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STUDY: Jacksonville rent among the fastest increasing in the country

Renting an apartment costs you more now than it did a year ago, and Jacksonville has one of the higher increases in rent costs in the country, according to a new study.

“It’s very hard to get housing,” said Consuello Young, who is on a fixed income.

She hasn’t been able to work for several years after being hit by a car.

“I wouldn’t be able to afford something like over $600,” she said.

But her options are slim.

"There are just very few choices,” for people like Young said Micheal Cochran, programs director at Ability Housing.

He said Ability has a wait list of up to six months for families trying to get into affordable housing.

“There’s a need for approximately 30,000 units of affordable housing,” Cochran said.

According to a study by RENTCafe, rent in Jacksonville increased at one of the fastest rates in the nation.

People are paying over 5 percent more in rent than they did one year ago.

“You just have more pressure on the rental market now than you had previously. With that pressure, there’s more demand and less supply,” Cochran said.

In Jacksonville, the average cost to rent is a little over $1,000.

“We’ve built very little affordable rental housing,” Cochran said.

With more people moving to Jacksonville, and not enough affordable housing units, Cochran said the cost will only go up.

“Those rates will continue to increase until we start addressing the supply part of the problem,” he said.

Young, at least, is no longer living on the streets.

She’s staying at one of Ability Housing’s 280 units.

“I’m thankful to God to have them,” she said.