TAMPA, Florida –
The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s data, which focuses on the effects on Florida’s more than 200,000 minimum wage workers, is providing a fresh viewpoint on Tampa’s debilitating housing situation.
“The folks I fight for struggle to make ends meet by working two jobs. The rent on their apartments is increasing every six months, so they have to find another job to make ends meet.
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They now have to work three jobs or be a senior who is retired, according to Robin Lockett, Tampa Bay Regional Director of Florida Rising, an organization that fights for those who cannot afford housing.
The Sunshine State is one of the top 10 states where a higher hourly pay is necessary to afford housing, according to the survey.
A basic one-bedroom apartment would need 98 hours of work each week for workers making Florida’s current minimum wage of $12 per hour, according to the figures.
Lockett claims that the crisis hasn’t abated in the past year. She claims that this is the reason why many are trying everything to succeed.
In a way, people can bounce back. A family member might not be able to afford it, therefore they might have to move them in. They now have that relative who is a mother of three children. Oh, and they have three children. It’s now a two-bedroom home shared by two adults and six children, according to Lockett.
The minimum wage in Florida is scheduled to rise over the next three years, but Lockett says she would prefer it to happen sooner. Till then, she’s getting ready to push for increased money for affordable housing in the annual budget of the city.
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Additionally, activists and tenants in St. Petersburg townhomes demonstrate against purported infractions and “wrongful” evictions.
They supported rental and down payment assistance programs with $12 million last year. Next year, she hopes to see at least that amount included in the budget.
“There still needs to change and we still need county commissioners, city council members, people that have the will of the people to make it happen,” stated Lockett.
With regard to the minimum wage, it will climb to $13 per hour in September and then to $14 by 2025 and $15 per hour in 2026.