Mark Landschoot News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Changing Homelessness nonprofit's Point in Time count: 71% of Jacksonville-area homeless found them themselves in a housing crisis for the first time

To better serve its growing clientele, the Family Promise relocated from First United Methodist Church downtown to Arlington Congregational Church.

Shelton Carmen-Owens had long wanted to relocate to Florida from his home state of Wisconsin. In November 2020, after a series of conflicts with his estranged wife, the 35-year-old and his 3-year-old son made the move to Jacksonville. They arrived in the early morning hours and drove to the beach to see the sunrise. Then Carmen-Owens, who was once homeless as a child, used Google to find assistance. He had left his life behind and needed a place to live, a place to work and a place to care for his son. "I knew I needed help," he said. Right away he found Family Promise of Jacksonville, a...