New apartment buildings and cranes sour Miami’s sky, yet the only place the city’s top ICU nurse could only afford living is in the back of her sedan.
Miami has famously been ranked as one of the least affordable housing markets in the United States relative to local wages.
According to data compiled by housing advocacy groups like Miami Homes For All and Harvard’s University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, Miami-Dade County faces a shortfall of more than 90,000 affordable housing units for households earning below 80% of the area median income. This data shows that about 63% of Miami renters are spending more than 30% of their income just to keep a roof over their head.
”Florida has the highest share of cost burdened renters in the country… Pandemic-era in migration particularly by higher income households-has pushed rents beyond what typical Florida wages can support.” – Harvard University Joint Center for Housing studies (America’s Rental Housing report)
Firefighters and police officers who protect the community and put their lives in jeopardy can’t even afford to live here, neither can teachers.
A police officer or firefighter with an annual salary of $60,000 would be investing 80% of their monthly income to cover housing which would leave them only $1,000 a month for all other expenses. A teacher, whose annual salary may be at $50,000, must dedicate almost their whole salary, 96% to paying for their house with only $167 left a month to cover taxes, social security, and other expenses.
“I’m tired of moving every year,” confessed an elementary school teacher in Hialeah who requested anonymity. “I don’t have family here, I can’t buy a house, and rents are rising faster than my salary. I’m seriously considering moving to another state.”
Henry’s Story
A local firefighter who spent years in Miami realized that despite a steady income, homeownership within the city was completely out of reach as median house prices surged past $670,000. With a house causing an unmanageable percentage of his income, it was unattainable so Henry, who prefers not to share his last name, made a decision for him and his family to leave Miami entirely moving nearly two hours away to Port St. Lucie. He explained that the emotional toll on leaving the city he met his wife and raised his daughter in although emphasizing living near work has increasingly become a luxury rather than a reality for essential workers.
“A few years ago, I thought about buying a house in Miami, but I simply couldn’t,” he said. “I didn’t want to go further into debt just to say I owned a home.”
Having a place to live shouldn’t feel like a luxury that only the lucky can afford. But until things change, the fight for fair housing proves that a true community is built on the simple belief that everyone deserves a secure place to call home
