60 Minutes - how we are helping

Last night 60 minutes aired a heartbreaking story about families living in their cars. This unfortunate reality is happening nightly in Central Florida and other places. We have been hit hard by long term unemployment and the housing market bubble bursting. There are jobs out there, but the competition is high and those who have skills that are not in demand are left out in the cold as well as many who are uneducated and unskilled.

In March, Christian HELP with many others in the community formed the Casselberry community task force to support the schools and help families in need. Since that time, over 35 churches, businesses and individuals have joined in the fight to prevent homlessness and hunger. Below is an excerpt of an interview we had with Fox Orlando.

Community helping homeless kids in Seminole County : MyFoxORLANDO.com

To see the CBS Overtime report which includes the task force, click this link: Everyone Can do Something.

Together we can make a difference in our own communities. Thank you for making a difference through Christian HELP and the Task Force.

When the need becomes public

Last Sunday 60 minutes showed the nation that homelessness is local to Central Florida. It is not just the man on the street with the scruffy beard. The man portrayed has a family to feed and needs a roof over his head.

If you did not see it http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7358670n.

It was estimated 25% of children are living in poverty. The middle class is shrinking. How do we make it stop? What can we do to fix it? How did this happen?

In 2008 we saw the beginning of the "great recession". At Christian HELP we were shouting from the rooftops as families moved into their cars as their houses and rental properties were foreclosed on. People lost everything when they lost their jobs. Some even took their own lives.

We have been working very hard to tackle the root cause of the problem- unemployment. We are teaching people how to be more competitive and how to network. Our classes go beyond the basics to teach the secrets of navigating online applications and how to interview. Our employment seminars are well attended and help to re-charge and re-energize the weary.

We are a small fish in a big pond. The need is tremendous and the resources are not. We continue to press on and do more. We inform, we advocate, and we do all we can to keep people from falling through the cracks.

We need people like you to invest in the long term solutions. In 19 years, Christian HELP has connected over 78,000 people with jobs and given away over 6.8 million pounds of food.

We have been recognized since 1999 as the most effective permanent placement agency in Central Florida. The White House and Manhattan Institute have recognized our efforts.

How can you help?

Send us your job leads
Do food drives
Re-tweet and re-post from our facebook and twitter pages
Become and ambassador and an advocate for the unemployed
Volunteer
With your finances- dollars are matched in March and April. Donate online at http://christianhelp.org/donate.htm
and most importantly with your prayers.

The media hype will eventually go away, but people will always need jobs.

Thank you for HELPing us HELP the community.