LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — For many working families in Palm Beach County, having a job is no longer enough to guarantee they can afford a place to live.
That was the message from faith leaders and community members with People Engaged in Active Community Efforts (PEACE), who gathered Monday at St. Ann Catholic Church to call attention to the county’s housing affordability crisis and urge local leaders to take action.
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“We are gathered today because across our congregations and our community, we continue to hear the same concern,” said the Rev. Latifah Griffin, a PEACE board of trustees member. “People who are working here are struggling to live here.”
PEACE is a coalition of 31 congregations across Palm Beach County. Members say conversations within their congregations reveal a growing number of residents struggling with rising rents, stagnant wages and the possibility of being priced out of the communities where they work and raise their families.
Palm Beach County data underscores those concerns. According to the county’s January 2025 affordable housing report, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment increased from $1,899 in 2021 to $2,833 in 2024 — a 49.2% increase in three years.
The cost of buying a home has also risen. The county report found the median price of a single-family home climbed from $425,000 in late 2020 to $600,000 in late 2024, an increase of 41.2%.
Nationally, Redfin reported in August 2026 that households needed an annual income of nearly $110,000 to afford a typical U.S. home.
For residents working in service and other modest-wage jobs, those costs can make independent living difficult even when they work consistently.
Harry Wolin shared his family's experience at Monday’s gathering. He said he and his wife, who are retired and living on a fixed income, help support their adult daughter, a waitress who lives in Lake Worth.
Woolen said his daughter has worked in the restaurant industry for more than 20 years, but her income is not enough to afford housing without help from her parents.
“She’s doing everything that we’ve told people they’re supposed to do: get a job, work hard, help support your family,” Wolin said. “And it just doesn’t work given the price of housing.”
He said he worries about workers in similar circumstances who do not have relatives able to help them financially.
“What do they do if they don’t have a family who can help them?” Wolin asked.
Wolin said his family is willing to make sacrifices to ensure his daughter has a safe place to live, but he worries about what will happen when he and his wife are no longer able to provide that support.
Mamie Kisner, who represents Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, said the experiences Wolin described reflect what PEACE members hear from families across the county.
She said residents have reported increasing rents, adult children unable to afford homes of their own and families doubling up in crowded living conditions. Some workers are moving farther away in search of more affordable housing, she said, while businesses struggle to retain employees who cannot afford to live nearby.
“These aren’t just numbers; these are people that we know and love,” Kisner said.
Faith leaders urged elected officials to listen to residents experiencing housing insecurity and consider solutions that help working people remain in Palm Beach County.
PEACE members said raising awareness is only one part of their effort. The organization is also encouraging residents to hear directly from county commission candidates about their understanding of the housing crisis and the steps they would take to address it.
The group announced a community kickoff and Palm Beach County Commission candidate forum focused on affordable housing.
The event is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. at St. Juliana Catholic Church.
For PEACE members, the issue comes down to whether people who contribute to the county every day can afford to remain part of the communities they help sustain.
