JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The emails started coming in — women on the verge of homelessness, many with children, not knowing where to turn. They had reached out to social service agencies, but shelters were full or no one followed up. News4JAX wanted to know if this was an isolated trend — and an expert says it’s not.
“Twenty years ago you were seeing the majority men, and now it’s getting close to almost a 50-50 split,” said Brian Snow, who has spent more than 20 years working with people experiencing housing instability. “Which is extremely alarming to us.”
‘Crisis poverty’ pushing families to the edge
Snow points to a shift in why people are losing their homes. It is no longer just chronic unemployment or addiction — it is something he calls “crisis poverty.”
“More and more people are becoming homeless due to crisis poverty,” Snow said.
Crisis poverty happens when a family simply cannot financially survive one emergency after another. Medical bills. A job loss. A family member who needs care. Each crisis chips away until there is nothing left.
That is exactly what happened to Jolean.
A lifetime of carrying others
Jolean’s story starts young. At 13, she was living on her own. At 19, she stepped up to take custody of her brothers after her mother became unwell. Over the years, she had two children of her own, then took custody of her brother’s children, and is now helping care for her grandson — who required multiple brain surgeries.
Then the home she was renting was condemned for extensive repairs. Just like that, Jolean and six children had nowhere to go.
“This time I can’t do it no more. I’m tired. I’ve done so much and I try not to ask for help,” she said. “It’s not anyone’s job to help me. I have kids who need me and I feel helpless and I’m tired.”
Sulzbacher Center providing a lifeline
Jolean and the six children are currently being helped on a 30-day basis by Jacksonville’s Sulzbacher Center, which has been serving people in need since 1995. Sulzbacher Village offers 70 affordable apartments and 56 units for people who need housing immediately — or who would otherwise be living in a car or on the street.
Snow says the long-term answer is straightforward, even if it is not easy.
“Housing. Affordable housing,” he said. Sulzbacher is also planning to open a second housing development for single men — 100 units — in the near future.
Funding cuts raise concerns
Mayor Donna Deegan has made affordable housing a priority. But the outlook is complicated. Amendment 3, on the November ballot, could cut up to $300 million from city coffers if it passes — raising serious concerns about the future of housing programs.
The city has already reduced its funding for Sulzbacher, dropping its contribution from $375,000 last fiscal year to $250,000 in the new fiscal year.
Snow pushes back on skeptics who question spending tax dollars on housing assistance.
“The face of homelessness is not what you think it is,” he said. “Paying a little more in taxes to be great to the community that we live in — to make sure that people are not on the streets and getting a nutritious meal — it’s worth that little tax.”
Jolean’s message to other women
For women going through what she has been through, Jolean has a simple message:
“Don’t give up. Do not be afraid or embarrassed. Do not let pride get in the way. Do not be so afraid of the no that you stop looking for the yes.”
Click here to donate to the GoFundMe to support Jolean and her family.
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