Hernando County opens $770,000 in housing development funding applications

Hernando County is opening a new round of housing-development money that could help nonprofits, builders and public agencies turn plans into apartments, preserved units or first-time homebuyer support in a county where prices keep climbing. About $770,000 is available in Program Year 2026 HOME funding, including roughly $170,000 reserved for the HOME Community Housing Development Organization set-aside and about $600,000 for broader affordable housing development.

Applications open May 29 and close June 29 at 5 p.m. The CHDO set-aside is limited to certified or certifiable CHDOs that meet federal requirements under 24 CFR 92.2 and 92.300, while the larger affordable housing pool is open to nonprofit organizations, CHDOs, for-profit developers and local government entities. The county plans an online applicant workshop by Zoom on June 10 at 3 p.m., with questions due by June 17 at 5 p.m. and answers posted by June 24 at 5 p.m.

For Hernando County, the stakes are practical. The county’s own draft FY 2026-2027 HUD Annual Action Plan proposes $1,154,823 in Community Development Block Grant funding and $373,655 in HOME funding, showing that this round fits into a larger federal housing pipeline rather than a one-time notice. Hernando County is a recipient of both HUD programs, and county housing staff continue to use those dollars to influence what gets built, preserved and repaired locally.

The pressure is easy to see in the numbers. Hernando County’s estimated population reached 221,701 on July 1, 2025, up from 194,515 in the 2020 Census. The U.S. Census Bureau says the county’s median owner-occupied home value was $276,000 and median gross rent was $1,298 for 2020-2024, while local REALTOR data showed a February 2025 median existing single-family sale price of $329,990. The county’s 2024-2026 Community Health Improvement Plan points to rising housing prices, aging housing stock and affordability pressures as major concerns.

County housing officials have built a structure around those pressures. Hernando County’s Affordable Housing division administers state and federally funded housing programs, provides down payment assistance through the Hernando County Housing Authority and coordinates grant awards. The Hernando County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee reviews policies, ordinances, land development regulations and the comprehensive plan, then recommends steps to encourage affordable housing. In that context, the new HOME round is not just a funding notice: it is one of the county’s main tools for keeping lower-cost housing within reach as demand continues to outpace supply.