HOME Supports the Florida Children's Movement

In honor of Election Day today HOME wants to tell you about a movement that we support in honor of homeless children in our community and all children in Florida. It's called the Children's Movement of Florida -- a citizen-led, non-partisan movement to educate political, business and civic leaders, and all parents about the urgent need to make the well-being and education of our infants, toddlers and all other children Florida's highest priority.

The Children’s Movement of Florida believes that the well-being and education of our children in Florida must be the highest priority of government, business, non-profit institutions and families. The economic future of our state and the stability of the communities we live in depend on achieving this goal. The major objective of the citizen-led, non-partisan Children’s Movement of Florida is to inform the political, business and civic leaders, and the parents and people of this state, about this issue – and encourage them to make the well-being and education of our children our highest priority, including in the way we invest our public resources.

According to the Movement's website the organization's "mission is not about raising taxes, but rather about raising children. Florida's children deserve to be our first priority when deciding how the state's resources are spent, especially when it comes to programs -- such as preschool, quality child care and prenatal care -- that make a real difference in their lives and futures."

The Children's Movement is not about politics, but about standing up for children and working to make changes that will bring a better quality of life to all children in Florida. The movement believes that by almost every objective standard, Florida ranks poorly in measure after measure in how we invest in children. Some examples include:

• Hundreds of thousands of our children are not covered by health insurance.
• The state's prekindergarten program does not meet most national standards.
• Early screening and treatment programs for children with special needs are poorly coordinated, difficult to access and of inconsistent quality.
• A quarter of our public high school students do not graduate.
• Florida's businesses and community organizations are not committed to strengthening child mentoring and parent skill-building programs.

According to the movement more than 800,000 Florida children do not have health insurance, leaving the state behind only Texas in the percentage of uninsured children. About 30 percent of Florida’s public school third graders cannot read with even minimum proficiency. More than half of our high school sophomores cannot read at grade level. Florida spends $51,000 to keep a juvenile incarcerated in a secure facility, while it spends less than $7,000 to keep a child in public school.

The movement hopes to improve these measures by making sure children have access to health insurance and quality health care, enhanced quality standards for the state's pre-kindergarten program, improved screening and treatment of special needs, a statewide parental support and information program and high-quality, widely available mentoring programs for young people.

Multiple studies show that investing in children during the crucial first five years of life helps them attain their full potential and avoids devoting much larger sums to remedial programs later in life, saving vast sums of money for taxpayers in the long run.

The Children's Movement of Florida is supported by a broad and non-partisan coalition. The movement's 27-member statewide steering committee includes 12 Republicans, 12 Democrats and three independents. The movement does not endorse candidates. Its activities are funded solely through private donations – no public funds are involved. The movement does not advocate new or higher statewide taxes, but rather insists that children's issues receive the highest priority and a much larger share of current resources.

For more information about the origins, objectives and leaders of The Children's Movement of Florida, and about the current state of Florida's children, please visit http://childrensmovementflorida.org/

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Tune in to Intersection on Tuesday

On Tuesday July 13th at 9:30 a.m., WMFE/NPR's weekly local show Intersection will feature one woman's story of homelessness, as well as an update on homelessness in Central Florida. Please tune in tomorrow for the full story (if you're away from your radio you can also listen online by following the link). Sphere: Related Content

Changing Perceptions of Homelessness -- How you can Help

As the recession continues to impact everyone nationwide, many have begun to view homelessness in a less negative light. With foreclosures running rampant and unemployment maintaining a steady pace, more and more Americans are finding themselves in unexpected situations. This could not be truer for Central Floridians, where there are nearly 4,000 people who are homeless on any given day and more than 10,000 people who experience homelessness every year. Right now in the county of Osceola alone, there are more than 900 school-aged children who are homeless. As bleak as these numbers may sound, they also denote positive change. Since it has become more evident that anyone, from any walk of life, runs the risk of becoming homeless, perceptions of who a homeless person typifies, has changed greatly. The mythical image of the grungy panhandler is becoming obsolete, as the new face hits closer to home.

Everyday more and more children are being affected, single mothers are finding it harder to make ends meet, and dual income households are barely holding on. These seemingly average people will soon be homeless, it is their faces and of those closest to you that you will begin to see as the need ceases to subside.

According to a study done by researchers from the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences on the local region’s population, about one in three (35%) people say that their opinion of homeless people has changed in the past year. Of those whose opinions have changed, 95% say they have become more sympathetic. The study also questioned whether Central Florida’s municipal and county governments should do more to fund programs that address homelessness. The resounding majority of respondents (83%) said yes.

For programs such as Helping Others Make the Effort (HOME), who provide housing and life skills to homeless women and their children, this public change of opinion has significant ramifications. The more the issue is being talked about, the more awareness there will be of the gravity of homelessness. Moreover, the huge need that organizations, such as HOME face, will become more self evident. We help clients get back on their feet by boosting financial literacy, employability, and housing stability. HOME offers on-site life skills training, counseling, and intensive case management. Now is the time to get involved and help others who were once in your shoes. Help us break the cycle of homelessness in Osceola County. Volunteering is the easiest way to make a difference, click here to sign up for our next training event.

*Post by Albery Melo, Program Assistant for HOME. Albery works to bring volunteers and HOME residents together in a partnership so that our families can become self-sufficient and manages our life-skills program. Sphere: Related Content

An in-depth look at Hotel Homelessness

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.

Families facing homelessness is still the hidden problem in our county and across the United States. Head on over to this site to watch the stories from the St. Louis today and if you are interested in helping families like these who are in need, check out how you can get involved on our website.


*Photo from the St. Louis Today. Sphere: Related Content

Another face of homelessness ...

Take a look at this post over at the Orlando Sentinel Change the World blog. Compelling stuff to think about! Sphere: Related Content

Give Kids Safe Shelter Golf Tournament

Give Kids Safe Shelter is sponsoring a Golf Tournament and HOME is one of the beneficiaries!

If you like to golf and are looking for a great way to support HOME simply participate in the tournament and HOME will receive part of the proceeds. If you sign up saying that HOME encouraged you to join, even more $$$ are donated to help homeless families in Osceola County!

Hurry, the deadline to register is soon!

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If you are interested in participating on HOME's behalf please contact mdowney@osceolahome.org for registration forms, the event is Sept. 19!

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Looking for the Face of Homelessness in Osceola County

The Hidden Face of Homelessness

Imagine 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 Story

Layka 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 Homelessness

Families 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 help

HOME 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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Bill Passed to Prevent Homelessness

HOME will be receiving more benefits from the government to help homeless families. According to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, President Obama signed a bill yesterday that would alleviate and prevent homelessness in the United States.

Both the House and the Senate passed the bill entitled, The Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009. According to the Law Center the bill

"Includes a measure to reauthorize the housing and shelter programs of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act - the first and still only major legislation addressing homelessness, for the first time in 17 years. It also includes a measure to protect the rights of renters in foreclosure - a major step that will help prevent them from becoming homeless."

Both bills will be helpful to HOME as we navigate families in the right direction ... toward their own home. A few highlights of the bill, announced by the Law Center, that will benefit HOME include:

"Rename and amend the Emergency Shelter Grant program to allow nonprofits to provide a broader range of services, including short- and medium-term rental assistance, utility payments, housing relocation and stabilization services, and other services to keep people in housing or to move them quickly into housing. Families living doubled up would be eligible to receive services funded by this section

Expand the definition of homelessness to include unaccompanied youth and homeless families with children and youth who have a long-term history of housing instability and can be expected to continue to experience instability due to disabilities, substance abuse disorders, history of abuse, or multiple barriers to employment; as well as families living doubled up, living in motels or hotels or other housing and who are facing eviction within 14 days"

Also, according to the report

"The Tenants' protections portion of the bill will allow bona fide tenants to remain in their residence, pursuant to their lease, following a foreclosure of the property, except when the successor in interest or subsequent purchaser will occupy the unit as a primary residence. In that case, the tenant must receive notice to vacate at least 90 days before the effective date of such notice."

With this policy support, HOME and other organizations working with homeless families have the ability to give families a new start. Sphere: Related Content

More Families Face Homelessness

We will see even more families and children facing homelessness in the coming year. According to an article recently published in The Orlando Sentinel the 2008 projections made by the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida regarding homelessness in Central Florida will find that, "Nearly 10,000 people are likely to be homeless in Metro Orlando at some point this year."

According to the article, statistics show that Central Florida will see an increase in homelessness in those who are veterans and school-aged children. The article states, "Of the three local counties covered in the report, Orange had 63 percent of the region's homeless population, while Osceola had 19 percent and Seminole 18 percent. But all have witnessed a striking increase in homeless students — from 2,700 at the end of last school year to more than 4,200 so far this year, according to school-district figures."

The Sentinel reports that the "The analysis of the homeless population in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties is largely based on a single-day count, conducted in January, of emergency shelters, transitional housing, soup kitchens, homeless camps, food pantries, drop-in centers and day-labor pools."

Please take the time to read the article here. Sphere: Related Content

HOME Testimonals

Hear from Residents and Graduates from HOME about how they broke the cycle of homelessness!






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The Changing Face of Homelessness -- In the News

CNN.com has a great report out today about the changing face of homelessness in America. This video report explores single moms with kids, the population that HOME works with everyday to break the cycle of homelessness.



We would also like to call your attention to this recent report on ABC News that really hit home with Helping Others Make the Effort. The children and teens were very honest about their situation, as we often find the kids at HOME are as well. Sometimes we look at the word "homeless" and we forget the statistics that a huge percentage of those who are homeless, are children.

The report can be accessed by clicking here:

ABCNEWS: Children Struggling and Speaking Out.

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Report: 1 in 50 U.S. children face homelessness

via CNN

(CNN) -- One in 50 children is homeless in the United States every year, according to a report released Tuesday.

The National Center on Family Homelessness estimates more than 1.5 million children are without a home.

The report, by the National Center on Family Homelessness, analyzed data from 2005-06 and found that more than 1.5 million children were without a home.

"These numbers will grow as home foreclosures continue to rise," Ellen Bassuk, president of the center, said in a statement.

The study ranked states on their performance in four areas: the extent of child homelessness, the risk for it, child well-being and the state's policy and planning efforts.

The states that fared the poorest were Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, New Mexico and Louisiana.

Connecticut, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Rhode Island and North Dakota performed the best.

Homeless children have poor health, emotional problems and low graduation rates, the study found.

"The consequences to our society will play out for decades," Bassuk said. "As we bail out the rest of our nation, it is also time to come to their aid."

The report offers recommendations such as improved support to ensure that children's schooling is not interrupted when they lose their homes, and services to address the trauma of homelessness.

Other highlights in the report, "America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness:"

• 42 percent of homeless children are younger than 6.

• African-American and Native American children are disproportionately represented.

• More than 1 in 7 homeless children have moderate to severe health conditions, such as asthma.

• Approximately 1.16 million of homeless children today will not graduate from high school.

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This report on CNN.com reminds us of what our mission here at HOME is — To break the cycle of homelessness in Osceola County. Recent reports in our county reveal that over 900 school-age children are currently homeless. In fact, the school district has just released new statistics of Osceola County homeless children. The stats state that 488 children are living in a motel/hotel, 346 are doubled up or couch surfing, 83 are in shelters, 23 are living in a car, tent or RV and there are 16 unaccompanied youth ages 13-17 living without a parent or legal guardian.

These statistics do not take into account the hundreds of children who do not attend school, which means the numbers are even higher. Also, the CNN report above is cited from 2005 — those of us working with homelessness every day know, sadly, that the number by now is, most likely, much more than 1 in 50 in the United States.

For more information on how you can help break the cycle of homelessness and support HOME financially or to volunteer please click here.

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