LAKELAND, Fla. — People who were chronically homeless are moving into their first real home in years. It's an effort of a Lakeland nonprofit to provide permanent housing and long-term support.
For Steven Drew, his new apartment means everything.
Watch report from Rebecca Petit
“It means the world to me after a year of being homeless, sleeping out on the street. It means a roof over my head, four walls where I don’t have to worry about the police trespassing me. I don’t have to worry about the rain coming down,” Drew said.
Drew told Tampa Bay 28 reporter Rebecca Petit, after rising rent costs drained his savings, he was evicted and ended up sleeping behind a Goodwill store.
“They don't want homeless people in the parks. I tried to look as presentable as possible but still you get chased away from absolutely everywhere. If you even start nodding off as a homeless person, anywhere you are in public, you’re chased away,” Drew said.
He is one of the first residents moving into 48 newly built apartments at Gospel Village in Lakeland. The nonprofit Gospel Inc. designed the homes to help people living on the streets, in cars, or moving from shelter to shelter.
“It becomes this perpetual cycle that is almost impossible to get out of and that’s where, providing the permanence of housing can then help these individuals start to heal from all the years of trauma and drama living on the streets,” said Ray Steadman, executive director of Gospel Inc.
The apartments are fully furnished, one-bedroom units with on-site support services, including mental health care, recovery programs, and crisis staff who live on campus.
Residents pay 30% of their income toward rent, and those without jobs can work on campus.
“That’s a way that they can contribute to their rent without just living here and paying nothing or contributing nothing. It actually builds dignity for them because they’re not getting a handout,they’re getting a hand up,” Steadman said.
After a year of uncertainty, Drew said he finally feels hopeful again.
“I can feel a difference when I wake up in the morning. I want to keep going, where I didn’t before. It’s really tough out there,” he said.
Gospel Inc. has plans to add another 24 units in the future.
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