An Atlanta senior is sounding the alarm about the city's rising rents.

Residents at the Renaissance at Garden Walk Apartments say their rents have climbed by hundreds of dollars over the last several years. For those on fixed incomes, even a small increase can feel overwhelming.

Seventy-year-old resident Geraldine Charles called CBS News Atlanta because she says she had nowhere else to turn. She moved into her two-bedroom apartment nearly five years ago, but what started as affordable has now become a struggle.

"When I moved in here, I was paying $940. Now, I'm paying more than $1,100. And every year, it keeps going up," Charles said.

In 2023 alone, she says her rent jumped by $185. According to Charles, about two dozen residents had no choice but to move out.

"That was cruelty to us as far as seniors are concerned. So many people moved out because they couldn't afford it," she said.

Georgia does not have statewide rent control, meaning landlords can raise prices with few restrictions. Charles says that she wrote to everyone from local commissioners to U.S. senators for help.

"I wrote to the president, the vice president, Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff, Stacey Abrams...I even sent letters to my local legislators. At first, nobody responded. I was so shocked," she said.

Eventually, the 70-year-old says pressure from many of the struggling seniors led to some relief—a rent adjustment and credits for past increases—but another hike is coming this fall, and she fears it'll push more residents to the brink.

Charles said for many seniors, it comes down to the tough choice of paying rent, buying groceries, or even filling prescriptions.

"Income is not going up higher and higher," she said. "Last month, I was $110 short on my bills. So how are we supposed to live?"

CBS News Atlanta called the management company of the Renaissance at Garden Walk Apartments to discuss the matter and other residents' concerns, but no one answered.

Charles and other seniors who live at the complex say they won't stop speaking up. They're now calling for Georgia lawmakers to consider some form of rent protection for seniors.

During the last legislative session, lawmakers considered a bill intended to cap rent increases for seniors and veterans, but it didn't gain any traction.