Housing costs across the Treasure Coast have climbed so far beyond local wages that full-time workers are increasingly at risk of losing their homes, according to the head of the region's lead homelessness agency.
St. Lucie County was recently ranked the 17th riskiest county in the country for housing affordability by ATTOM, a national real estate data firm.
Rayme Knuckles, executive director of the Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council, said the ranking reflects a deepening affordability crisis rather than a story about personal failure.
"What we're seeing in St. Lucie County isn't just poverty — it's about housing access, and it's a crisis," Knuckles said. "People who are working full-time still cannot afford housing, and that's what's driving homelessness."
Knuckles said a typical worker in the region earns around $50,000 a year, while rents and mortgage payments often run $2,500 to $3,000 a month — well beyond standard affordability guidelines. In St. Lucie County specifically, he said, average rent has climbed to $2,750 a month.
That gap leaves little room for error, he said.
"The biggest predictor of homelessness right now isn't personal failure — it's whether someone can afford housing in the area where they're working, so they can live there and work there as well," Knuckles said.
Households spending more than half their income on housing are considered cost-burdened, he said, leaving nothing left over for emergencies, savings or basic needs. A single unexpected expense — a medical bill, a job loss, a car repair — can be enough to trigger an eviction.
Knuckles said rising rents are pushing low-income renters out of the market entirely, forcing some families to double up in shared housing or live in cars.
He said the Council has seen a growing number of seniors and people with disabilities entering the shelter system as evictions and foreclosures climb locally.
In Indian River County, where the median age is 59, Knuckles said seniors on fixed incomes make up a significant share of those affected.
In St. Lucie County, he said, it's a mix of seniors and people with disabilities — along with low-wage workers in retail, hospitality and other service industries who are living paycheck to paycheck.
"I work at this location here in Fort Pierce, and my hours were cut, and I just need another job so I can put food on the table for my kids," Knuckles said, recounting a recent conversation with a Fort Pierce worker. "You hear stories like that every day across the Treasure Coast."
Knuckles said the clearest path forward is building more housing that working families can actually afford, whether through new affordable rental units or homes within reach of a $50,000 income.
He noted that growth pressure from people relocating to the Treasure Coast from South Florida is also driving up costs for longtime residents.
"We obviously need more affordable housing, whether it's homes that people can afford or just rental units that people can afford," Knuckles said.
He said the issue extends beyond individual renters to the region's broader workforce.
"It's not just about individuals being able to afford the rent," Knuckles said. "It's also having a workforce that is able to afford to live here as well."