A recent report showed thousands of Sarasota County families are living beyond their means when it comes to housing. The report commissioned by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation also said because of that lack of affordable housing and low wages, families are cutting costs in risky ways.
Jon Thaxton with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation said the organization commissioned the report because it wanted to see how many families are struggling in Sarasota County.
He called the results “significant.”
Thaxton said more than 43,000 low income households are paying more than 30 percent of their income for housing. He also said another 18,000 very low income households pay more than half of their incomes for housing.
“If you’re a low income worker and you’re paying more than 30 percent of your income toward housing that means that every month you’re having to make a decision as to whether or not you pay for the utility bill, you pay rent, you pay for transportation. Do you pay for education or you pay for healthcare? And these are very difficult decisions for parents to make for their families.”
Thaxton said one idea is to create incentives for developers looking to build affordable housing. He said affordable housing should be part of any conversation dealing with new development; just like decision makers would factor in schools, roads or parks.
