ORLANDO, Fla. — Extended stays are seeing an overload of residents trying to move in as the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic costs people their jobs, and in some cases, their homes.
The property manager at Colonial Gardens in Orange County said calls have doubled in the past month. The extended stay is now at capacity, with 90% of its residents considered homeless.
“It’s very sad, but we're hearing cases of mothers with kids sleeping in the car right now and some of these people don't have a car to sleep in,” said Josh Hesson, who manages the property along with Rebecca Hesson.
READ: #KeepOrlandoHome: Property managers, nonprofits raise money for rental assistance programs
Colonial Gardens is owned and operated by One Stop Housing and funded with private equity. There are two properties in Central Florida, one along Colonial Drive and another in Kissimmee.
There are more than 100 rooms under renovation at Colonial Gardens that the owner of the property hopes to have open soon.
“Our goal is to provide affordable housing for workforce people,” Rebecca Hesson said. “Having said that we do have people here on a fixed income, but our whole goal is to offer affordable housing. Not a lot of people can afford these crazy prices, which is causing a lot of homelessness.”
The city of Orlando issued the following statement about how it is addressing the homelessness issue:
“Regarding those that are currently homeless together with our regional partners and the Central Florida Commission on Homeless, we continue to work on providing permanent supportive housing for our homeless.”
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