AIR DATE APRIL 13, 2023
Title: Community Support
No one is immune to unexpected incidents that lead to financial instability. But you’re not alone. Learn about community resources ready to give a helping hand.
Guests
Central Florida Mutual Aid, Organizer – Robin Denise Harris
Community Action Division, Interim Deputy Director – Lavon Williams
People Helping People Is the Key to Lifting Everyone in Central Florida
Every community experiences socioeconomic gaps where people and families need assistance to make ends meet. Whether someone needs more or less is irrelevant when there aren’t solutions available for anyone.
Robin Harris works with Central Florida Mutual Aid. “During Hurricane Ian, as soon as we were able to be on the ground, we literally went door-to-door to see what some of the needs were for the residents,” Harris told me. “That’s pretty much what we do. We try to take a more personal approach, and try to make sure that the end result is residents, individuals, that whatever they need, that is still self-determined.”
I also spoke with Lavon Williams, the Interim Deputy Director of Community and Family Services in Orange County. Overcoming the mindset of generational poverty is often the first barrier that must be dismantled. “It’s not as simple as, “Oh, I need more money.” That doesn’t solve the challenge of poverty, yet may temporarily solve it, but it doesn’t solve the whole sustainability and economic self-sufficiency issue,” Williams said. “There are some things that people need to be taught.”
The Goal Is for Programming to Offer a Hand Up
It can be difficult for people to accept assistance. Harris is quick to point out that the work of Central Florida Mutual Aid is not that. “We are everyday people that do things for everyday people,” Harris told me. “We don’t want people to get help and feel like they owe some type of allegiance to us. I just like to think of us, as everyday people, which is so empowering.”
Williams talked to me about LIHEAP, which is the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program in the county. “It is designed to help individuals pay their utility bills when they have no other recourse. They do have to meet an income poverty guideline.”
By finding ways to fill in the gaps that families experience, it becomes easier to ensure everyone has what they need.
How You Can Start Getting Involved
“We’ve tried to build a network that hopefully makes folks feel like they can come to us with anything, and for anything,” Harris told me. “If we can’t do it, if they can’t do it, we can link together to find resources that can try to help alleviate the situation.”
One of the challenges involves access certainty. Some people and families are shy or proud, and it feels like a negative experience to ask for help. Other issues can influence the decision-making process for some, including an undocumented status.
Williams points out that the county has eight community centers to help provide support. “When you go to the community center, you can ask for the center manager, and they can tell you if there are any volunteer opportunities.”
Each community thrives when we look out for one another. With Central Florida Mutual Aid and Orange County’s Community and Family Services department leading the way, we can help everyone to keep moving forward.
