Market-rate housing is out of reach for many hardworking middle-income families.  Professionals essential to the well-being of South Florida communities are being squeezed out of the housing market.  Police officers, firefighters, nurses, teachers, and health workers are among those who increasingly cannot afford to live in the very communities they serve.  The median-priced existing South Florida single-family home is unattainable for the average elementary school teacher.  Approximately 85 percent of Palm Beach County’s residents cannot purchase a median priced home in the county.  The Miami-Miami Beach-Fort Lauderdale metro area ranks #1 - worst in the nation - for a key housing cost indicator: 26 percent of homeowners with mortgages spend half or more of their gross income on direct housing related payments each month.
 
The ULI Terwilliger Center pilot market in Southeast Florida is harnessing the power of the private sector to address South Florida’s urgent need for an adequate supply of workforce housing in mixed-income communities close to employment centers and transportation hubs.  The Southeast Florida Steering and Action Committees enlist the leadership and hands-on involvement of the region’s prominent practitioners, applying their experience, expertise, and creativity to tackle every aspect of the workforce housing issue.