OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Affordable housing is out of reach for many in Central Florida. According to a sustainability plan by Osceola County, nearly half of the households in the region are cost-burdened.

• Sustainability plan says Osceola households are cost-burdened
• Osceola County says they're addressing affordable housing crisis
• County has set aside $1M to help builders pay down mobility fees

The reason? There might not be enough room for everyone.

When you walk into Laurie and Benjamin Gomez’s home you realize they're are all packed up, except they have nowhere to go.

The Gomez’s are currently living in a one-bedroom apartment. The couple's income is limited because they’re both on disability.

Paying for a small apartment at $1,100 a month is a struggle, but the couple wants to have a larger space to call home.

Laurie has to use her fingers to count how many motels they’ve lived at before getting to their apartment.

But her journey hasn’t been easy. In the last few years Laurie was diagnosed with cancer, she has dealt with diabetes, and may soon have a pacemaker installed. As the medical bills continue to pile on, her family's journey home may just be out of reach.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, renters like Laurie and Benjamin should be paying $472 a month to not spend more than 30 percent of the area’s median income.

Osceola County said this is an issue they are addressing. Susan Caswell, the Assistant Community Development Administrator for Osceola County, wrote the county’s sustainability plan. Caswell said the answer is creating more mixed-use developments.

“Changing the development pattern will have an impact on how we are able to provide the facilities and services that people need, and that’s one of the things that came out of that plan,” Caswell explained. “Changing the development pattern will also help us to provide more diverse housing, which will mean more affordable housing in the end.”

These folks believe it’s hard to dream when you are struggling to survive.

Despite that, Benjamin and Laurie continue to go out daily, looking for a single-family home instead of living in an apartment building. The Gomez’s said they won’t unpack until they reach what feels like home.

“We want to get out of this," Laurie told us. "We would like to live happily ever after too, you know?”

Osceola County has set aside $1 million to help builders pay down mobility fees. This is meant to act as an incentive and attract more diverse development to the area.