Housing stability is a prerequisite for economic mobility, job security, and health and well-being. Housing is the single biggest factor impacting economic mobility for most Americans. When residents have safe, attainable housing, the benefits are apparent. It’s up to local governments, leaders in the housing supply ecosystem and state and federal partners to evaluate and update practices, policies and rules to create positive outcomes for residents and communities.
– National League of Cities
Lexington has made some progress with the housing shortage by dedicating 1 percent of the budget toward affordable housing, earmarking COVID money toward housing, and passing a modest expansion of the land use boundary to provide more land for housing.
But if we are going to make meaningful progress on the shortage of 30,000 homes by 2030, then we need an all-hands-on-deck approach where goal setting, creative collaboration and accountability occur.
There is much to learn from each other and from other cities – including how cities participate in public-private partnerships to provide lots for affordable housing and develop land to workforce housing incentives.
Here are just five examples of the exciting and transformative work in other cities:
Cincinnati, Ohio:
Cincinnati and Dayton are using an innovative strategy to revitalize property. Here is an excerpt from Cincinnati’s Public Television:
In December 2022, Cincinnati’s Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority (The Port) acquired 194 homes from Los Angeles-based Raineth Housing for $15 million as other institutional investors continued buying up properties and doubling or tripling the rent. This was depleting the housing supply and squeezing out tenants. To get the properties, The Port outbid 12 other investors, financing the deal with a combination of taxable and tax-exempt bonds.
The quasi-governmental entity is now renovating and selling those homes for an average of $144,000. Originally, The Port thought it could spend $25,000 to renovate each house but the homes were in such bad condition, they needed $88,000 worth of work. The Port has now secured $4 million in grants to cover what was once a $4.6 million funding shortfall.
Dayton, Ohio:
Meanwhile, CountyCorp is having success in the Dayton Region, where out-of-town investors are also a concern. Less than 3 years ago, it bought a portfolio of one hundred rental homes from a commercial investor. The plan was to fix them up, keep them affordable and over time help renters become homeowners.
CountyCorp Vice President of Housing Adam Blake says the need was urgent.
“We have just recently purchased 100 single family homes that were part of one of those investment partnerships where the residents told us we haven’t seen the property manager in three years,” says Blake. “We’ve never seen a maintenance deck. A couple of the houses had literally burned down. Some of them had systemic water in the house, and other issues that impacted the residents’ health. But they were still paying the rent because they had to.”
Because those homes were originally built using low-income housing tax credits, they must remain affordable for another 15 years. So even if one of these renters bought the home they live in and decided to sell, they would still have to sell it at an affordable rate. CountyCorp’s purpose with this program is not to promote house-flipping. It’s to create home ownership among these renters.
In previous efforts, CountyCorp convinced a California investor to sell Whitmore Arms Apartments, where residents were “living in squalor.” The 46-unit multifamily apartment complex is in West Dayton, off Third Street. CountyCorp was able to follow through, got the financing, and fixed it up.”
Henderson, Kentucky:
The city of Henderson, Ky., is foreclosing on 16 vacant lots and four properties with houses. When cities foreclose on a property, it goes up for auction with a clean title, which makes redevelopment easier.
“By addressing these properties collectively, the city is working to eliminate blighted conditions, improve neighborhood safety, and return long-neglected parcels to productive use,” Mayor Brad Staton told Spectrum News. “This effort helps create additional opportunities for infill development and makes more lots available for affordable housing, strengthening neighborhoods throughout Henderson.”
Madison, Wisconsin:
Madison set a goal of creating of 15,000 new homes by 2030, with at least 25 percent (3,750) being below-market rates to achieve long-term affordability. It also created a housing tracker to measure progress toward these goals.
Last year, 2,328 homes were completed and another 5,320 were under construction.
“These numbers show me that our efforts to create more homes in Madison are starting to pay off,” Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said. “I’m also very encouraged that we are seeing an increasing percentage of affordable homes, and a high number of homes under construction. These are positive signs that I hope to see continue in 2026. Whether it’s improving our policies, creating incentives or just building it ourselves, we are using all our tools to keep pace with growth and keep Madison affordable.”
Of the homes added to the Madison market in 2025, 17 percent are offered at affordable rates below market value for those making up to 60 percent of the Area Median Income ($54,540 for one person, $70,140 for a household of three people).
In addition, Madison’s Community Development Division recently announced four housing developments totaling 422 new homes. Of those, 263 will offer permanent below-market affordability and will receive support from the City of Madison’s Affordable Housing Fund. (Those homes will not be included in the totals until they receive building permits.)
Tampa/St. Pete:
Tampa also has made housing affordability a top priority and set a housing goal (10,000 affordable units over 5 years 2023-2027).
It is dedicated to increasing homeownership opportunities for residents at all income levels. Some strategies to increase housing affordability include:
- Setting a goal of adding 10,000 affordable housing units to the market by 2027
- Working with developers to provide city-owned lots for affordable housing through the Infill Housing Program
- Expanding the city’s homeownership assistance programs, including down payment assistance through the DARE to Own the Dream program
- Prioritizing the maintenance and repair of existing homes through programs like the Owner-Occupied Rehab Program
Meanwhile, St. Petersburg has a comprehensive 10-year plan to address housing affordability through logical housing policies to help middle- and working-class residents in St. Pete. Tools include a workforce housing incentive, its Neighborhood Stabilization Program for the construction of affordable single-family residences and providing 150 single-family lots for construction of new affordable homes with the Lot Disposition Program .