Positively Osceola is blessed to partner with organizations and leaders in the community that are focused on providing solutions to challenges in and around Osceola County. One such organization is Hope Partnership, that works to strengthen communities, empower neighbors, and bring hope. Today we are sharing a message that Hope Partnership’s Founder and CEO, Reverend Mary Lee Downey, recently shared with the community.
I have some difficult news to share with you. In the last five years, the number of our neighbors without safe and stable housing increased by 75% across Central Florida. Just last year, we saw an overall increase of 36%, and Osceola County alone saw a 27% increase. These numbers are devastating and indicate a growing problem that cannot be ignored.
Families experiencing housing instability face numerous challenges, including financial hardship, poor health outcomes, and limited access to essential services. This is where Hope Partnership steps in. With your support over the last year, we have successfully assisted families to obtain stable housing despite the obstacles. This year, the Hope Partnership team has already ended homelessness for 126 heartbeats, including Emily and her family.
Emily is a 34-year-old mother of two who moved from New York to Florida with her husband. Soon after moving, her relationship with her husband became unsafe, and she bravely decided to leave with her children. Unable to find affordable housing, they lived in various motels for three years. Emily’s kids began to display the effects of housing instability in school, acting out and struggling academically. During one of their motel stays, Emily was introduced to Lauren from the Hope Center team, and she began her path to self-determined success. After almost a year of searching, she finally found stable housing in Orlando. Emily was ecstatic. She brought her children to their new apartment, then surprised them with the news that this was their new home! Finding a safe place to call home has been a life-changing event for Emily and her family.
“I am truly grateful to Lauren and the Hope Partnership team. It doesn’t feel real at all. We finally found peace, and it feels incredible!”
Emily’s story is not uncommon. These are YOUR neighbors working full-time yet unable to find safe, stable, and affordable housing. This is precisely why Hope Partnership exists. Because of YOU, our mission, and the work of all of our programs, we can continue making sure that families experiencing homelessness and poverty are seen and given the resources they need to not just survive in Central Florida but thrive.
Every day, we walk with and empower our neighbors to take their next steps toward self-determined stability. To support this work, would you consider making a charitable gift to Hope Partnership? Your gift supports families in their journey out of poverty and helps strengthen our community, empower our neighbors, and build hope to ensure that everyone in our community has a safe place to call home.
Hope Partnership provides a holistic continuum of care in order to end homelessness and poverty in Central Florida. They do this by connecting service providers, businesses, investors, and clients with evidence-based solutions and trauma-informed care practices in order to strengthen communities, empower our neighbors, and build hope. For more information visit TheHopePartnership.org.
