Meet Charlie



You’d never know by looking at Charlie that he had experienced a rough period of homelessness.  At 72, this tall, lean man, has kind eyes and a friendly smile.  This United States Air Force Veteran spent months experiencing homelessness on the streets in Broward County. He spent more than six months living in his car and staying with friends, and moving around from couch to couch. 

He spent years serving as a medic in the Air Force and lived in many different areas of the United States.  He worked in transportation, and later for the theme parks in Orlando. He was a hard-working senior making ends meet and living paycheck to paycheck. Charlie said “the hardest part of being homeless is the stress of not knowing where you will sleep, or the police forcing you to move on when you do find a spot”.

He was provided with emergency housing at the TaskForce Elder Hope and Haven program, funded by the Jim Moran Foundation. During his stay, he worked diligently, along with the TaskForce, to secure a permanent home he now lives in. His new condo overlooks a swimming pool and the Florida sunshine. He earns a living now as a driver for a ride-share company and has plenty of wisdom to share with his passengers. 

“I am so thankful these programs exist.  Otherwise, I would still be out there on my own.” - Charlie

Meet Samuel

The end of October is typically a time that many people start to prepare themselves for how they'll spend the upcoming holiday season. For Samuel, a 64 year-old Broward County resident who was sleeping in his car on the streets of Lauderhill, it is likely that he believed the next six months of his life would look similarly to the prior 6-month period that he had just spent living in the scorching hot South Florida heat and sleeping in a vehicle.

Fortunately, he met the TaskForce Fore Ending Homelessness just before the month of November while TaskForce team members were conducting outreach activities at a local feeding center. Samuel explained that he was suffering from a heart condition and was assessed for services that would help meet his needs. Subsequently, he was provided with emergency housing at the TaskForce Elder Haven and Hope program, funded by the Jim Moran Foundation. During his stay, he worked diligently, along with the TaskForce, to secure a permanent place to sleep and to resume the life he felt that he had lost. 

In just less than a month after arriving to Elder Haven and Hope, Samuel secured a more permanent place to live that he gets to call his home. To this day, he continues to live peacefully in stable housing and was able to enjoy the 2021 holiday season surrounded by his new belongings and neighbors. 

Meet Darlene



If you saw Darlene at work, you would never guess that she has a degree in both Social Services and Criminal Justice, and that just three months ago she was homeless and living in her car. A South Florida native, Darlene has a bright smile, glowing skin and an infectious laugh.  Although she is 67, you would guess she was much younger and living the good life.  She credits her beauty regime on three things - 1) Drinking lots of water 2) Being close to God and 3) Being grateful for everything.  But number 3 isn't always easy.

Darlene has had a rough 2022.  After giving up her job, home and life to care for her elderly mother full time, her mother finally passed away in February, but that was just the beginning of the trouble. She was not aware that the house she was living in would soon belong to someone else, and that she would soon be out on the street and scrambling to get her belongings into storage before she was locked out of the property. 

Although Darlene has family, no one could give her a place for long.  There were no good choices for her so she started living in her car in her relative's driveway. She kept a routine every day of prayer, morning wash ups at a McDonalds bathroom, and looking for work and a place to stay.

When she met Alex and Genji from the TaskForce she was at her wits end.  After 3 months of poor eating, not enough rest, and not finding an affordable place to stay, she had let herself go. She was angry at the situation she let herself fall into, angry that she couldn't just pull herself out of it, and tired of life. She just wanted to sleep.

Luckily Darlene's strong faith and patience working with the system paid off.  TaskForce was able to get her into the Broward Outreach Center shelter where she has the support she needs to thrive. She is now working as a school crossing guard, and absolutely loves her job. "Having the opportunity to see the kids and engage with the community means a lot to me.  I want to start reading again, get my own place and eventually travel." "Being fiercely independent, I really enjoy helping others, and that's what I plan to do with my future.  I've seen a lot in life.  I want to take my life's experience and learning and help others live the best life they can."