{"id":25202,"date":"2024-11-12T16:44:02","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T16:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=25202&post_type=story"},"modified":"2025-04-18T17:05:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T17:05:31","slug":"finding-a-way-home","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/finding-a-way-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding a Way Home"},"content":{"rendered":"
It was a hot and humid day in Orlando when a 72-year-old woman showed up at SALT (Service and Love Together) Outreach looking for help.<\/p>\n
Her face was flushed red from the sweltering weather and it seemed like she could be suffering from heat exhaustion. She was thirsty and overwhelmed, and she didn\u2019t know where to go.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d just lost her home because her rent had increased and she couldn\u2019t afford the higher rate. Her husband had recently passed away and, without his financial contribution to their bills, she was struggling to make ends meet. She couldn\u2019t work and didn\u2019t have a way to bring in more money to cover rent, so she started sleeping on the streets with her dog.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur team worked tirelessly to find a temporary place for her, but there were no shelter beds,\u201d says Eric Camarillo \u201916 \u201919MNM<\/strong>, founder of SALT Outreach, a nonprofit that supports unsheltered people in Central Florida and helps them find ways to end their homelessness. \u201cWe had to coach her on how to survive while sleeping on the sidewalk in Parramore because there was just no other option for her,\u201d Camarillo says.<\/p>\n This story is increasingly common in Central Florida.<\/p>\n The homeless population is surging and many people, including a record number of seniors, are experiencing homelessness for the first time. Shelters and resources can\u2019t keep pace with the growing number of homeless individuals, so many end up on the streets.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeing seniors, domestic violence victims, veterans, teenagers who escaped human trafficking, families with young children, moms that give birth in the hospital and, in a few days, they\u2019re out on the street with their newborn baby,\u201d Camarillo says. \u201cEvery situation\u2019s so different, but the bottom line is that there isn\u2019t enough affordable housing, shelter space or permanent supportive housing right now.\u201d<\/p>\n The number of homeless people counted across Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties reached 2,883 in 2024, a 28% increase from 2023. And the number of homeless individuals who don\u2019t have shelter of any kind more than doubled, from 587 people to nearly 1,200. This data was collected as part of an annual nationwide effort to track the number of homeless individuals for a federally mandated census called a Point-in-Time (PIT) count.<\/p>\n As the homeless population continues to swell, 麻豆原创 experts and alumni are investigating the factors that contribute to this issue and considering how to help more people find their way home.<\/p>\n “Every situation’s so different, but the bottom line is that there isn’t enough affordable housing, shelter space or permanent supportive housing right now.”<\/p>\n