LONGWOOD, Fla. – A local nonprofit is calling for community support as they fear the high cost of living and inflation may prevent them from helping families in need in the future.
Inflation has been a consistent issue over the past few years in the U.S. thanks to COVID-19 lockdown policies and high federal spending, which have driven the value of the dollar down — resulting in higher prices on goods and services across the board.
The Sharing Center in Seminole County offers a variety of services for those in need, like The Oasis.
The Oasis provides a place for those experiencing hunger or homelessness to get a meal, a hot shower or laundry service.
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“I think this is one of the most — I call it the defining moment in the chapter of my life was to be here at the Sharing Center,” said Oasis Center client Neal.
Neal is just one of the hundreds of clients getting help through The Oasis at The Sharing Center.
“I’m basically without a home,” Neal said. “Today begins a new transition for me. I go back into an extended stay.”
Neal said he’s made friends with people like Yahshua Yah. Yah said he’s been homeless for the last year.
“Life would be a lot harder if the Sharing Center wasn’t around to provide the help and services. They’ve been providing to me here,” Yah said.
Neal and Yah aren’t alone. Senior Director of Strategic Engagement, Margaux Pagan, said they’ve seen a dramatic increase in the need for their services as a result of inflation and the high cost of living.
“We’re seeing kind of everything boil up that COVID has kind of calmed down a little bit on the medical side. What we’re seeing now is a little bit of elevation in the financial burden and financial crises side,” Pagan said.
The Sharing Center reports they are providing 180% more financial assistance on average per family than before COVID-19.
In March, the Families in Crisis program provided 23 families with financial assistance. That’s nearly double the number of families compared to the same time last year.
“It is maxing us out,” Pagan said. “We haven’t had to turn away any qualified families in over 40 years, and we are worried that we may have to turn families away from receiving financial assistance.”
Pagan said the Families in Crisis program could run out of money this year.
“When we have to turn a family away, they essentially could become homeless, and once a family becomes homeless, that’s when the spiral down the poverty spectrum really, really takes hold, and it becomes harder and harder to become stable again,” Pagan said.
If you’d like to donate to The Sharing Center, click here.
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