MIAMI – With their animals in tow, Dani and Jonathan Rivera are living in a one-bedroom motel room in Hialeah.
They were evicted from their apartment they say because of a rental disagreement and problems with their building.
“It’s horrific when you did everything right,” said Dani Rivera.
Life for the family started to fall apart a year ago when Jonathan, a cook, couldn’t work because of a chronic condition that makes it difficult to stand.
He’s had surgeries and needs more.
“My goal is to return to work – it’s all I know how to do,” he says.
The Rivera’s aren’t alone.
The Eviction Lab at Princeton, which tracks housing trends, says evictions are up in South Florida.
Over a 12-month period, they say there were over 23,000 evictions in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
“Evictions are up. Rents have doubled. People can’t afford it,” says Bertisha Combs the regional director for Florida Rising, a people-powered advocacy group fighting for economic and racial equality.