When you picture your neighbors in East Orlando, you may think of the young couple down the street or your friends and family across town. Those not often considered are the diverse population of homeless individuals that live among us. For these neighbors, help and resources are scarce.

Recently a daytime drop-in center was proposed to help the homeless, although the center’s location has been one of heated controversy.

The proposed East Orlando center is a necessity to help the homeless however, according to Cathy Jackson, executive director of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida. “We can see that the number of homeless camps have gone up over the last couple of years, with many in East Orlando,” she says. “Throughout the region we’re seeing about a 20 percent population increase from years past.” At night, there is an enormous shortage of beds for the estimated 8,900 homeless individuals throughout the Central Florida region.

According to Jackson, there has also been an increase in the number of first time homeless in the area. “A few years ago, 60 percent of the homeless population had been homeless before for six months to over a year,” she says. “This year it was reversed. Roughly 45 percent had been homeless for three months or less.”

In East Orlando, there are almost no services for the homeless population. “The folks who find themselves homeless in this part of the county tend to be uncomfortable coming downtown for services,” Jackson says. “Partly because they don’t have transportation and party because there is a difference in culture.”

Advocates, like Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church Pastor Jeff Linman, agree. “The issue is that people are living out here and living in the woods behind many neighborhoods. Going downtown is like going to a foreign land for them,” he says. “They stay here because they feel safer and therefore are isolated from the services available downtown. We want to help them.” Linman also leads a group of area churches called Converge that addresses community services, including helping the homeless on this side of town.

The proposed East Orlando drop-in shelter is still in its early conceptual stages. “What we want to have is a place where government and faith-based services scattered throughout the community are available in one location in East Orlando,” says Linman. From utilities to job placement assistance to basic medical care and food, the proposed drop-in center will offer dozens of services to those in need.

Ideally, Linman sees the center as a place to help those who have nowhere else to go as well as those who may become homeless. “We’ve got chronic homeless issues that will be addressed in this program, but we also want to address those in danger of becoming homeless,” he says. “We are envisioning this to be a fairly broad-based service.”

For now, the center location is entirely unknown, according to Linman. Still, many residents are concerned the center will bring dozens, if not hundreds, of area homeless to their door. “We’ve had a lot of people who are supportive of the concept but they are having a fit about location in their backyard,” he says. “Do I think it’s a great idea? Sure I do,” says Waterford Lakes resident, Anthony Del Ponte. “But do I want it across the street from my house? No way. It will be tough to find a spot that makes everyone happy.”

Several sites throughout East Orlando have been identified as possibilities, including the old Whistle Junction site on the corner of Colonial and Econlockhatchee Roads, although no site or area has been narrowed down for the center. “It’s time to start addressing the needs of our neighbors,” says Linman. “They are in our backyards, at the grocery store and at the stop light. If we serve them here, it gets them off the street and may help them down the road to recovery.”

Article by Corey Gehrold

One person that a child never forgets is a mentor. Organizations like the Central Florida Children’s Home and Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida make that happen.

Even as adults, people still remember the influence their mentors had on them.

Gary Cain, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, started out having a mentor of his own who helped him as a child. “He was like a father figure to me,” said Cain. “He has a great sense of humor and is a man of very strong values.” Cain said, “Every young person needs to have a positive relationship with an adult to help them understand the path to success.”

“Mentoring, to me, is teaching by guidance, counsel and encouragement,” said Renee Duff, the administrative assistant at the Central Florida Children’s Home.

Both of these organizations provide safe havens for children and teens in Orlando. The Central Florida Children’s Home is a Christian-based nonprofit children’s home located in the Lake Nona area. On a larger scale, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida is a nonprofit organization comprised of 31 club sites and middle school programs throughout four counties including a Bithlo Branch, Winter Park Branch, and a program at Corner Lake Middle School.

Success stories are everyday occurrences in both places. “Not only do we change the lives of the children that live in the home, but lives of the children or volunteers that come to visit us are changed too,” said Duff. “They see how life can be different for everybody, and it makes them look at their own heart to see what really matters.” Children and teens, 3 to 18-years-old, are cared for at the Home when their parents are unable to care for them. These children and teens have often been abandoned, neglected or abused.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida help about 13,000 children annually while focusing primarily on economically-disadvantaged children, according to Cain. The Clubs make education a priority and graduation rates have increased for members. Last year, 98% of high school seniors, who were Club members, graduated.

Staff, mentors and volunteers provide character building, skills development and academic enrichment programs for children and teens 6 to 18-years-old. Programs include Power Hour, an afterschool homework assistance program, and Money Matters, a financial literacy program.

Mentors and volunteers from the Clubs hope that members will gain even more than lifelong friendship. “First and foremost, we hope that [being members] will broaden their horizons, strengthen and fortify appropriate values and elevate their aspirations to be able to see the potential they have,” said Cain.

The Central Florida Children’s Home employs a similar approach when it comes to caring for the children. Their fivefold approach focuses on providing basic provisions, education, spiritual guidance, athletic participation and keeping siblings together. Since the Children’s Home does not receive federal or state funding, it relies on contributions from donors and organizations. The Home holds seasonal events like their pumpkin patch in October and Christmas tree lot in November and December in order to raise funds.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida also holds numerous events to receive financial support. Their upcoming Faces of the Future Fundraising Breakfast runs until mid-November in several club branches throughout Orlando.

Without staff, mentors and volunteers, helping these children would not be possible.

“Being a mentor will make a difference in a child,” said Duff. “Some children don’t have a person to give them that one-on-one or guidance that they need. Having a lunch or playing a game of kickball can mean the world to a child.”

Cain encourages people to mentor a child even if they only have an hour or two a week to set aside. “Mostly, we’re there to help children see the abilities that they have and to encourage them to pursue their hopes, dreams and aspirations,” said Cain. “We can never have too many volunteers.”

For more information on events from the Central Florida Children’s Home or Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, please visit www.cfch.net or www.bgccf.org, respectively.

Article by Aimee Hoyt

Free health care options for the uninsured in Orlando are few and far between, but Shepherd’s Hope Health Centers and Florida Hospital’s Heart Failure Clinic provide two options of hope for those in need.

“We will provide, this year, somewhere around 16,000 medical visits,” said Cindi Kopelman, president of Shepherd’s Hope, a faith-based program that offers free medical services to patients who are uninsured. With two East Orlando area locations and 10 locations in all, Shepherd’s Hope sees patients who have incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline and are ineligible for government-assisted health care programs.

Florida Hospital’s Heart Failure Clinic, which opened in 2006, is a cardiology-specialty clinic in Orlando that also provides free care to patients without insurance who meet the poverty guideline or on Medicaid. “[The Clinic] is so they can continue to get their follow-up and their care and take their medications to see if we can improve, or at least stabilize, their health condition,” said Cindi Hayes, one of the two nurse practitioners at the Heart Failure Clinic.

Approximately 5.8 million Floridians were uninsured during 2007-2008, according to a report released by Families USA. With the population of the uninsured increasing, patients are not just limited to the poor or unemployed. Often, patients are employed but either cannot afford to pay for adequate medical care or work part-time jobs where health-care benefits are not offered. In fact, the Families USA report found that more than four out of five uninsured in Florida were in working families.

“We realize that there are a lot of people right now who had insurance previously that aren’t used to accessing social services,” said Kopelman. “We want to get the word out that we’re here and want to help take care of people.”

At the Heart Failure Clinic, the nurses try to connect patients with community resources and make nonemergency visits to the hospital a last resort. “If patients are getting into trouble, they don’t have to go to the emergency room; they can actually call us and hope that we can get things turned around,” said Hayes.

These clinics are seeing a larger number of patients because of various factors including the state of the economy and the escalating unemployment rate. “This is our biggest influx of patients ever in our 12 year history,” said Kopelman. “One thing that makes Shepherd’s Hope so successful is our partnerships.”

All doctors, nurses, and health-care professionals at Shepherd’s Hope are volunteers of the community. Typically, these volunteers donate their time one night a month at the location of their choosing. Each Center also has one or two large partners that help to organize volunteers and is partnered with a local hospital to donate radiology and laboratory services. The Centers stock 20 standard generic medications which are free to patients.

The Heart Failure Clinic also provides free medications to its patients and sees about 350 patients regularly who are referred by hospitals or other community clinics. Hayes said the Clinic’s readmission rates have shown improvement. To distinguish progress, the nurses look at references like the New York Heart Association Functional Classification to see how symptomatic patients are. “Our outcome so far has been very good,” said Hayes.

While progress has been positive at the Heart Failure Clinic and Shepherd’s Hope Health Centers, they still need support.

Part of the Clinic’s budget is supported by the Florida Hospital while the rest comes from grants. Shepherd’s Hope is also funded partially by grants.

“About a third of our funding comes from grant foundations, a third of our funding comes from individuals and our faith community, and a third of funding comes from our special events,” said Kopelman. They hold two special events a year, the next one being their 2009 Famous Faces Masquerade Ball taking place in October with all proceeds going to free medical care.

“Nobody can meet the needs of the uninsured alone,” said Kopelman.

Article by Aimee Hoyt

We all need a helping hand from time to time. Whether we want to admit it or not, sometimes it takes more than just an individual effort, no matter how great, to be successful. There comes a time when we have to ask for help. For East Orlando and Central Florida, Heart of Florida United Way is here to answer this call and help residents, neighbors and the community get back on their feet.

The first step to getting help is getting information. United Way’s 2-1-1 and Elder Helpline offers free information and referral to local residents regarding affordable housing, child care, food, rent assistance and much more. “This 24 hour service helps  connect residents with the help they need every day,” says Michele Plant, director of marketing and communications for Heart of Florida United Way.

Arguably, many residents are in a time of need now more than ever before. In fact, Florida is ranked second in the nation for foreclosures, and has a 10.7 percent rate of unemployment. Keep in mind however, that translates to 89.3 percent of the population still employed. Still, this the rate leads to thousands without jobs, homes and financial assistance. Sandrika Nixon, a local Orlando resident, called 2-1-1 when her son was in the hospital and she lost her job. United Way was able get her the help she needed to pay her rent and assign her a caseworker. Since then, Nixon has been recommending 2-1-1 to friends who also need help. “I think it’s great,” she says. “[It's] just wonderful that United Way is able to help people in our community in this time of need.”

According to Plant, last year alone, “United Way helped 364,060 Central Floridians through 2-1-1 and other programs. Of all the 2-1-1 calls received, 15,533 were residents of East Orlando.” Perhaps more staggering is the larger than expected community response to the program. Several companies, like UPS of Central Florida, have begun their 2009-10 United Way Annual Campaign fundraising efforts early. Even with 686 fewer employees, this number is higher than last year’s contribution from UPS. For those residents who would like to contribute, but can’t do so financially, the best thing they can do according to the United Way is volunteer. “Donating time is just as valuable as donating money,” says Plant.

In addition to the 2-1-1 referral line, United Way has many other programs to benefit the community. The Earned Income Tax Credit program assists residents in claiming federal refunds and putting money back into the pockets of hard-working families. In 2007, nearly 11,000 local residents claimed more than $350 million in EITC refunds. The FamilyWize Prescription Drug Discount Card allows people to get the prescriptions they need at a reduced cost. The card is now accepted at 95 percent of pharmacies nationwide. Another successful program is the United Way Gifts in Kind Center, which distributes donated merchandise to local non-profits at a greatly reduced price.

As for the future, United Way is focusing on prevention and going in a new direction called Investing in Results. Plant explains, “Research shows that for every $1 spent on prevention, a minimum of $7 is saved on intervention.” So the United Way is going to put a renewed effort on prevention in the community. The areas they will focus on are building safer communities, improving financial stability, developing healthy children and families, among others. “United Way’s view is that community problems require community solutions,” says Plant. That’s why they’re collaborating with local non-profits, business leaders, academics, faith-based groups and other parties to take on these initiatives now to prevent crisis later. Change won’t occur overnight, but with Heart of United Way in town, citizens of Central Florida can be hopeful that change is coming.

Article by Kasie Thompson

A group of University of Central Florida students have taken it upon themselves to make East Orlando, and the entire Central Florida region, a better place to call home by volunteering their time and skills to help out numerous community organizations in need. They call themselves Volunteer UCF and they are committed to making a difference one day at a time.

VUCF is the only community service agency on the UCF main campus, which now houses more than 52,000 students making it the sixth largest university in the country. Their goal is simple: involve students by volunteering helping to make the community a better place. “We are charged with presenting community service opportunities to the student body ranging from programs and committees to events and continuous projects,” says Jessica Schwendeman, student director of Volunteer UCF. “We are given a budget every year with which to plan events, large and small, that impact the community and give a chance for students to be able to give back, make some new friends and contacts while having a good time.”

The organization is led by a 19 member board that helps determines which events the group will participate in throughout the semester. Events can range from hunger and homelessness to domestic violence, health, animals and environment, civic engagements, elderly awareness and more. The VUCF calendar is a busy one with different events almost every day. “I would be disappointed if it were any other way,” says Schwendeman.

“It’s a great way for people to get involved, especially because we cover so many different social issues in the events we plan,” says Jessica Lomasson, co-public relations coordinator for Volunteer UCF. “If students have a certain interest in a particular group, they can show their support by helping them out. Or if they don’t know where there passion is, we can help them find it.”

One of the group’s largest events is Knights Give Back, scheduled for October 10. “It’s a community service day where we have 20 events scheduled throughout the entire day,” says Lomasson. Students help various organizations throughout Central Florida including Hope Foundation, Harvest Time International, the Beta Center, Give Kids the World and many more. “It’s a lot of fun and the students and organizations really benefit from the partnership,” she says.

The group does not have a set number of “members” in the rational sense, something Schwendeman finds as positive. “If students want to come out for a particular project they can as long as they RSVP,” she says. “Any student can come to any activity we do which is one of the great things about our group — we really are campus driven and community-wide.”

Both the community and the students benefit greatly from the VUCF efforts. Schwendeman says volunteer work is valued at $19.25 an hour according to some organizations the group works with. “Volunteers help to save these groups thousands, if not millions, of dollars every year that goes back into helping the people they’re supposed to be helping,” she says.

“I hear a lot from people that have participated who say it’s really rewarding and they really seem to value the opportunity,” says Lomasson. According to her, students gain a newfound sense of gratitude and selflessness when they volunteer. “A lot of times college students are pretty selfish as a whole and this gives them an opportunity to branch away from their campus life and their typical social life and help out others. You don’t get that opportunity a lot in college,” she says.

“There are so many people that need our help for so many different reasons, it’s an incredible feeling to help them, even if it’s just for that one day,” says Schwendeman.

Article by Corey Gehrold