WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Talbot House Ministries in Lakeland is hoping to bring relief to homeless families by expanding its services into Winter Haven.
This new facility will help expand their residential programs to help families find affordable housing, establish a food pantry and a clinic. It will also house 82 people.
“We have a bulk of uncounted families sleeping in the cars or couch surfing with family members and friends,” said Talbot House Ministries executive director Maria Cruz. “So we want to tackle the need of this population.”
Twice a week you’ll find Cruz helping pack boxes of food at the ministry’s pantry.
“It’s a very significant service that we provide, we know that food insecurity is a big reason why people become homeless,” she said. “We have the working class people that are struggling to just be able to pay the rent.”
Right now, Polk County has over 600 people that are homeless, according to the homeless coalition of Polk County. So, Cruz says anything they can help with goes a long way.
“Our primary service that is used is the emergency shelter. We are serving over 120 and 130 individuals any given night of the year,” she said.
Bringing services to Winter Haven, Cruz says, will hopefully create a brighter future for more people.
Talbot House Ministries will begin renovation of the purchased property in the next few months with the goal of opening early next year.
Lizbeth Gutierrez
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