Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital is designing a 170-unit workforce housing development to improve team members’ access to affordable housing.
The hospital owns the property — located a few miles from the main campus — and has partnered with The Michaels Organization, a national workforce developer, on the project.
The gated community will include one-, two- and three-bedroom units, designated for individuals earning 80% to 100% of the area median income. Amenities will include a pool, dog park, community center and, likely, a shuttle to and from the hospital — a key request from employees, Dustin Pasteur, senior vice president of facilities and construction, told Becker’s.
Groundbreaking is expected in August 2026, with an opening around early 2028.
The housing project is one part of a broader initiative, Meagan Langdoc, vice president of total rewards, told Becker’s.
“It’s a wonderful initiative to provide housing to a large number of team members that otherwise would not necessarily have it,” Ms. Langdoc said. “But it’s also part of a larger project — knowing that one housing unit is not going to fix housing across our organization.”
Tampa General is taking a staggered approach, considering both what it can build and where it can form partnerships.
“We know that both the cost of housing and, frankly, access to housing in general, are challenging in certain areas,” she said. “So where can we partner with apartment complexes on either reduced rents or eliminating application fees or deposits — things we can negotiate to help team members in any area?”
The health system has also launched a housing webpage for team members that compiles resources about rental and mortgage assistance, as well as local, state and federal programs.
The goal is to simplify the process and take a holistic approach to workforce support — an effort that aligns with Tampa General’s culture and long-term retention strategy, Ms. Langdoc said.
“When we think about putting our team members first — which is central to everything that we do and is ingrained in our culture — that’s what really drives both recruitment and retention,” Ms. Langdoc said, “It’s the reputation our team members share with friends and people in the area about what TGH offers team members.”
Acting on employee feedback
Housing emerged as one of the top concerns in a 2023 employee survey. Leaders noticed growing concerns over the availability and cost of housing, as well as a rise in emergency assistance requests.
“We have a McNichols Fund through our foundation that supports team members in times of crisis or need, and we really started seeing an uptick in assistance requests for housing evictions,” Ms. Langdoc said. “That made it clear to us that it was becoming a larger problem for members.”
Another priority that came directly from team member feedback is on-site childcare at the future housing development. The daycare will be available to any Tampa General employees — not just residents of the development.
Tampa General also aims to incorporate hurricane preparedness features, such as impact windows, structural hardening and generator power, Mr. Pasteur said.
“Considering that so many of our team members work at the hospital through the hurricane, we want to make sure that the homes are protected when they get home,” he said.
Mr. Pasteur said Tampa General is open to additional opportunities to partner with developers for more workforce housing projects.
“We’re looking at where we can continue to grow in this space,” Ms. Langdoc said. “We’ve partnered with several healthcare systems across the country that have great programs. We’re learning from what’s worked and what hasn’t worked so well to make improvements in our plans.”
