The Okaloosa Community Development Corporation (OCDC) was established in 1993 with an initial capital outlay of $14,500 contributed from area financial institutions to provide services to the citizens of Okaloosa County for the newly enacted Sadowski Affordable Housing Act of 1992. In April 1993 the Board of County Commissioners and the City Council of Fort Walton Beach entered into an inter-local agreement and designed the Okaloosa CDC to be the administrator for the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program.

 

Our governing body is a 14 member Board of Directors with an Executive Committee of 9 members. Meetings of each group are held monthly; the directors are given updates on all programs and issues are discussed. These meetings are open to the public; if you would like to attend or wish to be heard at either of these meetings please contact Sheri Albright of Jim Robbins one week in advance. The directors are all volunteers and come from various housing, banking and social services professions. 

 

Over the years the corporation has grown to include many other programs. These now include the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program, Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Independent Living Program, Emergency Solutions Grant Program and the Florida Hardest Hit Programs.

 

Under the Okaloosa Community Development Corporation is one associated corporation. The Community Housing of Okaloosa County (CHOC) was set up to manage our NSP properties. Additionally the OCDC does business under the dba name of Okaloosa Housing Partners.

 

We are currently under contract to Okaloosa County for the administration of the SHIP and NSP programs. Additional oversight is provided by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation which is under the auspices of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.