TAMPA, Fla. — In Florida, there’s a huge demand for not only affordable housing but on-campus housing as well. With development booming here in Tampa Bay, colleges are joining in to provide more space for students.
Thousands of students will leave home and move to Tampa Bay this year to attend schools like the University of South Florida.
“I did early admission because this was my dream school,” Ryenne McDonald, an incoming freshman at USF said.
And in that dream, many students like McDonald picture themselves having the on-campus experience.
“I got a suite-style dorm, and I wanted a traditional, but they got full really quick. I heard that they were in high demand because the apartments off campus are really expensive,” she said.
USF said it reserves around 50% for new and returning students, but McDonald said they were full within minutes. Some students who had on-campus housing this summer, will not in the fall because there weren't any spaces left even though she started looking in March.
“I didn't really know where I would be going to school yet, so I think that was a disadvantage for me,” Crossley said.
Although USF is opening a new residence hall this fall it says the demand for returning residents is nearly double what it can offer. It said the demand increases year after year, something other schools can relate to.
The University of Tampa faces the same problem with around 11,000 students attending the university but not enough space to house them.
“We find that there's a high demand for housing, some of which is because we are so convenient and affordable and often that is just in relation to the Tampa Market,” Sarah Hart with the university said.
The university partners with a local hotel to help provide rooms for students separate from guests. This fall, the grant center plans to welcome around 700 students. Without these spaces, many students turn to off-campus housing.
Other than that, getting assistance can be difficult. Moore said the majority of applicants are young families and seniors.
“The subsidized public housing and section 8 housing spot is typically not eligible for full-time students on their own unless they are part of a family situation, or they can prove that they're independent from their family,” Moore said.
The agency encourages people to take advantage of residence halls, but across the Bay, some students have no choice.
The city of St. Petersburg said it is planning to build more than 100 townhomes near St. Pete College where there aren't any residential halls.
“We do know that this property has to be maintained as affordable for purchase units for 30 years,” Amy with the City of St. Pete said.
Students and employees have the right of first refusal for up to 30% of the units. The city said applicants must meet the 80% area median income requirement which is around $53,500 for a single household.
“Most students are not making that when they’re working towards their first degree whether that’s an AA or a bachelor’s degree, but again St. Pete College serves a lot of people who are taking certificate programs and other types of things as well,” Foster said.
It's a new development that will help some students, but it's still in the planning phase.
The city of St. Pete is currently reviewing three proposals for this new townhome community. The plot of land is St. Pete College’s former Gibbs Wellness Center. The city purchased the property last year for about $4 million.