New Housing Director Looking At New Federal Funding

Federal funding will become available soon for counties to purchase foreclosed homes, renovate and repair them, and then sell the homes to low-income families.

Nancy Hurley, who was hired Tuesday as Highlands County's new director of housing, said one of her top priorities when she starts work here Oct. 27 will be bringing some of that federal money to Highlands County.

This new housing program could benefit the county in two ways, Hurley said. It will not only put good homes within the financial reach of lower- or median-income families, but also reduce the number of abandoned homes that can become neighborhood eyesores and hurt property values, she said.

Funding will come from the federal Housing and Economic Recovery Act, which was passed in July to create local "neighborhood stabilization" programs. Congress is sending the money to the states to distribute to counties.

"We don't know all the details yet," she said. "But we're training right now on this program."

In fact, Hurley spoke about coming here from the Polk County housing program on Wednesday during a break in a training seminar on how counties can obtain and use the new "neighborhood stabilization" federal housing funds.

"Affordable housing is near and dear to my heart," Hurley told the county commissioners after they unanimously approved her hiring on Tuesday.

Hurley graduated from Florida State University in 1981 and worked in advertising in Orlando for 10 years. She then returned to her hometown of Lakeland and began her career in government work, quickly getting into housing assistance programs.

"At the time I was a single mom, with a tight budget, looking for affordable housing," she said. Housing assistance programs were just starting to grow at that time, she said, and she barely missed getting help. Her annual income was just $200 above the cut-off to apply for down payment assistance to purchase a home, she recalled.

"Having been a single mom, I could relate to a lot of our clients' issues," she said about her housing work for the city of Lakeland and Polk County. "I can relate to what people are going through. I was lucky enough to have a family member help me, but many people don't have that."

Hurley, of Lakeland, is coming here after working four and a half years for Polk County. She began as the Community Development Block Grant manager and, three years ago, became a senior planner for housing programs.

From 1991 to 2004, she worked for the city of Lakeland, first as recycling coordinator and then, for more than 10 years, as coordinator of housing programs.

Asked about her goals in Highlands County, Hurley said, "I think the biggest challenge is to hit the ground running, to catch up with the current programs and also to look into new funding."

Hurley said she learned valuable lessons about housing assistance programs from Penny Phillipi, the former director of the Highlands County housing department. Phillipi, who left last year to launch a community redevelopment program in Collier County, and Hurley met at several training seminars and worked together on multi-county grant applications. Hurley calls Phillipi "my mentor."

From Phillipi, Hurley said, "I learned how important it is to really diversify housing programs, to think 'out of the box,' and to go out after different funding sources to further affordable housing."

Hurley said she plans to speak to community organizations and churches, and at any forum where she can spread the word on what housing help is available through the county.

"Definitely you have to stay in the forefront," she said. "You need to get the word out so that people do know help is available."