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Our Mission Statement
The Housing Solutions Council is a citizen-led council of community leaders working to support housing opportunities for members of our workforce through action, education, advocacy, and facilitating partnerships.
Here's the problem . . .
Wages & Inflation: As wages remain stagnant and the cost of living continues to rise, a gap in attainable housing continues to grow. An increasing number of residents on the Treasure Coast earn just over the maximum household income to qualify for a government subsidy but far too little to afford market rents and housing costs. This creates financial instability, making home ownership nearly impossible as renters are unable to save.
Loss of Talent & Strain on Employers: With few options, working individuals and families must spend 50% of their household income on rent or home ownership to live and work in the same or nearby counties. As we push members of our workforce out and prevent college graduates from returning, we start a drain on our workforce. This creates a burden for local business owners looking to recruit and retain top talent and prevents families from living near each other (parents, grandparents and their adult children).
Traffic Congestion: Workers forced to drive long distances into and out of local communities from one to two counties away puts a strain on infrastructure, leading to widening of roadways and traffic congestion. Long commutes increase costs to families for vehicle maintenance and fuel while decreasing time with their family.
Economy: Members of the workforce take the money they earn here with them to spend where they live. Consumers have less money to put back into the economy due to increasing expenses for housing and healthcare. This creates a dependency on government subsidies for qualifying individuals, people going without healthcare and necessary medical/dental services, and families resorting to substandard childcare or children left home alone while parents work two or more jobs to make ends meet. Overall, this results in a downward spiral of financial instability for people doing everything right, but with no opportunity to generate the savings necessary to buy their own home or take care of unforeseen emergencies.
BY THE NUMBERS . . .
20%: The majority of our parents and grandparents paid no more than 20% of their household income on rents/mortgages when they returned home from the military, graduated high school or college and entered the workforce.
30%: Housing is considered affordable when it costs no more than 30% of a household’s income (including utilities & taxes).
50%: Currently, in our area and across the United States rents are up to 50% of household incomes. As new generations enter the workforce, the future of home ownership is grim with little room for savings.
$84,500: The Area Median Income (AMI) of Martin/St Lucie Counties (effective 4/1/22)
51% to 80% of AMI: Defined (in Fla Statutes Chapter 420) as “Low Income” which is $43,095 to $67,600 total gross household income in our area (30% monthly housing costs means $1,077 to $1,690)
31% to 50% of AMI: Defined (in Fla Statutes Chapter 420) as “Very Low Income” which is $26,195 to $42,250 total gross household income in our area (30% monthly housing costs means $654 to $1,056)
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS AND MEMBER FRIENDS:
