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St. Petersburg’s housing affordability challenge is often discussed as a real estate issue. But for many local employers, it has become something much more immediate: a workforce issue.
Across Tampa Bay, the people who teach our children, care for our families, staff local nonprofits, serve in government and work in hospitality and service industries are finding it harder to afford living in the communities where they work. As home prices and housing costs continue to rise, many essential workers face longer commutes, increased financial stress or difficult decisions about whether they can remain in the region at all.
That should concern all of us.
When workers cannot afford to live near their jobs, the impact does not stop at the front door of one household. Employers feel it through recruitment challenges, turnover, retention concerns and increased stress on employees who are already working hard to serve the community. When workers cannot afford to live near their jobs, communities lose more than residents. They risk losing the people who help keep local economies, schools, healthcare systems and public services functioning.
That reality is changing the way many leaders think about housing.
Increasingly, workforce housing is being recognized not simply as a social issue, but as an economic development strategy. Stable housing helps workers establish roots, build wealth and remain connected to the communities they serve. For employers, it can mean stronger retention, reduced financial stress among employees, and a more stable workforce. It is an investment in the long-term strength of the local workforce.
At Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside, we are working to address the region’s housing affordability challenges by creating pathways to homeownership for working families.
Serving Pinellas, West Pasco, and Hernando counties, Habitat provides qualified applicants with a pathway to affordable homeownership that includes financial education and an affordable mortgage. Participants must demonstrate a need for affordable housing, the ability to pay an affordable mortgage and a willingness to partner in the homeownership process.
Importantly and often a point of misconception for many, Habitat’s model is not a giveaway. Qualified homeowners contribute their own time and effort while completing educational and financial courses before purchasing their homes.
Many of the individuals who pursue Habitat homeownership are members of the local workforce, including educators, healthcare professionals, public servants, nonprofit employees, hospitality workers and service industry team members.
In St. Petersburg, that mission is taking shape through Pelican Place, a 40-unit townhome community currently under development by Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside. Projects like Pelican Place represent more than new housing inventory. They create opportunities for local employees to remain in the city where they work and contribute.
The impact can be seen through stories like that of Jade Copeland, a local teacher and recent Habitat homeowner.
Before becoming a homeowner, Copeland faced challenges finding housing that met the accessibility needs of her son, who underwent multiple surgeries. Through Habitat’s program, she was able to purchase a home that better supports her family’s needs while providing greater stability and peace of mind.
That stability extends beyond her front door.
As a teacher, Copeland’s roots in the community she serves have deepened. Rather than facing uncertainty about housing, she can focus on supporting students and families in the classroom while building a future for her own family.
“Because of Habitat, I am not just working in this community. I am living in it permanently, more rooted,” Copeland said.
Her experience highlights a larger truth about workforce housing. Affordable homeownership does more than provide shelter. It helps create stronger neighborhoods, more engaged residents and a workforce that can continue investing its time, talent, and energy locally.
As St. Petersburg continues to grow, we must ensure that growth includes the people who make this community work. Workforce housing is not separate from economic development. It is part of it.
Mike Sutton is President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside.