ORLANDO — Esther Alvarado waited in line behind a handful of other speakers. She clutched a little girl in her arms. Three older girls stood by her side. When it was her turn to talk, Alvarado stepped up to the microphone, apologizing for her husband’s absence. He was working. At that exact moment, she couldn’t fight the tears anymore.

“We’ve been waiting for an apartment for seven months. We are living in a hotel room,” Alvarado said, sobbing.

She shared with Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty the struggles of raising four daughters amidst homelessness because of the county’s unaffordable housing.
“I beg you, Mayor Crotty,” Alvarado cried.

She pleaded for help of any kind. Her story sent silence throughout the church. Alvarado wasn’t the only one there with a story such as this.

The Federation of Congregations United to Serve, or FOCUS, was pressing the issue in an action meeting March 19 at the First United Methodist Church. For the first time since 2003, Crotty was there to listen.

“I believe that the citizens of Orange County and fellow citizens in the state of Florida deserve property tax relief to make affordable housing an option,” Crotty told the crowd inside the downtown church.

FOCUS is an interfaith community organization consisting of 14 local congregations, including six Catholic parishes. It is part of People Improving Communities through Organizing, better known as the PICO National Network, an international organization founded by Jesuit Father John Baumann, that represents 1,000 religious congregations in 150 cities and 17 states.

This approach to community activism is probably the only instance when so many denominations are gathered under one roof in the county. Their faiths vary, but their mission is the same: to improve the local quality of life.
“We have a guiding principal in Orange County and that is to make the quality of life better for everyone, not the chosen few,” Crotty assured the group.

FOCUS also addressed the issues of health care and fire hydrant safety on its agenda.

The grassroots group members feel a need for the county to open more Preventative Care Access Network clinics, which are available to families with no insurance. The new clinics would also need to have extended hours for working families.

“I will cut straight to the issue with good news,” Crotty told the group, announcing the grand opening of a 10th clinic in May. A roar of applause welcomed his response.

As for the fire hydrants, FOCUS wants to have all the public hydrants inspected and mapped, on which the county is already working. The group also wants private hydrants to fall under the same set of rules.

In its argument for more affordable housing, the group cited research saying the average price of a home has risen from $109,000 five years ago to $242,000 last year.

In response to the housing issues, the mayor could only say a task force is being formed to figure out ways to help struggling families. But one message Crotty made clear was his argument that these issues are a communitywide problem and they should be addressed as such.

“Government can’t and shouldn’t do it all,” Crotty said.

Carletta Richardson couldn’t agree more.

“As a community, we as individuals need to stand up and not depend on the government to be our cure-all,” Richardson said.

Richardson was at the meeting with other members from her home church, the First AME Church of Pine Hills. She admits to being moved by the testimonies, but said she understood the mayor’s position of not being able to make firm commitments and promises to the group.

At this point, any news is good news for Alvarado. All she wants is a piece of the American dream.
Alvarado sadly admitted, “We would like to own a house, but at this point we cannot even afford to rent.”