New survey finds affordable housing in SWFL is a hot button issue

Writer: Jack Lowenstein
Published: Updated:

Southwest Florida is an area dominated by the service industry, and experts say high-paying jobs can be hard to come by.

At the beginning of last fall, thousands of people met for Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s group discussions to talk about what they feel are the greatest economic issues in the region.

Affordable housing was one of the main topics of discussion. Online websites say one-bedroom apartments run as much as $1,300 a month.

Thursday, we learned the affordable housing issue topped the first Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s “On the Table Survey.”

“What we hear the most is a lack of affordable rental housing,” said Amy Yearsley, a Cape Coral housing coordinator. “It really is tied to the lower wages that we have locally.”

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