As the cost of living continues to surge across South Florida, many longtime residents are finding it harder than ever to stay afloat. <\/p>\n
For one Martin County father, a sudden medical crisis pushed his family to the brink of homelessness \u2014 until a local nonprofit stepped in. <\/p>\n
WATCH: Brooker says everything changed when his wife\u2019s health took a turn<\/p>\n
Now, he\u2019s celebrating something he once thought was impossible: owning his first home.<\/p>\n
New homes are frequently being built across the Treasure Coast, but prices are outpacing what many families can afford.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was paying $2,200 a month for a 3-bedroom, 2-bath crap duplex wood frame falling apart thing,\u201d said John Brooker, who lives in Martin County with his wife and three children. <\/p>\n
Brooker says the family had always managed to get by. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe were getting by okay, but you know, my wife had worked 34 years for the same bank,\u201d Brooker said. <\/p>\n
Everything changed when his wife\u2019s health took a turn, and she ultimately lost her job. Overnight, the family went from two incomes to one. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe were renters and rents were going up. It snowballed and next thing you know we\u2019re upside down $12,000-$15,000 in credit card debt in just like six months,\u201d Brooker said.<\/p>\n
Then came the eviction notice. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo be a father, and have three kids in your house and you\u2019re trying not to tell them how bad things are knowing you\u2019re going to be evicted any day,\u201d Brooker said.<\/p>\n
Brooker sought help with food and bills but couldn\u2019t find enough support to catch up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI needed something. I needed a miracle. That\u2019s what I got,\u201d Brooker said.<\/p>\n
That \u201cmiracle,\u201d he says, came from Family Promise of Martin County.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was like, ‘Yes we can help you’. I almost fainted.,\u201d Brooker said.<\/p>\n
The nonprofit specializes in keeping families together during housing crises \u2014 something Executive Director Madeleine Bozone says sets them apart.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur promise in family promise is keeping the family together. So in certain shelters they won\u2019t take a parent if they have a child that\u2019s a male age 12 or older… We\u2019ll take the whole family and keep them together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The organization provided the family with temporary housing at a very low rate, giving them a chance to stabilize and start saving again.<\/p>\n
In just nine months, Brooker was back on his feet \u2014 and for the first time in his life, a homeowner.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I have my own home that I only pay $1,400 a month for.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked what that moment felt like:<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this your first time owning a home? asked WPTV. <\/p>\n
“Yes. Amazing, amazing. Yea. How does it feel? Liberating,” Brooker said. <\/p>\n
He says every day still feels surreal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI pull in the driveway and I walk up to the house and I smile because this is mine. I did it. This belongs to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bozone says Brooker\u2019s story is one of success, but the demand for help continues to grow as rent prices keep rising faster than local wages.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are families that really are, they\u2019re just struggling and they can\u2019t figure out why is it that I\u2019m working full time, working another part-time job, or they do have two household incomes with two wage earners and still aren\u2019t able to make it. It\u2019s something we really have to solve in Martin County. It\u2019s a problem for sure,\u201d Bozone said. <\/p>\n
HOW TO HELP<\/p>\n
Family Promise of Martin County relies heavily on community donations. This weekend, the organization is hosting its annual fundraiser \u2014 the Martin County Bed Races in downtown Stuart \u2014 where teams decorate twin beds and race them down Flagler Avenue. <\/p>\n
Attendees can cheer on the racers and make donations to support families facing homelessness.<\/p>\n