JUST Pensacola presents A Summit on the Crisis in Affordable Rental Housing: What is Possible at 6 p.m. tonight at First United Methodist Church, Wesley Abbey, 6 East Wright Street.
- A broad cross-section of community members, business leaders, nonprofit leaders, and government officials will attend. The goal is to create a common understanding of the need for affordable rental housing and the possible paths to solving this crisis.
Mayor D.C. Reeves from the City of Pensacola will speak about why affordable housing is a top priority for his administration and what is happening locally with city projects;
Anne Ray from the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies at the University of Florida will give an overview of the terminology and data showing the need for affordable rental housing;
Ali Ankudowich at the Florida Housing Coalition will speak to a variety of best practices and opportunities from across the state;
Commissioner George Kruse from Manatee County will share what they’ve done at the county level to attract developers and build affordable rental housing.
Dig Deeper:
From JUST Pensacola press release:
We face a deficit of nearly 4000 affordable rental units county-wide. The housing wage in Escambia County for a two-bedroom apartment at market rate is $22.46, and for a one-bedroom, $19.35.
Of the 10 most common jobs, only registered nurses earn enough for a two-bedroom apartment. Firefighters, medical assistants, pharmacy techs, childcare workers, hotel workers, secretaries, restaurant workers, and retail personnel can’t afford a one-bedroom.
This summit is hosted by J.U.S.T. Pensacola (Justice United Seeking Transformation in Pensacola), an interfaith organization of 17 congregations from throughout our community.
- Founded in 2019, we use the power of a large, organized group of people to solve critical community problems. We are not a direct service provider; rather we are a grassroots, direct action, multi-issue organization.
Our vision is to live out the scriptural mandate to do justice and address the root causes of injustice in our community. Every year, JUST Pensacola accomplishes its mission by engaging congregation leaders and members in an annual listening, research, and action process.
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