The Hidden Face of HomelessnessImagine yourself a single Mom in a one-bedroom motel room ---
you, your two children, and one bed. You wake up at 5 a.m. and get your kids ready for school, you put them on the school bus and you head into work. Last night was hard, the room was loud and you didn't get much sleep. The kids will get home in the afternoon, and you won't be there, because you will still be working. You will bring home your paycheck, pay the $150 a week motel fee, and never have enough to move out on your own.
THIS is the hidden face of homelessness in Osceola County — a face that Helping Others Make the Effort is working hard to change! We have families daily who are in the above situation, but luckily we can also share a story of hope and how HOME helped one family succeed.
A Success StoryLayka grew up in Puerto Rico with a very loving family. She valued education and remembers reading book after book as a child. Layka got married during her years as a student at the University of Puerto Rico.
Layka's marriage was a rocky one. Her husband was abusive and it took several years for her to get up the courage and admit to her family that something was wrong. She and her two daughters first moved in with her parents but then she decided to move from Puerto Rico to Florida.
When Layka moved to central Florida she had a good job. She figured she would live in a hotel with her two children until she had saved enough money for a deposit and rent on an apartment. Instead, Layka and her children lived in that hotel for two years.
However, during those two years she didn't give up. She spent her nights teaching herself English by reading the newspaper and researched opportunities to make her family's life better. That's how she found out about HOME.
When Layka moved to the HOME campus, her self-esteem improved greatly. She started a journal and is comfortable telling her story to others. She has two daughters, who have grown leaps and bounds since coming to the HOME Campus.
Today Layka lives in her own home, a two bedroom apartment in Kissimmee, Fla., a very different place than where she was just one year ago. Today she is continuing her journey of self-sufficiency, has a great job, and is a spokesperson for HOME. In fact, by
clicking here you can hear Lyaka's story first-hand through our You-Tube Video Service.
The Truth about HomelessnessFamilies like Layka's are everywhere is Osceola County. In fact, many of them remain unaccounted for in our system. According to an article at
Florida Trend, hundreds of thousands of Floridians, including families who are doubled up or living in motels, are uncounted during the census process. The article states, "Key characteristics of hard-to-count communities include poverty, low educational attainment, unemployment, complex household arrangements and high rates of mobility." They also probably were not included in the annual point in time homeless survey, because that count only includes unsheltered (living on the streets) homeless. These are the clients we serve, those in hotels and motels, living in cars, doubled up with family, and other unsafe living arrangements. Yet, they are unaccounted for in every way.
You may ask why this matters. It matters because many grants that HOME can apply for are based on area population estimates. If, for example, 200,000 people are uncounted, the number of people needing our services seems lower than it really is.
How you can helpHOME has been working very diligently over the past year to diversify our fundraising. This means that we do not simply want to rely on grants and federal funding, and that we need donations from people like you. It costs only $25 a day to sponsor a family on the HOME campus, by giving them safe housing, access to free resources, and the skills to help them get back on their feet. Layka's story is compelling, and she is a success. Won't you sponsor a family today and help break the cycle of homelessness in Osceola County?
Donate here!
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For the past three years Community Presbyterian Church has helped HOME residents plant a Community Garden on the HOME Campus. It's always a very fun time for the moms and kids to get their hands dirty and work to provide another source of food for their families. On March 20, with the help of volunteers from Comm Pres, the residents planted tomatoes, carrots, peppers, turnip greens, watermelon, pumpkin and many other yummy vegetables.
clude the fun day lunch was provided in crockpots (for each resident to keep!) and the youth group from Peace United Methodist had game time with the kids while the moms took time to visit and relax!
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The St. Louis Today did a recent photography report chronically the lives of motel/hotel families in their area. Though we are thousands of miles away from St. Louis, we too find families living in similar situations here in Osceola County. Families often place all the items they can in storage units, in their car, or pack their hotel rooms with their personal belongings so they don't lose anything while they are homeless. We have seen families in hotels with their family pets, which can add to the stress of taking care of their family, but they do not want their children to lose their dog or cat, so they must budget to continue supporting the pet as well.
you, your two children, and one bed. You wake up at 5 a.m. and get your kids ready for school, you put them on the school bus and you head into work. Last night was hard, the room was loud and you didn't get much sleep. The kids will get home in the afternoon, and you won't be there, because you will still be working. You will bring home your paycheck, pay the $150 a week motel fee, and never have enough to move out on your own.
