SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A 2020 report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development showed there were over 580,000 homeless people in the United States.

Florida ranked third in the nation, behind California and New York.

Shawnda Horn, a resilient mother living in Seminole County, shared her experienced of overcoming that adversity.

Shawnda became homeless in 2021 after losing her job while taking care of her mom, who was severely sick.

She and her two children have been homeless on and off since then. They even lived in an alley behind a grocery store in Sanford for three months this year. 

“Where no one could see even if they come by. No one would expect children and a mother to be out here,” Shawnda said.

Getting food was difficult, but things changed when Shawnda met Casey.

“That’s when she started coming and checking on us. And she would take us to her house and we would be fed there and take showers,” she said.

Shawnda calls Casey an angel from God.

“I feel he put me here to be a helping hand, to be one on of his angels to help people,” said Casey.

Casey said she would notice Shawnda and her two children in the alley and would stop to offer them food. 

According to Seminole County Public Schools, there are about 85 students who are living in a car/park or outside; and 358 students who live in either a hotel or a motel. 

Shawnda said she’s seen the impact of how being homeless has affected her kids. 

“Anybody they see or meet, and once you get to know them, they talk about it. So it did damage them because they’re not stable,” said Shawnda.

Through Casey, Shawnda learned about The Sharing Center, a social services organization helping individuals affected by hardship, hunger and homelessness.  

Keisha Thomas with The Sharing Center said when she met Shawnda, she knew they could help. 

“If it’s a single mom, it takes months to recover. When our income has been compromised, we can’t recover overnight. So, we need support such as agencies like The Sharing Center who can help them rebuild and re-stabilize for their families,” said Keisha, The Sharing Center Oasis Manager. 

Keisha said in October they served about 1,300 bags of foods through the center’s Oasis program.

The USDA reports that 8.8% of households with children and adults experienced food insecurity last year, which is an increase from 6.2% in 2021.

Shawnda said The Sharing Center has helped her with temporary housing as well as providing food for her family.