Local

Number of homeless students in Seminole County declining

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Channel 9 has learned the number of homeless students in Seminole County is on the decline for the first time in years.

WFTV's Racquel Asa spoke to one family who said outreach programs are the reason they now have a home.

For the last year, Denise Solomon had been living in and out of motels with her two children.

"I never thought in a million years that (homeless) would be part of my vocabulary," said Solomon. It's very hard for me to say. I'm sorry."

Last year, Solomon's children were a part of a troubling statistic within the Seminole County School District. They were among the nearly 2,250 homeless kids in the county.

But now the district may finally be turning a corner.

WFTV found it's the first time in seven years those numbers are dropping, with nearly 300 fewer homeless children compared to last year.

Beth Davalos with the district's Families in Transition program said the drop goes back to years of organizations working together to stock shelves regularly and the financial help from the county and community.

"And finally, to see numbers are not increasing as tremendous as they have been, I'm very thankful," she said.