FORT WALTON BEACH — Angel Rodriguez was homeless just three weeks ago. Now, the single father of four is assured a place to sleep every night and time to figure out where to go next.
Rodriguez was the first person to move into Fresh Start’s newest apartment complex, and said his month-long stay already has changed his way of living.
The program gives homeless parents transitional housing for nine months. The supervised environment requires them to be educated on finances, and goal planning provides outreach and intake services for permanent housing and steady employment.
The nonprofit organization will host an open house at 3 p.m. today at 8 Bobolink St. in Fort Walton Beach to celebrate completion of the 10-unit apartment complex.
“Right now, this is my only option,” Rodriguez, 31, said as his 9-month-old daughter sat on his lap. “I’ve always been a hard worker, but unfortunately I got caught up in things. I had my first kid at 17. Two- and-a-half years later I had my second and now I have a 7-year-old and this little one here.”
After his last relationship ended, Rodriguez found himself without a home and making about $300 every two weeks. He stayed at a different friend’s and family member’s home every night with his oldest child, a 12-year-old boy.
Fresh Start gave him hope to have a place of his own, he said.
“I made it a goal to myself and my oldest son that I would never be in that position again,” he said. “I’m serious about getting back on track. I will never again be in that situation. I can’t tell you how scary it was.”
Rodriguez’s oldest child lives with him. His middle children, 10- and 7-year-old boys, stay with him on the weekends. He gets to care for his “little princess” every Sunday and Monday
“We help take away some of that burden,” said Adrienne Carr, case coordinator with Fresh Start. “We are able to give them a place to lay their head, and that helps their spirit.”
Each of Rodriguez’s children has a bed when they stay with him. On weekends, he says he gets to cook for his children and on nice days they spend their time at a park. He says things feel like they’re coming together.
For now, Rodriguez works at The Home Depot making what money he can. Soon he will begin the education program with Fresh Start, and said he hopes to begin taking classes to earn a degree in graphic design.
“I want to be in a better place financially, be in a more permanent home and enjoy living day-to-day with my children,” Rodriguez said. “This place is an excellent springboard. I can get my life back on track and keep moving forward.”
TO LEARN MORE: For more information, go to www.freshstartforchildrenandfamilies.com/.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.