Rising rents in Osceola County put pressure on people trying to get by
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The Cameron Preserve apartments is one of about 30 affordable housing complexes in Osceola County.
The latest statistics show it's getting tougher and tougher to afford a roof over your head in the county.
"To be really honest, my family and I, we were living from hotel to hotel," said a Cameron Preserve resident who didn't want to be identified.
He says they had been spending up to $500 a week living in nearby hotels.
"We were trying to pay the room till we actually saved up enough to afford housing," he said.
Now with the county's help, he and his young family are in a three-bedroom unit at the Cameron Preserve development. But, he says it's still a struggle.
"Rent went from $850 to $1,100 in a year, it's been," he said.
That spike is in line with data from the website Apartmentlist.com, which shows that rents in Kissimmee jumped 11% from this time last year.
Osceola County and local nonprofits have programs to help residents get into affordable housing.
The Kissimmee/Orlando/Sanford area has a minimum wage of less than $9 an hour. At that rate, a person has to be working 94 hours a week to afford a studio apartment.