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Former marine lives in tent after increased rent forces him out of apartment
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BATON ROUGE - It's another day at the Koa Campground for Michael Doughty and his fiance.
The decorated Marine Corps veteran now spends his days living in a tent.
"It's a blow to my pride to be living in a tent, my fiance in a tent, when we should be in a home or an apartment," Doughty said.
However, it wasn't always hard times for them. The couple once rented a two-story condo up the road, but four feet of flood water destroyed their rental.
But the couple said it was the rent cost that drove them away, not the flood waters.
"I think that was kind of like crazy, $200 and the apartment wasn't even finished yet. From $650 to $850 a month, its ridiculous, its gouging," said Tina Napier, Michael's fiance.
"They know a lot of people are without houses, so they're trying to make a big profit. So these people have no other choice but to pay that money or live in a tent," Doughty said.
They're not the only ones; 45,000 displaced people are still living with family members.
Samantha Hines works in real estate around the Denham Springs area. She says there are a few different reasons for the uptick in rent.
She says supply and demand paired with the cost of remodeling and insurance is causing the spike.
"I'm not going to nessecarily say it's justifiable, because a rental property is a rental property. I think people have went up because they know people are looking, are desperate right now. So of course they're going to go up on prices because they can," Hines said.
Back at the Koa Campground, Michael's grateful for the people who have helped them survive. And he says he won't soon forget those who've lent them a hand.
"It gives me hope again in humanity and society in general. Because there are still good people out there," Doughty said.
For Tina, it's her faith and her love for her fiance that make it possible for her to press on.
"I love him. Where he goes, I go," Tina said. "So I'm going to rough it along with him. I think that is what true love is, in all aspects."
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