single family home and apartment buildings

Goal 3: Opportunity for All

Address racial, social, economic, and geographic inequality in the provision of affordable housing in Pinellas County.

  1. Through coordinated, geographically-based data analysis and mapping, understand the social/environmental justice areas across the county (1-3 years):
    • Low-income population and population below poverty line
    • Minority population
    • Percent of population cost-burdened and severely cost burdened
    • Single and multifamily home distribution
    • Home costs
  1. Acknowledge and identify areas of gentrification/displacement in the county through the years, identify current areas of displacement, and develop strategies for how areas can be redeveloped without displacement from a racial, social, and economic context. (1-3 years)
  2. Consider partnering with the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg and/or other community groups to organize a roundtable discussion to acknowledge racism as a public health deterrent and to empower the community with solutions moving forward. (1-3 years)
  3. Maintain a Tenant’s Bill of Rights to respond to the number of increased evictions, require advance notice of rental increases, and prohibit discrimination solely based on source of income. (Ongoing)
  4. Create and implement policies/tools/criteria that will discourage the displacement of residents as a result of redevelopment. (1-3 years)
  5. Identify and define targeted solutions and/or investments for areas of historic disinvestment. (1-3 years)
  6. Enable homeowners to stay in their homes by remedying code violations through available grants and funding. (1-3 years)
  7. Recognize that mobile/manufactured home parks are both a significant source of naturally occurring affordable housing and particularly vulnerable to displacement by redevelopment, and develop programs to prevent or mitigate displacement. (1-3 years)

Cost-Burdened Households

Housing is generally considered affordable if it costs no more than 30% of a household’s income. Households that pay more than this amount are considered “cost-burdened,” and those that pay more than 50% are considered “severely cost-burdened”.

Being cost-burdened can occur at various levels of household income and can unfortunately affect residents who work full-time, and even those who have multiple jobs. As noted under Section 2, ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households earn above the Federal Poverty Level, but struggle to afford necessities of a household budget. According to the 2018 ALICE report, 11% of Pinellas County’s households lived below the federal poverty level, and another 35% were above the federal poverty level, yet continued to struggle to afford basic household expenses.12

In 2018 in Pinellas County, approximately 53% of Hispanic and 57% of Black households fell below the federal poverty level or the ALICE Threshold.13

Approximately 34% of all households in Pinellas County are cost-burdened or severely cost-burdened.11

32% of whites, non-Hispanic household and 41% of people-of-color households are cost-burdened or severely cost-burdened.14

CHART 2: Pinellas County Poverty and ALICE Households (2018)

pic chart 54% above ALICE threshold, 35% below ALICE threshold, 11% below poverty line

2018 Federal Poverty Levels by Household Size: 2018 Poverty Guidelines | ASPE (hhs.gov)

Median Home Prices and Increases

In addition to the wage gaps that are evidenced through the poverty rate and the ALICE Threshold, there has been an exponential increase in the price of homes in comparison to incomes that has added to the affordability challenge.

Between 2021 and 2022, existing home sales prices for the Tampa Bay region increased by 26%. Nationally, this increase was 11%.15

The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the region was $1,302 a month, a 26% change from the previous year.16

 

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11 http://flhousingdata.shimberg.ufl.edu/affordability/results?nid=5200&nid=5206&nid=5209&nid=5212&nid=5215&nid=5218&nid=5221&nid=5224&nid=5227&nid=5230&nid=5233&nid=5236&nid=5239&nid=5242&nid=5245&nid=5248&nid=5251&nid=5254&nid=5257&nid=5260&nid=5263&nid=5266&nid=5269&nid=5272&nid=5275&nid=5299

12 United Way (2022). Florida State overview. Retrieved from https://www.unitedforalice.org/state-overview/Florida

13 Florida | UnitedForALICE

14 http://flhousingdata.shimberg.ufl.edu/affordability/results?nid=5200&nid=5206&nid=5209&nid=5212&nid=5215&nid=5218&nid=5221&nid=5224&nid=5227&nid=5230&nid=5233&nid=5236&nid=5239&nid=5242&nid=5245&nid=5248&nid=5251&nid=5254&nid=5257&nid=5260&nid=5263&nid=5266&nid=5269&nid=5272&nid=5275&nid=5299, People of Color Households refers to all ethnicities other than white, non-Hispanic (African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Other non-Hispanic)

15 Tampa Bay Partnership’s 2023 Regional Competitiveness Report, Page 8

16 http://flhousingdata.shimberg.ufl.edu/market-rent-trackers/results?nid=5200