WaveMakers: United Way’s Jessica Muroff on the housing crisis

Share
Jessica Muroff
Photo courtesy of UWSC

As the term “crisis” keeps coming up surrounding the housing market in the Tampa Bay area, many are working hard to alleviate the effects on the community. This week, WaveMakers hosts Janet and Tom Scherberger spoke with Jessica Muroff, the CEO of United Way Suncoast, about their efforts in the region.

Listen to the full episode here:

Background

United Way is an international nonprofit fundraising organization with an overarching goal to promote financial stability. However, in the Suncoast region, as well as the state of Florida, financial security is a large concern; 43% of the region is considered to be in the ALICE population. ALICE, or “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed” individuals are those that are employed but still living at or below the poverty line. This financial strain is made worse by the housing crisis; Muroff told WMNF that nearly 50% of the Suncoast region is considered “house cost burdened,” meaning they spend 30% or more of their income on housing.

New funds and efforts from United Way

But, following a $20 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, Suncoast United Way and over 30 partners in the region are investing in housing crisis assistance. An immediate $3 million was appropriated for direct relief and to pay the salaries of navigators who can help users access government. Calling the money a “community gift”, Muroff said that funds have also been allocated to early learning programs, infrastructure and innovation.

Radical Transparency

Muroff told WMNF about her personal and professional commitment to “radical transparency,” allowing the community to see what issues United Way is addressing, and how precisely they address them. Their dashboard pages outline case studies of how they decided to allocate funds, as well as provide data on the scope of the issues themselves.

“That’s what United Way does, we stand up and step up during a crisis, and especially one that is so aligned with one of our focus priority areas,” Muroff said.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

You may also like

student meal
Next school year Hillsborough public schools are offering free meals

Hillsborough Public Schools are offering students free meals for the...

Correspondence Through Poetry. A Mind-Numbing Week.

Father Verses Sons: A Correspondence in Poems by Herbert Gold...

The sound of change: Music’s influence on anti-war and human rights movements

Throughout history, music has served as a powerful catalyst for...

a man in a tye dye shirt talking on a radio microphone
Recreational pot for Florida is on the ballot this fall—let’s talk about it

In four months, Florida voters have the opportunity to vote...

Ways to listen

WMNF is listener-supported. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station, and we're not part of a university.

Ways to support

WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin'.

Follow us on Instagram

The Morning Show Thursday
Player position: