By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

The Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, in partnership with the University of Central Florida, released a point-in-time report on homelessness in Osceola County last year offering a snapshot of the individuals needing assistance and the gaps in services in Osceola County.

This report is still being used by local leaders to aid a population often ignored by the general public.

The 17-page report details the findings from Jan. 28, 2011, when a count was conducted on the number of homeless individuals living in shelters, on the streets or in homeless camps, and those who receive assistance from soup kitchens, drop-in shelters and food pantries.

According to the data, 325 households – those with at least one child and one adult – were considered homeless, as were 508 households without children. Of those counted, the data revealed 380 are considered chronically homeless.

“There are those who don’t want to be helped,” Gene Turrico, founder of Give Kids Safe Shelter, a local homeless organization, said. “There are those who want to live in the woods.”

The findings showed a 10 percent increase in the number of homeless people in Osceola County from 2008, when HSN reported 754 homeless individuals, the report stated.

However, using statistical analysis based on the count, HSN estimated 1,724 people experienced homelessness in Osceola County.

Some populations weren’t counted, including homeless people being discharged from local hospitals, homeless inmates incarcerated in the Osceola County Jail and those known to live in groups of two to five people in 42 homeless camps across the county.

A group given particular attention are the Families in Transition, those families who live in the hotels and motels along U.S. Highway 192, on the couches of friends and family or even in their cars.

The report showed 1,246 homeless students in the Osceola County School District in January 2011. However, as of June 5, the district is reporting 2,200 homeless students in its system.

“Folks who end up in motels don’t consider themselves homeless because (the motel) is their home,” Turrico said. “Some of these folks are in a triage scene just inches away from getting back to sustainable. We’ve found the best way to (help) is one family at a time because people have different needs.”

The School District’s FIT Program liaison Meredith Griffin, along with other organizations in the county, are working with these families to help them get back on their feet and into more stable housing.

“The School District has partnered with HSN to bring rapid rehousing to the county. We’ve been in business for a month and already identified families ready to make the transition from motel to more sustainable housing,” she said. “The School District has taken the lead to serve these children for the last seven years and plan to continue to do so with community partnerships.”

Factors such as an unexpected uninsured medical expense, loss of income, increase in the cost of necessities, loss of transportation to work, loss of employment or increases in child care expenses can trigger the landslide that forces a family into homelessness.

“Often, it doesn’t take much to get them back on their feet, like an old utility bill that needs to get paid,” said Donna Sines, executive director of Community Vision, an Osceola County organization that connects people with local resources. “I have a lot of hope a sharing center in the next couple of years will allow us to look at people holistically.”

The study touched on the outreach inadequacies of Osceola County, including the need for a homeless prevention center to provide assessments, referrals and other direct services for the homeless.

The center would be a one-stop service provider for obtaining identification and birth certificates, assessments for mental health and substance abuse, access to motel vouchers for people in need of short-term housing, a free voicemail service for homeless individuals in need of a phone service where potential employers, family and medical staff could leave messages and for Veterans and Social Security Disability benefit enrollment.

The county in the past has hosted one-day events with similar services offered to high turnouts.