Seminole County Community Needs Assessment

I am a 31 year old single/solo parent of a 5 year old girl. I grew up in Seminole County and I'd like to think I am very resourceful, as a girl with no family and very few close friends who has had to make things work by herself pretty frequently in life... I have struggled to find job training programs that would ACTUALLY afford to get us our own apartment or home, I have been denied assistance with food, housing, and childcare during many time periods throughout my journey as a single mother (now being one of those times).. I can assure you that the only way my daughter and I have neglected to suffer throughout this has been directly through connections that I have made to other successful people in my life, and that I have still not found any agency that can help me move forward building a future and getting through my "now" in the meantime...
I would like to see some sort of program dedicated to help facilitate success for the single/solo parents that are struggling to keep it afloat, without having anybody to fall back on.. Its hard and scary out here to navigate by myself and I know that I personally could really use help in a multitude of ways- but there is no "place" to turn to..
As an almost life-long resident of Seminole County- I LOVE the cities within this county.. but it has been an absolute struggle to get anywhere so far.

Hello,
I relocated to Florida from Ohio, and noticed a few differences in resources made available to residents.
1. Florida requires you to reside in the state for a period if 1 year to be considered a resident for tuition purposes. I have been a resident for 2.5 years now, and that stipulation held me back a year. I could’ve completed my education much sooner.

2. The workforce development program allows entities such as Career Source to determine certain parameters regarding training program eligibility, funding, and etc. Currently, career source only funds low wage programs, which does not help a person maintain an adequate standard of living. Funding, only low wage programs keeps a person from truly earning an adequate income. I wanted to pursue a degree in Nursing or Dental Hygiene- $75k salary occupations, but the program does not allow you to prosper. Instead, I was left with the choice to choose a low paying certificate program-pharmacy technician, $36k. The other choices, CNA, dental assistant, etc, ALL low wages. However, depending on your region, you could attend those programs, but not in Seminole county region.

3. In Ohio, there’s a program called (PRC)-prevention retention contingency. It is part of the public assistance program and offers $750 for car repairs. There are no programs here that address this need.

4. The parameters for the School Readiness program need to be revised. A family of 3, earning $38,000 a year will be denied assistance, because it’s over the income limit. Rent for a 3bdrm in winter park, oviedo, Altamonte, etc, is $2500 per month. This totals more than 24k a year which is more than half of an $38,000 salary. Furthermore, most of the childcare facilities close at 5:00pm or 6:00pm. So, if a person works 11am-7pm, 3pm until 11pm, there are no facilities to accommodate them. In addition, if you live in Seminole county, you will not be able to use the childcare assistance at a facility in Orange county, even if it’s the only facility that offers the hours you need. The facility must be contracted with the agency that is providing the assistance.

5. There is very little affordable housing for seniors. Some only receive $1500 from social security, but rent is $1800. In turn, they must work, but then lose medical benefits and get their social security reduced. They are one step away from a heart attack, working with high blood pressure, diabetes, at 70 years old. There should be more affordable housing for them and veterans—In prominent neighborhoods.

I would love to see Seminole County help families whose water and/or electric has been cut off due to non payment by erasing what they owe AND addressing why this happened. Was it because the person needed a leak repair that they couldn’t afford to get repaired or maybe the electric bill was so high due to needed home repairs some which might be very inexpensive to fix. As a retired Social Worker I know this would help. All it would take is someone surveying how many and how many months have the services been cutoff probably could be done by computer. Then follow up with the individuals to see what is needed. Surely there is a grant to help.

I am a lower income senior age 63. I live in Casselberry off Seminola Blvd. I can't even get a bus on Seminola, which is a major road. The older I get the less I like to drive. I also don't have funds to replace my almost 20 yr old car when it finally dies. Ride Shares are expensive. I don't have family to drive me places. Seminole County needs to address the transportation needs of the senior population. It'd be nice to have a bus stop or several on Seminola. It'd be nice to have a Casselberry shuttle bus for local errands and appointments.

Homelessness is on the rise in Seminole County. I urge our leaders to take proactive steps to reduce homelessness and improve the lives of peoples in the margins

Your survey lacks parental services which would encourage married dual-parent families. This is the number one indicator of financial success for both parents and children and the main vehicle by-which families are raised out of poverty. Services which encourage fathers and mothers to marry before having children and remain married permanently thereafter are the optimal model for improving the lives of citizens of any community. Please add these to your survey or you will be missing significant data points which may invalidate the survey.

I would love to see Seminole County become a leader by being a Beacon and Positive Model by taking Action to prevent homelessness and unemployment. Providing positive support by removing the red tape and creating simpler solutions for those in need. Walk the Walk instead of Talk the Talk! It takes a Village of Caring and Supporting. Let's give a hand-up instead of an easy handout. Preventative for the long haul.