WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A Winter Haven nonprofit is working to address childhood homelessness by helping families avoid eviction and building new housing for those who have nowhere else to go.
For Josias and Sarahy Suarez, keeping a roof over their family’s head wasn’t always a given.
“We had gotten our eviction notice. We were financially struggling, trying to pay all bills and the rent,” Sarahy Suarez said.
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The couple says they turned to Heart for Winter Haven for help. The nonprofit offers programs like Jobs for Life and Faith in Finances to help families build skills and income.
“Heart for Winter Haven has helped me with my résumé, which is where that intern helped me get that job at the warehouse,” Josias said.
For the Suarez family, the support they received gave them a chance to stay together and regain stable financial footing.
The Suarez children have also participated in Heart for Winter Haven programs, including financial education. Their son, Isaias, says those lessons have changed how he thinks about money.
“That’s helped me to learn to save more than to spend, which I’m a big spender, so that is a big impact on my life right now,” he said.
Helping families avoid homelessness
Heart for Winter Haven's goal is to ultimately help end childhood homelessness in Winter Haven by 2030.
Tabitha Keith, director of programs for Heart for Winter Haven says homelessness among children can often be difficult to see.
“It’s invisible too. Most people think when they hear the word homelessness, they’re thinking of someone in the street asking for money or sleeping in the park,” said Keith.
According to the organization, 550 children in Winter Haven are experiencing homelessness.
Keith says Heart for Winter Haven has helped 267 families with school-aged children avoid eviction over the last seven years.
Now, the organization is expanding its efforts beyond eviction prevention and financial education.
New housing planned for families
Heart for Winter Haven recently secured $350,000 from the City of Winter Haven and Polk County to help build 13 townhomes for families experiencing homelessness.
The proposed $2.7 million housing complex would be built in phases, with a long-term goal of 50 homes.
Keith says the project is designed to address more than the immediate need for shelter.
“Studies show that if you’re a child that experienced homelessness, you’re more likely to repeat that as an adult. So that’s what we’re trying to cut. The generational cycle of homelessness,” Keith said.
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