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

HOME Receives Walt Disney World Shine On Grant for 2010

HOME is very pleased to announce that they are a recipient of the Walt Disney World Shine On Grant for the 2010 funding cycle. The grant, valued at just over $21,000 is going to help HOME implement a new program that focuses on life-skills for our children and youth on campus.

On May 17 HOME was visited by the Walt Disney World Community Relations team and Mickey Mouse himself and was surprised with balloons, a trophy, and a check that would go toward our "Children's Enrichment Program." It was a wonderful gift and we are so thankful to Walt Disney World for choosing HOME in this year's funding cycle.

This is the second Disney Shine On Grant that HOME has received since opening our doors in 2008! HOME was one of the 31 agencies chosen to receive the award out of over 150 grant applications! 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

Dress for Success honors two HOME residents

It's not often that the residents on the HOME campus get a chance for a day of total pampering, but thanks to the Dress for Success Program, two of our ladies are getting that chance!

Eve and Shaneek, two of our hardest working residents on campus, will be treated to an all-day make-over and spa day coming up January 20, 2010. The Ritz Carlton, Grand Lakes Orlando Spa, Dress for Success® Greater Orlando, Actualize Consulting Group, Orlando Health, AEGIS Law Firm, PA and WMFE will be giving the ladies a "Day of Hope," a day designed to empower women in Central Florida. The day will give the two HOME winners (and other deserving ladies across central Florida) a chance to make a fresh start in the new year and prepare for more job searching with a refreshed attitude.

To participate in the program Eve and Shaneek submitted applications and were selected because of their great answers to the following questions:

1. What type of employment are you seeking?
2. What challenges have you faced in your job search?
3. How would a fresh start impact your life?

Because both Eve and Shaneek have been looking for jobs daily, they had lots of information to provide, and they knew that by participating in the "Day of Hope," they could take a moment just for themselves and have a fresh start in 2010! Congratulations to our two winners, we hope you have a blast!

*Eve & Shaneek are both still looking for jobs in the Central Florida area. Eve has medical office experience and Shaneek has experience in the non-profit case-management sector. If you have any jobs leads please let us know! Sphere: Related Content

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

Many Students Homeless In Osceola County

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. -- In this economy, more of children are becoming homeless. In the past year, there's been an 18 percent increase in homeless students attending schools in the United States.

The motels along HWY-192 in Kissimmee were built for tourists, but Eyewitness News discovered they're being used by many homeless families with young children.
"Its hard when you have to humble yourself so far down where you have no where else to go," said Angie Moore who is homeless.For Angie and Eric Moore, a small motel room is a big blessing.

Last week they were sleeping in the back seat of their van with their 9-year-old daughter."We would go to hotel parking lot, hoping and praying they wouldn't find us and ask us to leave anyplace where there wasn't high traffic that's where would park our van," she said.

The Moores' got help form The Home Program, which is a non-profit organization that provides motel vouchers and temporary housing assistance.

The Moores are living next to other families who are also homeless.

"It really breaks your heart when you see kids panhandling for food," she said.

Half of all homeless students in Osceola County, about 500 of them live in motels.In Orange County WFTV found the number of homeless students increased by nearly 1,000, from 1,750 last year to more than 2,500 students this year.School buses drop the students off right in front of the hotel lobby. Many of their parents lost their jobs and then their homes.

"We have new foreclosure everyday, new evictions every day," said Carrie Eule of the Home Program.

Eule runs the Home Program, which is helping the Moore's find jobs and paying for their motel room for one month.

The Moores say they are hoping the home is only temporary.

"I want to help someone else who is going through the same thing," said Angie Moore.

The home program provides housing assistance for 300 families a year in Osceola County and they are hoping to get more federal stimulus dollars.

Copyright 2009 by wftv.com.

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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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From our partners at the Children's Advocacy Center

In recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month, the two Cities and the County will be presenting Proclamations at their respective meetings. It would be great to have a large number of Community members in the audience at these presentations. If your schedules allow, the Proclamations will be presented next week:

•••

Osceola County-County Admin. Building Commission Chambers 1:30 p.m. on Monday 4/6^th

City of Kissimmee-City Hall 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday 4/7

City of St. Cloud-City Hall- 6:30 p.m. on Thursday 4/9

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Homeless in motels- a new phenomenon elsewhere?

We saw this article on CNN about the state of Massachusetts needing to rely on motels as overflow shelters. They cited a "skyrocketing" number of families in motels over the past 12 months- from 17 to 550. Here in Osceola, estimates of the number of families living in motels on a permanent basis vary from 500 to 2500. Yet our burgeoning motel homeless population isn't even on the radar of most local, let alone national, media outlets.

If we were able to get down to only 17 families, I'd consider our county wildly successful in housing homeless families. What do we need to get there?

- more prevention resources, like emergency gap funding for families with a one-time crisis, and mediation services for landlords and tenants

- barrier reduction programs or a bonding program to help families with minor things like previous evictions or outstanding utility bills resettle in a permanent home

- construction or acquisition and rehabilitation of hundreds (if not thousands) of affordable units (and by affordable I mean accessible to families working the lifeblood of our county- tourism)

- intensive case management and life skills assistance to help families who have struggled in gaining money management skills

- recognition by government (local all the way up to the top) and financial resources to back up the recognition of the issue Sphere: Related Content