LEE COUNTY, Fla. - New numbers show times are tougher than ever in Southwest Florida. Fort Myers and Cape Coral are expected to rank in the top five cities in the nation with poverty levels on the rise.

Almost everyday, Nicole Cargile is behind a computer screen looking for work. But ever since April...

"Nothing. Not even a phone call," Cargile said Monday.

The single mom is strapped for cash, just one of the rising number in Fort Myers and Cape Coral struggling to get by. 2009 Census figures are expected to show the two cities ranking in the top five in the nation for poverty increases. But that comes as no surprise to Lee County's Salvation Army. They're dishing out a record number of groceries, serving 60% more families now, than in years past.

"These are people that have never had to ask for help before. But because of the way the economy is, and the lack of the jobs out there, they just don't have anywhere else to go," Merrilu Bennett of Lee County's Salvation Army.

Southwest Florida's housing boom- and bust- is largely to blame for the grim conditions, along with the decline in jobs.

"We would hand them a pair of construction boots, and based on their experience, we could shove them out the door and get them a job. But the jobs aren't there anymore," Bennett said Monday.

But the troubling times aren't stopping Cargile. She's sticking to her job hunt, hoping that better times are just around the corner.

"Everyday, at least four days a week, I'm out from as soon as I get up in the morning. I leave my house and I'm not back until 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon," Cargile said.

The poverty rate is expected to soar to 15% nationwide. Fort Myers and Cape Coral are expected to rank alongside Detroit, Las Vegas, and L.A. as metro areas with the largest gains in poverty.