The fight for affordable housing is personal for Karla Correa, and it’s not just because she’s at risk of losing her apartment.
What You Need To Know
- Karla Correa is an affordable housing activist in St. Pete
- As a member of the St. Pete Tenants Union, she regularly demonstrates about housing issues in the city
- She says her work will continue “until we get rent control and everything we need for our people”
“I’m in a month-to-month lease,” she said. “I’m a gig worker — my rent can go up anytime. It’s already really difficult to pay the rent, so if it goes up any more I don’t know what’s gonna happen.”
Correa said it’s also because affordable housing is an important issue to her — so important that she spends her free time taking the lead in organizing affordable housing demonstrations in town as a member of the St. Pete Tenants Union.
“There’s a lot going on,” she said. “COVID, you know, the federal government investing in a massive war. We’re seeing a lot of people suffering at levels close to the great depression.”
One of those demonstrations was held Wednesday night in front of St. Pete City Hall where Correa led the call for change.
“Who can afford the current market rate of $1,800 for one bedroom?”she yelled through a bullhorn. “No one. And who here lives in luxury housing? Who here can afford that? Nobody here can afford that and the private sector has failed to adequately provide housing for workers.”
As she leads other similar demonstrations, Karla said this is a fight she will not give up on anytime soon.
“We’re gonna keep having events about the budget,” she said. “We’re gonna keep having events about racism and police brutality. We’re going to keep showing up to every budget hearing. We’re going drawing as much attention to this as possible until we get justice, until we get public housing, until we get rent control and everything we need for our people.”