Housing

Florida has been a dream destination for millions of people looking to live in the sun. However, while a safe place to lay one’s head is necessary to live a stable life, Florida — like the rest of the United States — has a long history of discriminatory laws related to housing and homelessness. Most of these laws were specifically targeted at Black Floridians.

Introduction

Introduction

Today, the state is in a significant affordable housing crisis and over 31,000 Floridians are homeless on any given night. Part of the reason for these issues stems from roadblocks to shared prosperity embedded in historical laws and regulations passed over the last 150 years. While Florida has come a long way from its initial racist laws regarding housing and homelessness, echoes of these policies reverberate in the current displacement and treatment of unhoused residents. In order to address past inequities and forced community divestment, Floridians must come to terms with the state’s shared policy past and how it affects people and communities to this day.

Image Source: Florida Memory
Image Description: Homeless people and advocates set up tents and signs near the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, 1988