AT A GLANCE
- Southwest Florida’s most common occupations no longer pay enough for a family’s basic survival
- Two parents working as nursing assistants in Sarasota could no longer support themselves, an infant and a preschooler.
- About one in every four Sarasota County households are dedicating more than 30 percent of their incomes for housing
Many of Southwest Florida’s most common occupations no longer pay enough for a family’s basic survival, a new study shows.
As area housing costs climb near record levels and worker wages remain stagnant, the number of Sarasota County families paying more for basic housing than what is considered financially stable has soared.
But the area’s supply of affordable housing remains anemic, and the government programs aimed to help are not enough to keep pace. Critics say local policy decisions are exacerbating the problem.
A study from the Florida Housing Coalition that examined the situation this year estimates that the number of extremely low-income renters in Sarasota County who are severely cost burdened has increased 12 percentage points since the start of the Great Recession, contributing to a rise in homeless children.
The problem spreads throughout Florida but is locally exacerbated by more heated competition for housing and lingering challenges in the job market.
The report concluded that two parents working as nursing assistants in Sarasota could no longer support themselves, an infant and a preschooler.
“This report gives local government the data to support policy changes they need to make to fix this problem,” said Jaimie Ross, president of the Florida Housing Coalition. “Sarasota has a housing crisis. And it’s going backwards with its policy-making — letting developers out of agreements to build affordable housing and redeveloping areas with no new affordable housing requirements.”
The Florida Housing Coalition found that 43,127 low-income households in Sarasota County are dedicating more than 30 percent of their incomes for housing, the maximum amount considered affordable by experts.
That equates to about one in every four Sarasota County households.
On top of that, nearly half of those struggling families are spending 50 percent of their earnings just to keep a roof over their heads.
That leaves little from their already thin incomes to spend on other necessities, like food, clothing, childcare and utilities.
As a result, more families are forced to live farther from work, including in areas like North Port, where housing costs are generally cheaper. That, in turn, has contributed to higher transportation costs.
