A New Exhibit Explores Florida's Affordable Housing Crisis Through A Different Lens

credit: via Mahalo

A new photography exhibit in Sarasota, Fla., offers a look into the lives of people who are struggling to make ends meet.

"I feel so honored to have been given the gift of spending time with these individuals," says photographer Susan Sidebottom.

"They are working so hard, and they took time out of their schedule to spend time with me."

The exhibit, A Place in the Sun, is focused on single parents, service industry workers, and health care professionals who are struggling with rising rents and stagnant wages, reports WUSF.

According to recent data, more than half of renters in the greater Tampa Bay region spend more than 30% of their income on rent.

Sidebottom worked with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, which has identified affordable housing as one of its key initiatives.

"Maybe they start to think about the person who is cleaning their home, or the person who's serving them in a restaurant, or the person who's installing blinds for them and start to think about how they can act and be part of the solution," says the foundation's director of community leadership.

A portion of the proceeds from the exhibit, donated from Sidebottom and Art Center Sarasota, will benefit Harvest House, a nonprofit that provides affordable housing and other assistance to people in need.

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