MIAMI (WSVN) - Residents are facing a harsh reality as it has become increasingly expensive to live in South Florida.
Certain programs, however, have stepped in to help those families impacted by those rising costs.
An alarming statistic in a new United Way report shows that over half of households in Miami-Dade County cannot afford the basics.
“Our recent report shows that 56% of Miami-Dade County households are one paycheck away from financial disaster,” said United Way Miami President and CEO Symeria Hudson.
The median household income in Miami-Dade is about $76,000, but according to United Way, a family of four needs more than $97,000 to afford the essentials, a gap of over $21,000.
The first place that shortfall has shown up is at the dinner table, and that’s where Feeding South Florida has stepped in.
“People want to make sure they keep a roof over their head, they keep the lights on, they have a car to get to and from work to pick up their kids, so food is the first thing to go,” said Feeding South Florida President and CEO Paco Velez.
Feeding South Florida serves four South Florida counties: Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe.
With a spike in demand, pantry hours have been extended, and it is now open seven days a week.
“Here we have our pantry that last year at this time was serving about 40 families a day, and now that same pantry is serving over 200 families a day,” said Velez.
Feeding South Florida officials said rising costs from food to fuel have pushed more people to seek help, and they expect to distribute 127 million pounds of food this year, up from 110 million in 2025.
Food is just one piece of the affordability crisis, as for many South Florida families, keeping a roof over their head has become a major challenge.
In Miami-Dade, 63% of renters are considered cost burden, spending more than 30% of their income on housing, and the county is short over 90,000 affordable housing units.
This is not just a Miami problem, as more than half of households in Broward are burdened by the cost of housing as well.
At the same time, Fort Lauderdale has attracted high-end buyers, which has put more pressure on an already expensive housing market.
According to Redfin, the average home price has risen 14% since 2025.
For families who struggle to make ends meet, it leaves little room for other necessities, including health.
“Who has time to think about that when you’re trying to figure out where you’re going to sleep tonight or tomorrow, for yourself and your children?” said a spokeswoman for Chapman Partnership.
Some of those necessities come with a price tag people can’t afford, so Chapman Partnership, one of Miami-Dade’s largest homeless assistance centers, partnered with OneSight Foundation and Sunglass Hut to provide free eye exams and glasses to hundreds of people, including children and adults who are experiencing homelessness and housing instability.
“My insurance doesn’t cover vision, so it would have been something that I would have had to pay out of pocket and again, these glasses are running $600 to $700. Who’s paying that just for a pair of glasses? That’s pretty ridiculous,” said a free glasses recipient.
For many Floridians, making ends meet means having to take on a side hustle. A study by SmartAsset found that 3.5% of full-time working Floridians have a second job.
For those who can’t afford the basics, United Way has a five-year plan to help fill that gap, focusing on health care, education and economic mobility.
The organization aims to help 5,000 people secure stable jobs.
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