ORLANDO, Fla.  —  People facing unemployment across Florida have struggled for months to apply for benefits thanks to a statewide system that has had a lot of hiccups. 

A few people have stepped up to help others navigate through the process.

Ty Menard was furloughed from his job at Cirque du Soleil at the start of the pandemic.  He started a group on social media so he and co-workers could help each other sign up for unemployment benefits.

“I wanted to make a group to be able to stay in contact and say hey I got through, I got paid, this is where I am with the whole thing – I have these questions – and just keep tabs on each other and take care of our own people,” Menard said.

But that small group soon grew to more than 21,000 people across the state – all reaching out for help as they struggled to connect with the state’s system either over the phone or through the website.

“It just kind of fell in my lap, but I ran with it because why not help people,” Menard said. “We’re all going through the same thing so kind of band together and share experiences, especially if you’re trying to get someone on the other end of the phone.”

Vanessa Brito is in South Florida and spends much of her time caring for her parents at home. But soon after frustrations with the state’s unemployment benefit system grew, she realized she could use her years of working as a community activist to work for others.

“This is all I do – I probably get five hours of sleep every night,” Brito said. “And I literally write updates all day and I post all day and I read all day.”

It’s a full time job – but without a paycheck.  She says she’s eating more and more into her savings.

“There are people who want to help, just for the sake of helping,” Brito said. “There isn’t a hidden agenda. It does feel good to have somebody say because of all the work you did I finally got paid.”

Menard says he sometimes spends 12 to 16 hours a day helping others navigate through their benefit process. And he says that’s probably set him back with his own search for a paycheck.

“Having waiting longer than some to start the job search has probably hurt me in the end, as I still struggle to find a job during the furlough,” Menard said.

But he says it’s worth it in the long run.

“But I think it was still worth it and satisfying to extent to be able to help so many people and hopefully they’re in a better place because of what I did,” Menard said.​