PORT RICHEY, Fla. — The housing crisis is taking a toll on its Florida residents — especially those in the Pasco County area.

Spending a day at the playground might be the norm for many families, but it’s a special treat for Courtney Jackson and her kids.

“To get out, it’s really nice being in one room. A lot, my kids like to be outside, don’t like to be cooped up,” she said.

The playground brings back happy memories — they used to go there all the time.

But recently, their visits have been limited. Last March, the family became homeless and lost their car. It was not the first time the single mother of seven has experienced homelessness, but she says it’s now even harder to find housing.

“It’s extremely difficult. Landlords have increased their rent quite a bit, and they are asking for so much money down to move in,” she said.

Over the past nine months, she and her family have lived in several hotels. All eight family members share one room with two beds, which costs about $500 per week.

“It’s hard financially to save for a house, a car and seven kids,” Jackson said. “It’s hard to do at once with very little help out there.”

She says organizations that she has turned to in the past aren’t able to offer the same level of support because they have so many requests for assistance. But whenever the family can, they take advantage of community resources like the free library pantry.   

“Just spending quality time with them and kind of getting away from the situation we are dealing with and the stress of everything. They understand what’s going on. Trying to make sure things get better soon,” Jackson said.

She also works multiple jobs just to make ends meet.

I have two jobs right now, and I’m looking for a third to try and save because I can’t save anything because everything I have goes to my kids,” she said.

Jackson said her sister, Berkley, has been a lifeline. The family goes to her trailer often.

“She’s done a lot. She’s pretty much gotten me through everything,” Jackson said.

Jackson says this situation is tough on the kids. She’s doing everything she can to get back on her feet.

“I hope we can find a house soon. It’s much easier to stay in a house than trying to get a car to get back to normalcy,” she said.

She still has hope for something better, despite the obstacles she faces every day.