By Samantha Joseph
Staff writer
MARTIN COUNTY - A man writing a letter to a Stuart charity thanks the staff for saving him from homelessness and desperation.
"I had never gone for help before," wrote the Hobe Sound man, who asked not to be identified.
But after his employer shut its doors, he faced eviction from his home.
"I was so distraught," he wrote.
The story is not unlike several others that Diane Tomasik has heard in her role as communications manager for House of Hope, where the calls for help have skyrocketed 80 percent in the last 18 months.
The agency's emergency financial-assistance program, which provides one-time aid to people in crisis, helped 379 families last year, up about 55 percent since 2007.
Its food pantry had to rev up distribution to expand its reach 46 percent, serving 126 tons of food, the equivalent of about 296,000 meals, last year.
"In this economic climate, we're seeing so many more people, but many are different from the clients that we typically served in the past," Ms. Tomasik said.
"We're seeing a lot of folks who have never been in the system before. People who have been on the bottom rung or two of the economic ladder are really sinking now. Those are the folks who are coming through our doors more and more."
But it's this spike in demand that has left the leaders of Martin County nonprofits fearing they might have to start turning away applicants.
"That's what gives me sleepless nights," said Jim Vojcsik, executive director of United Way of Martin County. "The last thing that we want to do is have to cut the funding to these programs at a time when people need them the most."
But unless it can raise upward of $200,000 in the next six weeks, the group might just have to make some difficult choices.
United Way, which funds several charities, including House of Hope, last year embarked on a campaign to raise $2.7 million by next March. The figure was about $500,000 higher than the goal set in the previous campaign, but officials estimated they would need to increase their budget to cover rising demand.
Growing unemployment and foreclosures in the county meant that partner agencies were struggling to serve more clients.
Employees at the charities say it doesn't take much to push many of the county's residents into financial hardship.
Even before the nationwide economic slump, 8.2 percent of Martin County residents, or about 11,400 people, lived at or below the federal poverty line, earning about $13,200 annually for two people or $20,000 for a family of four, according to the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation and the U.S. Census Bureau.
More than 16 percent of children and single mothers and about 6 percent of people over age 65 live in poverty.
"It doesn't take long for families like these to get into crisis situations," Ms. Tomasik said.
But at the end of January 2009, United Way officials found they were far short of their goal.
In fact, the group was trailing its previous performance, and had raised $200,000 less than it had by that same period last year.
At that rate, it seemed unlikely to meet its goal of generating an additional half a million in two months.
That's why the group issued a public call for assistance this month, sending an "SOS" to media, businesses and individuals.
"United Way of Martin County agencies and clients are struggling to survive through these harrowing economic times," it stated.
Miguel Coty, Martin Memorial Health Systems vice president of marketing and communications, who's also chairing the fundraising campaign, issued a somber message to Martin County residents.
"This is an SOS to the community. Should it go unheeded, there will be catastrophic and lasting consequences not simply on the quality of life here, but in the ability to live life for thousands of residents," he said. "This is a plea ... to save the community."
For its part, House of Hope, like other charities, is continuing its efforts to meet the brisk demand.
Its clothing program distributed 50,000 items of clothing last year, and its food pantry provides boxes of foods to families who would otherwise go hungry.
"Often, the food pantry is the first point of contact for a family in crisis," Ms. Tomasik said.
For the Hobe Sound man who wrote the thank-you letter, the agency was a life raft. By giving him $400 to help pay a month's rent, it helped stop his eviction. He says he has since found a job, and is working to rebuild his life.
"This seems like a small amount, but it could change someone's life completely," Ms. Tomasik said.