ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla.-- Abrieahna Olasode is looking for a fresh start. She's 19 years old, just graduated high school, and is homeless.
"I really don't have any family down here or anything, and I'm a young mother of two," she said.
Olasode is one of the fortunate ones. She linked up with the St. Johns County Homeless Coalition and got transitional housing. We found out Olasode and her boys reflect a growing demographic in our area.
"We have a lot of younger children coming into our program," Debi Redding said.
Redding is with the St. Johns County Homeless Coalition. She says people under 18 represent nearly 41% of the homeless population, and her group is in desperate need of toddler beds and other resources for kids that age.
"Six years ago, we had 50 homeless children. Now we almost have 580 homeless children in the school district," she continued.
Despite St. Johns County being one of the most affluent in the state, Redding says no one is exempt from hard times. As for Olasode, she says she'll continue working and trying to get on her feet. Next time you see a homeless person, she wants you to remember: it can happen to anyone.
"Some people are losing their jobs and it's getting hard to find jobs," she said.
The county only has room to shelter 250 homeless people, so they really need your help. If you have any extra furniture or goods, you can drop them off at the Transitional Housing Office (62 Chapin St.) in St. Augustine,
Or call (904) 819-0059 or (904) 824-6623 for pick up.
