“It’s Like Trying to Put Out a Fire With a Dixie Cup”: Understanding Disconnects Between Local Level Administrators’ Challenges, Resources, and Needs in Implementing State Affordable Housing Programs

For many housing programs, policy requirements, funding levels, and broader economic trends originate at the state and national levels, yet on-the-ground housing administrators must react, translate, and ultimately implement programs locally. This can lead to variations in implementation, as well as put administrators at risk of policy alienation, where administrators feel disconnected from the larger policy or feel the policy is unable to help the people they serve. This study presents the findings of 21 interviews with administrators of Florida’s State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program, about their current challenges in implementing state housing trust fund dollars, how they cope with these challenges, and the consequences that arise when there is a mismatch between the scale of their challenges and the solutions at their disposal. We found that despite economic, political, and regulatory challenges, many administrators focused on what they had agency over, making use of a diversity of resources at their disposal. Broadly, this research highlights the complex relationship between individuals and the administration of housing programs and the importance of individual administrator capacity—maintaining the quality and consistency of SHIP programming requires the support and retention of capable SHIP administrators.