Jeffrey D. Harvey: ‘When low-income individuals are housed, we all benefit. Legal aid professionals help tenants and homeowners navigate and understand not just evictions but leases, mortgage agreements, tax matters, deed issues and more.’

Access to safe, affordable housing provides stability for millions of low-income Americans. Housing stability is a springboard to employment, education, and emotional wellbeing. Suitable shelter boosts family health and strengthens communities. For good reason, housing stability is at the core of the American dream and lawyers play a key role in that issue.

For hundreds of thousands of Floridians, the ability to secure a home for themselves and their families is at risk. A recent United Way report finds that 47% of Floridians spend more than 30% of their income on housing, qualifying as a housing cost burden. Florida ranks 15th in terms of people behind on rent, according to U.S. Census data compiled by Stessa. According to Zillow, the average rent in Florida across all property types is $2,400 per month. Lack of availability is inextricably part of the crisis. The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2025 Gap Report finds that Florida has only 26 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income renters.

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