TAMPA, Fla. — Friday morning Hillsborough County Commissioner Pat Kemp talked about the issue of affordable housing in the area. She said there isn’t one specific thing causing this problem.
“Wages are down, rents are skyrocketing at an unprecedented rate, major corporations are coming in, and buying up single-family three bed and two bath homes,” she explained.
She says the list of people looking for housing in our area is continuing to grow significantly.
“There’s a lack of state support and investment in it and we have for the first time ever done it at the local level in a strong way but that really doesn’t meet the need,” said Kemp.
One of many residents struggling with the affordable housing crisis is Sara Lowry. She is a mother of four kids and supports them on her own. She is currently living in a home where she does not feel comfortable. She says there is a list of issues with her current space.
“I have two bathrooms, I can only use one of them. It’s just things like that, sometimes I can’t do my dishes, my sink is backed up,” explained Lowry.
Lowry says she has been searching for a new home and is willing to move anywhere in Hillsborough County, but she can’t find anything affordable and available.
“At this point, I mean, it’s like what, do I get another job? I already work like 40 to 50 hours a week,” Lowry explained.
Organizations that help to create affordable housing like Habitat for Humanity in Hillsborough County are also facing some challenges due to a lack of supplies.
“We are starting to see it getting worse and worse as construction costs are rising. It’s harder and harder to find enough subsidy to make it work,” said Tina Forcier, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County.
Forcier says although the group faces some challenges, they won’t stop building homes for families in need. Right now, the group has 18 homes under construction. Forcier says each year, they get a long list of applicants.
“We try to control our waitlist because we don’t want to give families who apply to our program false hope,” said Forcier.
As local leaders try to tackle the affordable housing issue, Lowry is left feeling stuck.
“It does kind of break my heart a little that I don’t know how to get where I would like us to be,” she explained.