Housing Savannah Overview

In June 2021 the Housing Savannah Task Force completed a yearlong study of Savannah housing needs that culminated in the release of the Housing Savannah Action Plan (Plan).  The Task Force found that housing expenses have outpaced incomes at a rate of at least 2:1 over the past 30 years.  This has contributed to about 21,000 (40%) Savannah households with incomes less than $50,000 annually not being able to afford quality housing.   Those impacted include but are not limited to 1) older homeowners in need of housing repairs, 2) persons and families seeking to purchase their first home, 3) persons and families seeking quality rental housing, and 4) persons and families who are experiencing homelessness.   Many of these persons are modest wage front line workers while others are disabled or retired and living on small Social Security or SSI incomes.

To help address these challenges, the Plan recommends significantly increasing local investments in housing from the City and County governments, from the business and philanthropic communities, and from other sources including volunteers.  It recommends increasing and sustaining annual local investments for housing to $12.5M over a 10-year period between 2022 and 2032.  This includes increasing investment in the Savannah Affordable Housing Fund (SAHF) which is used to help leverage other housing investments.   History reveals that $1 of local investment leverages an average of $7 additional dollars for housing.  A $12.5M annual investment is, therefore, expected to leverage at least another $87.5M annually for housing.  The Plan’s goal is to bring the total sustained annual housing investment up to $100M+ over the next 10 years and to continue at this level each year thereafter.  By year 10, this investment is expected to help at least 1,500 Savannah households annually to secure housing that is available, accessible, and affordable. Additional information about the Plan, including informational videos, can be found at savannahga.gov/housingsavannah.

The City expects that its, and partner Housing Savannah investments will reach about $59M and benefit about 650 households in 2022.    The City’s FY 2022 budget and work plan include a historic $7M investment in the SAHF.  This represents an amount equal to the first four years of City investment called for in the Plan. Additionally, the City expects to utilize about $1.5M of its regular HUD CDBG & HOME funding, $3.1M HOME-ARPA, about $1.2M CDBG-CV, $5.3M SPLOST, and $1M of underutilized City land for housing.   

Income restrictions may apply to some forms of assistance.  The table below identifies some FY 2022 income levels for various household sizes as published by HUD.  These are subject to change and should not keep persons from applying for assistance.