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<\/p>\nORANGE COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 Bettie Lindsey was barely able to hold back tears as she sat by the pool of the Extended Stay facility she and her family have called home for the past several months.<\/p>\n
Lindsey, who admitted she was in the process of turning her life around, thought she had finally \u201cmade it\u201d when she found an apartment for her three kids and granddaughter.<\/p>\n
The Pulse survivor said the building sold \u2013 twice \u2013 and paperwork issues with the new landlord resulted in her being evicted.<\/p>\n
The organization who placed her found her the room at the Extended Stay, promising to find her a new apartment and offering to help with the cost in the meantime.<\/p>\n
Lindsey said she got a week\u2019s notice in February that the assistance \u2013 and assistance for many other families at the Extended Stay \u2013 would be ending.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were going to be responsible for everything,\u201d Lindsey said. \u201cEvery time when [the money] comes in, it\u2019s right back out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lindsey was the beneficiary of a nonprofit group\u2019s Bridge Housing funds. The funding provided by the State of Florida was meant to help keep families off the streets by providing temporary assistance until they found more solid ground to stand on.<\/p>\n
The Homeless Services Network, which was not involved in Lindsey\u2019s case, confirmed the program was meant to be temporary and funding dried up in February, leaving that organization with 11 families they had to help with about three months\u2019 notice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a tremendous need for what\u2019s called bridge housing \u2014 a safe place to stay while working toward a stable long-term solution,\u201d an HSN spokeswoman wrote. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to find another source of funding to continue the program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lindsey said her full-time job and her daughter\u2019s full-time job brought in some money, but not enough to afford Orlando\u2019s high rental prices for a family of five. Her eviction and past convictions also worked against her.<\/p>\n
As she sat by the pool, she said her rent was due in an hour \u2013 and for the first time, she didn\u2019t have the money.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know how one person is supposed to make it without going out doing something wrong,\u201d she said. \u201cThe stories I\u2019ve been hearing these women say, and I\u2019ve been watching these women do, I don\u2019t want to be pushed to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked why she wanted her story to be told, she said she wanted Floridians \u2013 and especially politicians \u2013 to remember that families like her were struggling to survive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still taxpayers, whether we\u2019re homeless or not, we still go to work, we still pay bills, but it\u2019s getting overwhelming, and we need people to hear us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Lindsey\u2019s fortunes improved \u2013 slightly \u2013 a few minutes after her interview ended, and after she described her emotions as feeling like God was no longer listening to her.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Homeless Services Network] just paid for today and a week here,\u201d she texted, along with a few other details that signified a renewed sense of hope. \u201cThank you God.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Orlando\u2019s housing shortage declared worst in the nation <\/p>\n
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