POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The price of paradise is hard for a lot of families across the Tampa Bay area, especially after the pandemic. But Polk County leaders are stepping up and working with other organizations to help families in need.
“It’s been hard,” said Michelle, looking down at her phone and shaking her head.
Michelle didn’t want to give her last name, but she did share her story with ABC Action News. She said she started working at age 14. She had to stop a few years ago to be a full-time caregiver for her parents. Her mother died a year and a half ago, and her father died back in January. She can’t get a full-time job and the money she was getting for her father is about to stop. Needless to say, the bills are piling up and so is the stress.
“It’s frustrating because the prices are severely high, and when you’re on a budget, you really can’t make ends meet,” she said.
According to the U.S. census bureau, 40% of Americans are struggling to pay household expenses, and more than 8 million Americans are late on rent as prices continue to increase. The pandemic, according to the census, is the number one reason.
“We are seeing the need rise, I know from just watching our food distribution,” said Steven Hill.
Hill is the program director. For the Dream Center of Lakeland, a non-profit that helps families in need.
“The need is continually growing,” he said.
He has seen their food distribution days go from helping 70 to 80 households. Now they have more than 160 households in need of food.
“We’ve got some of our members that are paying $700 to $800 to be in a room,” he said. “I just met with a man yesterday who has to pay $300 a week. He was literally one day behind and the landlord said they’d put him out of his space because of that.”
That’s why events like Polk County’s Emergency Rental and Utility Assistance event are important. The County has given Florida Rural Legal Services Inc. $750,000 to help folks with rent and utility bills. Each household that qualifies can get up to $12,000 in financial assistance. They also had lawyers on hand to go over leases with renters. And for those who didn’t qualify for financial help, lawyers worked to see if they could help folks in danger of eviction.
Michelle and others said they appreciate the help, but they wish they weren’t in this situation.
“If we could make it, we wouldn’t be here, but we need help,” said Michelle as she looked around the room, acknowledging the others in the same situation.
To read about a few other qualifications and find links and contact info to apply, click here or here.
