A new report is providing perspective on a lack of housing affordability for low-income families in Northeast Florida.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition found that a Jacksonville area minimum wage worker would have to work 93 hours a week to afford a one-bedroom rental, illustrating how challenging it can be when housing costs rise faster than wages.
More than a third of all households in the Jacksonville area are renters. Nonprofits like Ability Housing are helping people who are struggling to keep a roof over their heads.
It takes two full-time jobs to earn enough to rent in Jacksonville, according to Ability Housing CEO Shannon Nazworth. “You know if you’re a single working parent and you want - need - a two bedroom apartment, you’ve got to earn $21 an hour in order to be able to afford a standard two bedroom apartment in the Jacksonville market ... and a lot of jobs just don’t pay those kind of wages.”
The CDC eviction moratorium is set to expire at the end of this month. Nazworth said Monday on First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross that resources are available for both renters and landlords.
The full interview with Nazworth is available on Monday’s First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross, which encores at 8 p.m. on WJCT News 89.9.
Michelle Corum can be reached at mcorum@wjct.org, 904-358-6308 or on Twitter at @MCorumonME.
