As the power woes continue for many South Floridians, the situation is becoming dire for those who have limited housing options, such as the homeless youth.
On Sunday, NBC 6 walked inside the Covenant House. Even though they have generators powering fans, the building is extremely warm. But, the Covenant House is the only option for dozens of young adults with nowhere else to call home.
Tucked away in between stores and high rises that mostly have power is Covenant House. It’s currently on its seventh day without electricity.
“My concern is that I’ve seen very little activity in this neighborhood the entire week from FPL, in terms of looking at damage, assessing damage,” said Jim Gress, Covenant House’s executive director.
The facility currently houses 50 homeless teenagers and children, including pregnant young women, like Donna Marie.
“It’s been very difficult,” said Marie. “I’m not getting the sleep that I need. I wake up every two hours – just taking a lot of cold showers.”
The last two weeks have been a roller coaster for these young adults, who were forced to evacuate to a county shelter when the storm hit and then returned to find the building flooded and damaged by the wind.
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“It’s been very hot, you know,” said Tahj Gordon, a resident of Covenant House. “A lot of us are getting a little flustered, but we still manage to keep everything together. You know, the staff has been incredible throughout it all.”
The biggest struggle now is finding relief from the heat, with nowhere else to go.
“This is like the only place, the only shelter I have,” said Marie. “At this moment, I’m trying to make the most of it, even though it’s very hard.”
