Page 6 - Advocates Guide Demo

Renters
The communities we call home shape our lives and greatly impact our health in important ways. It’s the foundation of healthy, stable communities. When people’s homes are near parks and bike paths, exercise is easier. When people live near grocery stores where nutritious food is available, it’s easier to eat healthy. Things within or near our homes, like lead, mold, dust and roaches can make us grievously ill. And when housing is really expensive, it makes it impossible for millions of Floridians to afford to go to the doctor and receive proper health care.
Florida renters face a multitude of challenges. There is a huge differentiation between rents & wages paid, leaving millions behind on the rent payments. 25% of Florida renters are being on their payments. Black and Hispanic very low income households are almost 20% more likely to face that cost burden than white households. In many communities, even modest homes and apartments are priced out of reach for essential workers, sometimes even demolished and replaced with luxury homes and condominiums. Even where moderate housing costs, many families struggle to find good quality affordable housing if they work in low- wage jobs or live on fixed incomes.
Florida is also facing staggering homeless rates, with (Survey Provider) even ranking Florida among the top 3 states with the largest homeless populations. Florida identified a homeless population of 28,328. That’s 13.2 people for every 10k! When broken down by race, it’s clear that some racial and ethnic groups experience homelessness at disproportionate rates. Almost 40% of people experiencing homelessness are Black despite making up only 16% of Florida's population.
(Need numbers on homeless students here)
Everyone deserves housing that allows them to live with dignity, regardless of their zip code or income level. No one should ever have to choose between paying rent and having enough food or medicine. And everyone should be able to cover their housing costs, including utilities, and still have enough to meet their other basic needs.