Welcome to HOME
Helping Others Make the Effort is a non-profit organization working to break the cycle of homelessness by providing housing and supportive services to homeless families.
The Story of Homelessness in Osceola County—
Did you know that there are 67 school bus stops along U.S. Highway 192? Motels have become permanent homes to hundreds of working families who have income to pay for housing, but not enough to save for deposits or down payments. Many more families are “couch-surfers,” meaning that they have lost their home due to foreclosure or eviction and move from place to place until their welcome is worn out. The effects of homelessness are far-reaching and pervasive.
In particular, the children we serve face major adversities that can have lifelong consequences, including:
-70% of homeless mothers who were in foster care will have one of their own children removed to foster care (and homeless children are seven times as likely than other children to be placed in foster care)
- 75% of homeless children under the age of five have at least one major developmental delay
- 47% of homeless children have problems with anxiety, depression, or withdrawal (compared to 18% of other school-age children)
- 69% of homeless children attend more than one school during the school year
- 75% of homeless children perform below grade level in reading
How HOME Helps —
All of HOME’s programs are centered around the concept of raising the self-sufficiency level for every family. To assess a family’s needs and progress, we use a self-sufficiency rating scale that takes into account many different facets of self-sufficiency, such as subsistence, adult and child education, income and employment, housing, etc.
Clients then work with their Family Advocate to create a self-sufficiency plan based on their particular areas of need. As families progress through the program, their plan is fine-tuned and adjusted to reflect their improvement in various areas.
Depending on the program that a family is participating in, services may include housing, case management, life skills education, counseling, and more. Children also receive life skills and enrichment services.
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