OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Last week Channel 9 had the story of a homeless family with nowhere left to turn because Osceola County does not have any emergency shelters.
A number of people contacted Channel 9 asking why there are no shelters. Reporter Nancy Alvarez looked into the lack of shelters and learned that struggling, homeless families will continue to have difficulties in Osceola County in the foreseeable future.
Last week Eric Sanders, his wife and three children had just managed to pay for one more week of a roof over their heads. But then things went from bad to worse.
On Wednesday Alvarez found Sanders out in the rain, riding his bicycle along U.S. 192.
"I feel stuck," said a tearful, rain-soaked Sanders. "I'm peddling, peddling and I'm going nowhere."
With no money to pay their weekly rent, the family was evicted from their hotel room. So Sander's wife and children, including their newborn, went to stay with a family friend.
He's been living on the street.
"I can't hold my newborn son. I can't see my kids. I can't see my wife," said Sanders.
He said he has been applying for jobs at almost every business on U.S. 192.
It's a scenario that Mary Downey, executive director of the Community Hope Center, said she sees all the time.
"There is not a one-size-fits-all answer to this problem. The answer is working together," said Downey.
Downey said that in the eight months since the center opened, the organization has helped 300 homeless families with everything from food to job placement.
A fund set up for the center goes straight to helping the homeless in the county. That includes more than 3,000 children many who live in hotel rooms.
"When you donate, you are capitalizing on all the resources in the community and just making us stronger," said Downey.
The center has big goals, but Sander's goal is simple.
"What do you want more than anything?" Alvarez asked Sanders.
"A job, my family back, a place to house them safely," he said.
To help: Community Hope Center
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