Residents in Collier County call on commissioners to fix the affordable housing crisis

People of all backgrounds voiced their concerns on Tuesday about the out-of-control rents in Collier County. Commissioners are looking for a way to make Collier County a place where people can afford to live and work.

Nurses in their scrubs, young professionals in their work clothes, human resource managers from Collier County schools, local companies, and even the salvation army all joined together to deliver a single message; fix the affordable housing crisis.

“A working person, I never thought I would be forced to live under these circumstances,” one person told commissioners. “They’re depressed because they’re losing a place to live,” said another. “This will also hurt the upper-class residents that rely on our labor to live their more than comfortable life.”

The commissioners know rent averages $2,000 a month if you can find a place to rent. To buy a home with 10% down, people in Collier County have to earn nearly $130,000 a year. The cost of living is soaring.

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