Driving around the streets of Central Florida makes it clear the issue of homelessness is affecting more of our community. The numbers show it as well. The latest Point in Time Count, which tracks homelessness, showed a greater than 250 percent increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in the tri-county area.

The #1 driver of Homelessness is the rising cost of rent. Currently, the average price to rent an apartment in Central Florida is over $2,000, which means your income needs to be over $60,000.
Unfortunately, the cost of living is not going down anytime soon and with new legislation affecting how local government addresses the issue of homelessness, the costs of this issue are only going to increase.

That’s why your support for Rescue Outreach Mission is so important. It helps men, women and children a place to safely restart their lives, to save money, find work and eventually find a path to home.

In Seminole County, the issue is increasing too. From 2023 to 2024, the number of families or individuals experiencing homelessness in Seminole County increased by 55 percent. When that Point in Time Count was taken, nearly 500 individuals were included as homeless in Seminole County alone – about 25 percent of all homeless individuals in the tri-county area.

Seminole County is experiencing the same cost of living issues facing all of Central Florida, except the average cost of an apartment is higher in Seminole County than any other county in our region. Seminole County is considered a great place to live, work and play, but for many, it’s simply unaffordable.

Community leaders understand the issue and have supported Rescue Outreach Mission and its services, but the government can not do it alone. For Seminole County residents, helping fund a pathway to home for our community will keep Seminole County as a leader in Florida.

Too often, our community doesn’t want to think about the children living without a permanent home in our community. But they are there. They are sleeping in their family cars. They sleep in cramped hotel rooms. They sleep on a park bench. And the next morning, they go to school for what could be their only meal of the day.

The most recent Point in Time County found nearly 500 children homeless in Central Florida – and one child homeless is too many. Frankly, the issue is probably significantly higher as there are even more families who have a place to sleep – like a family member’s couch – but not a home to call their own.

Most nights, more than two dozen children sleep in the safe shelter provided by Rescue Outreach Mission, with a list of families waiting for a room to open nearly every day. Your help can bring a better future for our children, giving them safety, food and other tools to help them succeed in school and life.

Living on a fixed income is difficult, but is a way of life for so many seniors throughout the state. Unfortunately, when Social Security and pension benefit increases don’t equal the increases in the cost of living, seniors are being forced to the streets.

In fact, from 2023 to 2024, the number of seniors over 65 experiencing homelessness increased by more than 35 percent in Central Florida.

Think about that. These seniors have spent their lives working and now can’t afford to eat or can’t pay the rent. They certainly can’t get ahead to pay deposits on a new apartment if they are evicted.

In addition, seniors experiencing homelessness have significantly higher costs of care. They are often experiencing multiple health issues, including regular medications. Those issues are often exacerbated by the effects of homelessness.

Nearly every day, a senior citizen arrives at Rescue Outreach Mission looking for safe shelter. We’re here to help them, connecting them with care and hopefully a new home.

It’s hard to imagine that someone who volunteered to protect our country would experience homelessness, but in the past year, Central Florida has seen a greater than 20 percent increase in the number of veterans who are experiencing homelessness.

Many of those veterans are simply unaware of the benefits that are available to them as veterans. In other cases, they may have lost their DD214, which shows they were honorably discharged from the military. Our trained case managers work with the VA to help these men and women get the resources and help they deserve.

With your help, Rescue Outreach Mission helps veterans regularly to find the benefits provided to them. For instance, we can coordinate receiving a duplicate copy of their paperwork and showing them how to access the Veterans Administration’s benefit coordinators.

While many would wonder why anyone would be chronically homeless, the statistics show this is a serious issue, often driven by significant mental health issues or substance abuse.

For those individuals, all we can do is wait for them to ask for help, to come to our shelter and ask for support. We can connect them with many social services including other facilities that assist with those significant issues.

However, most individuals experiencing homelessness are looking for a way back home. The Point in Time Count found that nearly 70 percent of those experiencing homelessness did not have those issues.

Those are the people Rescue Outreach Mission can help. We provide them with the resources and the time and services they need to turn around their lives. Time for them to save money. Time for them to find a job. Time for them to find a permanent home.