Homelessness Along Osceola County's Tourism Corridor: A Perspective From US-192
Friday, August 8, 2014
By: Nicole Creston

August 8, 2014 | WMFE, Orlando - Osceola County has one of the highest numbers of homeless families in the country, according to a recent report commissioned by county officials. And in an area dominated by the tourism industry, homelessness can present itself in unexpected ways.

[Image: Community Hope Center Executive Director Mary Downey stands by the organization's "vision board," where goals for 2014 are displayed]

Many of these families are staying off the streets by squeezing into a room at one of the motels lining US-192, a busy tourist corridor. But now, most of the tourists that come to visit the theme parks nearby stay at the newer hotels on the park’s property.

Tension is building between the motel owners, who want their rooms open for thrifty visitors, and the families, who are stuck in a financial position that makes it difficult to save up for deposits on a place of their own.

Into the space between steps Mary Downey, Executive Director of Community Hope Center. CHC is Downey's brainchild, a “one-stop shop” for social services tailored for homeless people and other underserved populations. It is almost entirely funded by private donations.

The organization operates from a converted Mexican restaurant on 192, right in the thick of things - three extended-stay motels are visible from its parking lot. The thoroughly renovated building now houses a food pantry, job services, a closet of work clothes, a clinic...and a handful of donated desks from which representatives of more than a dozen organizations partner with CHC to offer a wide array of social services.

Downey tells 90.7’s Nicole Creston how the uniquely-structured CHC operates in a county with unique homelessness issues.