The Florida Housing Data Clearinghouse (FHDC) was founded in 2000 to provide public access to data on Florida's housing needs and supply, subsidized rental housing, and household demographics. Sources of the data available from FHDC include the U.S. Census, other federal population and housing surveys, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service, Florida Housing Finance Corporation, local housing finance authorities, Public Housing Agencies, the Florida Association of Realtors, the Florida Department of Revenue, the Florida Agency of Workforce Innovation, and the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida.

The responsibilities of the Clearinghouse include the following:

• Creating a "warehouse" to store data for public use;
• Providing a Web site allowing user-friendly access to all data collected;
• Creating an inventory of federal, state, and locally subsidized housing.
• Preparing an Affordable Housing Needs Assessment for local governments to use in their comprehensive plans;
• Compiling neighborhood-level affordable housing data;
• Preparing an annual State of Florida's Housing report;
• Preparing a statewide rental market study for the Florida Housing Finance Corporation;
• Collecting and sharing data on the housing needs of Florida's special needs populations; and
• Promoting standard formats for collection and sharing of local housing data.

The idea for FHDC originated with the state's Affordable Housing Study Commission and was brought into being by a workgroup that included representatives from local governments, regional entities, housing advocates, the Florida Home Builders Association, the Florida Association of Realtors, and state agencies.

The Florida Housing Data Clearinghouse is jointly funded by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Florida Housing Trust Fund) and the Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing at the University of Florida, and managed by the Shimberg Center.