The average home in Nassau County now costs nearly $500,000, according to the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors, a price tag that’s pushing many working families out of reach of homeownership and even stable rentals.

One longtime resident, who asked us not to use her last name, knows that struggle all too well.

Lisa, who’s lived in Nassau County for more than 30 years, recently found herself experiencing homelessness after selling her home during the height of the housing boom.

“They keep building and building and they’re building $400,000, $500,000 houses,” she said. “It’s not helping the single parents or even the elderly or the up-and-coming newlyweds. It’s not helping any of us.”

Lisa said she assumed finding a new place to rent would be simple. But what she discovered was

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