COLUMBIA, S.C. — For residents like Phillip Price and Ryan Porter, finding an affordable apartment in Columbia was like finding a needle in a haystack.
"Everything as soon as I needed it, got filled up. The only ones that were available were super overpriced," said Price.
"My friend, who let me stay there. his grandma owns the house and they let me stay there. That’s the only thing I could find. No official places would let me stay there," said Porter.
Average rent for an apartment in Columbia is now more than $1,300, according to rentcafe.com.
Price tells News 19 he had to work two jobs at one point to afford his $850 a month rent.
"This isn’t living, it's surviving," said Price. "Even if they raise it $25 that’s too much."
The waiting list for Columbia Housing Authority is more than 5,000, and the wait list for housing vouchers is growing, according to Homeless No More CEO Lila Anna Sauls.
Sauls is a member of the City's Affordable Housing Task force, which has been meeting since May. However, the real action Sauls said, won't come until they receive an updated report from SC Housing.
"Now that we know what the needs are, how can we develop this housing throughout the city to meet these numbers," said Sauls.
Sauls added the task force has formed two committees: an advocacy committee and a development committee. Even after a plan is in places, Sauls expects it will take years to see results.
"It takes 18 to 24 months for a developer to build 200 housing units," said Sauls. "Can a developer do more than one project at a time. That would be your long term plan that would take 10-15 years because you have to do it right."
A timeline Price and Porter said, isn't quick enough.
"People need roofs over their heads," said Price. "People should not have to spend an arm and a leg for the bare minimum."
"It's not gonna change overnight. It’s gonna need to come from up top," said Porter.
The task force will meet again February 14th.