Highlights from Florida Housing Coalition 2022 Home Matters report and advocacy toolkit!
Florida still has a housing affordability crisis.
Over 2.1 million low-income Florida households pay more than 30% of their incomes towards housing, the maximum amount considered affordable by experts, with over half, 1.2 million low-income households, paying more than 50%. This makes it nearly impossible to save for retirement or emergencies and difficult to afford other basic necessities like food and childcare.
There are still over 27,000 individuals and families experiencing literal homelessness on any given night throughout the state, and over 90,000 students are without a permanent place to live.
Florida has only 25 affordable and available rental units for every 100 extremely low-income renters (those with incomes at or below 30% of the area median). No community in Florida provides enough housing to support this group, which is primarily composed of low-income workers, retirees, and people with disabilities.
Over 66,127 units are at risk of being permanently lost from the privately-owned affordable housing stock over the next 20 years.
This recent dashboard shows that 30.2% of Manatee County households are cost-burdened based on the % of income required for housing.
Highlights from Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness and 2022 Point-in-Time homelessness survey
In Manatee County, the total number of people experiencing homelessness increased 221.1% from 2021 to 2022.
In Manatee County, the total number of veterans experiencing homelessness increased 102% from 2021 to 2022.
Across both counties, the total number of unsheltered people increased 41.6% from 2020 to 2022.
87% of the families coming into the system are experiencing homelessness for the first time.
According to Apartment List, Manatee and Sarasota counties had the fastest-increasing rents in the nation (year over year). Rents increased 47.7% in Manatee County and 48.4% in Sarasota.
Click the link to read the report from Suncoast Partnership. Point in Time Press Release
“Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land.”
— Isaiah 5:8
Facts about Housing in Manatee Country
More than 2000 children in Manatee County experience homelessness each year.
The number of people experiencing homelessness in Manatee County at any given time has ranged from 466 to 581 according to recent year (2016-2020) Census Survey “Point in Time” counts. These surveys typically “undercount” due to the difficulty of surveying a transient population.
44% of Manatee County households are at risk of homelessness.
In Manatee County, a median-priced home costs an average wage earner 46.3 % of their income - higher than the national average of 32.7%.
People experiencing homelessness who are arrested for trespassing in Manatee County are often jailed due to a severe shortage of homeless shelters. An average of 200 are in jail each day, costing taxpayers $88 per day per person (an estimated $6.4M annually)- far more than the cost of housing.
Over 38% of Manatee County households are considered “cost-burdened” - paying more than 30% of their income for housing. Even more renter households (52%) are considered cost-burdened.
A worker earning the minimum wage in Manatee County cannot afford a two-bedroom rental home at fair market rent by working a standard 40-hour week (according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition).
Many of Manatee County’s poor households qualify for federal housing subsidies, but few actually receive it because the supply of affordable housing is much lower. Only 1 in 4 households (nationally) that qualify for housing assistance actually receive any assistance.
Florida’s State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program (SHIP), allocates money to Florida's counties for affordable housing, but the funds are often diverted by state lawmakers. For example, in 2018 Manatee County was eligible to receive $3 million, but only received slightly more than $500,000.
“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.”
— Leviticus 19:15
Facts about Criminal Justice in Manatee County
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