New affordable housing complex opens in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla, (WFLA) — New affordable housing units are open in Pinellas County.

The Innovare complex is designed to help dozens of struggling families.

The $17 million development in downtown St. Petersburg has 50 apartments and is a partnership between the City of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County and Volunteers of America.

The complex is one of two recent steps to address the county’s affordable housing issues. Earlier in the week the city and county broke ground on Bayou Court, 39 units of workforce housing.

A recent study by the Tampa Bay Partnership shows the average family in the area spends roughly $1,600 a month on housing. The amount equates to nearly 43% of their income, well over the 30% suggested by financial experts.

Sheri Harris with Pinellas County says the need for affordable housing is increasing and outweighs the funding available to address the issue.

“It’s their ability to have a stable and safe home to live in, where they’ve either been living in their car, or they’ve been living month-to-month in a motel trying to survive. Those families, typically have jobs but that job is not enough to support the rent that is currently occurring in the market,” she said.

According to Harris, new units for low-income and special-needs individuals are scheduled to open in May.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.