Understanding the issue of homeless families in Greater Orlando and how local charities are helping.

Lisa Reyes completes the paperwork to take possession of her new home.

On the morning of May 16, Lisa Reyes did something that countless millions of Central Floridians have done before her: She became a homeowner. Like most people in her position, Reyes’ sense of accomplishment deepened as the ink dried on the paperwork, but in her case, the feeling was exponentially magnified. Because in the not-too-distant past, Reyes and her daughter had been homeless.

“I was alone with my husband back then,” says Reyes, commenting on her life prior to finding herself without a place to live. “I’d just recently had a baby, and I was on maternity leave, and then everything got messed up together. He quit his job, he didn’t want to be responsible, so that left me to be all alone and tight on everything. It was messy.”

As heartbreaking as it is to hear about a young mother and child being homeless, the unfortunate fact is that Reyes wasn’t alone in that regard. According to the Homeless Services Network’s most recent Point-in-Time Count for Greater Orlando, families account for approximately 10 percent of our homeless population. More than 20 percent are kids, comprising one out of every 17 children in the area, and all in the shadows of “the happiest place on earth.”

Furthermore, without the help of Family Promise of Greater Orlando, Reyes might still be part of those statistics. Indeed, that organization and other local charitable agencies go above and beyond to move homeless families into safe living spaces—but with so many still on the streets, we as a community can surely do better.

Cause and Effect

Homelessness can take many shapes, from sleeping on streets, in shelters or in the woods, to taking up temporary lodging in cars or extended-stay hotels, or even couch-surfing from one relative or friend’s house to another. One of Family Promise’s clients, a mother and student named Crystal, initially fell into the latter category.

“It was such a sad moment for me the day I realized I was homeless,” she says. “Before, I was jumping from place to place, but at least it was a roof over my head. This time, I was literally on a park bench realizing that I hit rock bottom.”

Hearing about mothers like Reyes and Crystal does beg the question: How did they get there? As it turns out, you might be closer to experiencing that state than you think.

“About half the people in our country live one paycheck away from homelessness,” says Major Ted Morris of the Salvation Army’s Orlando Area Command. Morris further notes that Orlando’s large population of traditionally low-paid, service-industry workers heightens many families’ risk of homelessness, and he’s not alone in that assessment.

“When you learn that it takes 2.4 full-time, minimum-wage jobs to afford a median two-bedroom apartment in our community,” says Brent Trotter, president & CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, “you begin to understand the root of the problem.”

Tia Aery, executive director of Family Promise, and Evan Smith, project manager for the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness, concur. Moreover, Aery says, “This [income- to-housing cost] gap can be a dual-edged sword, causing some families to become homeless due to their inability to maintain affordable housing while also preventing families who are currently homeless from securing permanent housing.”

Granted, other factors such as mental-health issues and substance abuse can be key contributors to homelessness. With such a precariously stacked deck, though, it becomes clear how local families can fall into short- or long-term homelessness, and why those who do have so much trouble getting out.

Helping Families in Need

Fortunately, Family Promise, the Salvation Army, the Coalition for the Homeless, and the Commission on Homelessness, among other organizations, are working to keep homeless families intact with stable roofs over their heads—or stop them from getting to that point entirely.

“What we try to do, if we can, is to prevent homelessness,” says Morris. If a family comes to the Salvation Army, they’re directed to the emergency assistance office. In the case of episodic, rather than chronic, situations, help might come in the form of rent or mortgage payments to get them over the hump, but staff also works with clients to avoid such situations down the road, be it in the form of skills training, financial guidance, job hunting or other options. For families that are already homeless, the Salvation Army has a shelter for women and children and a second for men. Accordingly, intact families can’t stay together under the same roof, but both facilities are on the Salvation Army’s downtown Orlando campus.

The Coalition for the Homeless, on the other hand, has a Women’s Residential and Counseling Center and a Center for Women and Families. The latter accommodates up to 240 individuals and includes a single women’s dorm, two dorms for single mothers with infants and young children, and individual family rooms for intact families or single mothers and fathers with older children. Similar to the Salvation Army, the Coalition also offers case management, counseling, education and skills training, as well as daycare and community housing.

“Many homeless families avoid shelters because they fear being separated,” says Trotter. “That simply isn’t the case at the Coalition.”

Per Aery, Family Promise is best known for its Interfaith Hospitality Network shelter program. “We partner with faith communities in Orange and Seminole counties to provide emergency shelter, meals, transportation and supportive services to homeless families,” she says. Additionally, their Partners in Housing program helps find permanent housing for standout clients such as Reyes, who must first reach certain benchmarks that include demonstrating fiscal responsibility.

“In this program,” says Crystal, “they taught me how to set goals. I never had goals. … Now, I have a case plan every week and someone telling me what I should do. Before, I was thrown out to the wolves to fend for myself, and now, I have the guidance that I desperately needed.”

As to the Commission on Homelessness, says Smith, “We work with community partners to build capacity for the response to family homelessness.” As a result of those efforts, Orange County has committed more than $1 million to help local homeless families.

Be the Solution

When asked what concerned citizens can do to help end family homelessness, these charities and their clients were unanimous in suggesting the donation of time, supplies and/or money to agencies and faith-based groups that can best utilize them. Advocating for any or all of these organizations at your place of worship is also an option, when applicable.

And let’s face it: Given the low earning potential for a sizable majority of workers in this area, and Florida’s practically non-existent social safety net, someone you know could very well wind up on the streets next, and they’ll probably need a hand. For that matter, someone you know or even love could be in that position right now.

“Among us are homeless people we may not even recognize,” says Morris. “They may not fall into our stereotypical view of those you may see on the streets who are homeless. But it may be people we see at work, people we see at school, who are homeless as well.”

Again: We can surely do better. Let’s all do our part to help keep families off the streets and in stable homes—because one day soon, it might be us, our parents or even our children who will need help getting back on track.