Melissa S. Razdrih
Though not unique to the Sunshine State, roughly 500,000 renters here are what’s considered extremely low income.
A 2017 report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) called Worst Case Housing Needs suggests that despite the veneer of an improving economy, housing inequality has gotten worse.
A “worst case housing” scenario is one in which “households are defined as very low-income renters who do not receive government housing assistance and who paid more than one-half of their income for rent, lived in severely inadequate conditions, or both.”
More than half a million people slipped into a worst-case housing scenario since the 2015 report.
Almost 3 million of the renters that meet this definition are families with children in the home.
Recent news from Los Angeles to the Twin Cities has reported housing shortages for low income families. The state of housing inequality is so vital to the overall economy it has become a platform issue for Democratic candidates in the 2020 presidential race.
According to Habitat for Humanity Florida, one in seven Florida households spends more than half their income on housing. That’s why the advocacy group has joined forces with 54 Habitat for Humanity affiliates across the country to bring to the public eye a five-year initiative called “Cost of Home.”
In a news release, Habitat for Humanity Florida said:
“This is not an easy issue and one that brings together a diverse set of circumstances, legislative challenges, and market forces that have created and exacerbated this problem. It will take a concerted effort to bring about change to make the COST OF HOME affordable for all.”
If housing inequality is important to you, or impacting you or someone you love, learn more about Habitat for Humanity’s advocacy campaign and how you can get involved at their website.
