, the Institute will conduct a survey of funding sources that may be tapped for a community land trust and/or relevant to the development of the specific housing sites identified in Patagonia. It will create maps of physical data within the Patagonia town limits that will including flood plain, infrastructure, existing land use and circulation and will staff will conduct a site analysis followed by conceptual site and house plans for parcels identified for development in Patagonia.
In May, the Drachman Institute and the Steering Committee will present the assessment results to the community and the Community Housing Survey results. The Steering Committee and Housing Trust will develop strategies with appropriate partners such as Habitat for Humanity and present to community.
For Community Homes in Patagonia contact:
Todd Bowden: 394-9051
For Affordable Housing Standing Committee contact:
Jeffrey Cooper: 394-0248
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