Page 54 - LIN November 2022 Issue

JOE TRACHTENBERG, Chair of Collier County's Affordable Housing Advisory Committee

WILL YOUR FAVORITE BUSINESS

S UR VIVE?

s our snowbird neighbors begin their migrations south, the It wasn’t long ago when $30,000–$40,000 was a livable wage. There
pressures of the affordable housing crisis in Collier County will used to be apartments in our region available to rent for $1000/month.
Abecome even more obvious to all. Inability to fill service posi- Today those apartments no longer exist. No wonder workers
tions in every field of business will result in universal reductions in the earning those wages are routinely leaving our county and state when
quality of services we have all come to expect. We’re going to be in for their leases expire.
some big surprises. This also explains why post-Covid, our charities operating food
As I’m writing this, our rents continue to soar. A recent national pantries and distributions are feeding greater numbers than at the
study lists Naples-Marco Island 2nd of all small cities in the United height of the pandemic. With rents reaching new records every month,
States, with a median monthly rent of $3250. That’s a 21.4% increase in the number of families who can no longer afford to buy food is heart-
one year. breaking and tragic.
( Remember when the minimum wage was $8.65/hour in 2020? (

Employers who expressed fear of devastation at a
$10 rate are now thrilled to hire at $15/hour.

Pressure is on every employer, large and small, to retain their Wages cannot keep pace with our increased housing costs. The
workers and fill their openings. Wages continue to rise, creating higher only solution is for significant affordable housing to be built. One
prices on virtually everything. consultant recently advised Collier County is 10,000 units in arrears
Remember when the minimum wage was $8.65/hour in 2020? today!
Employers who expressed fear of devastation at a $10 rate are now While government is the last entity that should be in the housing
thrilled to hire at $15/hour. business — they’ve failed all over our country — they are in the driver’s
Moorings Park Retirement Community, which has a workforce of seat to attract developers. Some cities and counties in Florida have fig-
950 at its three retirement communities has struggled to fill its open ured out what legislation is needed to accomplish this. We need to
positions, notwithstanding starting wage increases as much as 35%. keep encouraging our elected leaders in Collier County to bring work-
This story is being repeated at every restaurant, store, government force housing here.
office, medical facility—in fact there are no exceptions. The consequences of not doing so are too painful to consider.

54 Life in Naples November 2022