Florida
Related: About this forumReport: A third of Sarasota-Manatee working families can't make ends meet
Thousands of area households have fallen into economic hardship following the end of federal pandemic relief programs largely due to soaring childcare and housing costs, a recent study found.
Among the hardest hit are families with young children, according to the updated ALICE Report released this week by United Way Suncoast and its research partner United For ALICE.
ALICE stands for Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed. In other words, working households that are above the federal poverty level but unable to make ends meet.
While researchers usually run the data every two years to gauge communities well-being, this time they waited only a year in order to track how families are faring since the expiration of child tax credits and other COVID-era relief.
Sadly, its about as bad as we thought it was going to be, said Doug Griesenauer, vice president of community impact for United Way Suncoast.
https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2024/06/15/number-of-sarasota-manatee-families-living-paycheck-to-paycheck-grows/74090447007/
For decades Florida had been considered a low-cost state, with workers willing to tolerate low wages -- it was called the "sunshine tax". It's not that way anymore, and workers shouldn't think the Republicans controlling state government are going to provide any relief.
machoneman
(4,122 posts)MAGA win!
buzzycrumbhunger
(895 posts)I dont even have young kidsjust a grown son who cant afford to live on his own, either. After renting a house for the last 8 years, the landlord informed us hes selling the place by Oct. 1, and so far, weve found exactly NOTHING available to move to. Im at the point where Im hoping I can swing a 15-year mortgage for a crappy mobile home (even as were flooded out thanks to the latest hurricane
) because everything is at least double what Ive been paying (up every year and suddenly $1400 month to month).
Heard a story on NPR last week about how over 70% of FL housing is now owned by hedge funds, which explains the skyrocketing prices. We peeked at a place the other daya really dismal 1940s house with NO A/C, no parking, and way too small for all our junkand they were asking $1500/mo. It had been on the market for three months. In desperation, I asked twice for a walk-through and got silence. Within an hour of the second request, the place was off the market, and the next morning it was listed as for sale with a price tag of $1,013,000! Its in a nest of similarly decrepit homes near the bayfront, surrounded by condos. Clearly, theyre expecting some corporate goons will snap up all those old homes and build more condos.
If we could afford to leave Florida, we would. Only problem is that I doubt anywhere else would be any easier.