JUPITER, Fla. — In an effort to find solutions for the affordable housing crisis, Palm Beach County community leaders held a community forum Wednesday in Jupiter to give residents a chance to express their concerns and ask questions.
"Housing is one of the most urgent issues in my county," Rich Bartholomew, a Jupiter resident and member of the Housing Research Committee at the Peace Coalition for Churches, said. "We have crazy rents, people are being priced out for rent and people can't find places to live."
Residents of Palm Beach County will be asked to vote on a $200 million housing bond initiative next month.
Michele Jacobs, president and CEO of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, said the proposed bond would help the county build 20,000 homes and apartments for essential workers.
"If we don't build these additional units throughout Palm Beach County, the folks that teach our kids and work in our favorite restaurants are moving," Jacobs said. "They're moving out of Palm Beach County and they're going to find jobs in other places and we're going to lose them."
The next community forum will take place Tuesday at the Robert Weisman Governmental Center in West Palm Beach. The meeting is set to run from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.