What do you do when you move to a new town, you know almost no one, and then there are problems at home, and you have to leave?
Lopez and her 17-year-old son, Emmanuel, moved into a hotel. "We were there a month and a half, and the people were very nice," said Lopez, 60. "But we couldn't afford it."
And it's at that point where, in years past, many Martin County families on the verge of homelessness would have hit the wall. They might have couch-surfed; they might have wound up living in a car, or the woods.
But now, homeless families here have another option.
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In November, Family Promise of Martin County opened the doors to its "day center" in East Stuart and welcomed its first clients. The partnership — an affiliate of a national nonprofit focused on homeless kids and families — includes eight local churches which provide overnight accommodations and meals.
Clients and their kids can then spend their days at the day center, a small converted home where children can play, watch TV or attend school via "distance learning" while their parents shower, do laundry and meet with a case worker to map out a path to self-sufficiency.
It's the first local nonprofit geared specifically toward homeless kids and families.
And its help is desperately needed in Martin County.
As of last Thursday the Martin County School District had identified — hold onto your hats — 559 homeless students.
That's up from 505 at the start of the school year, said Debra Stull, a member of the Family Promise board of directors and coordinator for the Martin County School District's Homeless Services-Families in Transition program.
Indeed, it's up from the 125 homeless kids counted by the district in 2016.
"And that's just registered school-age children, not younger siblings" not yet in school, said Madeleine Bozone, Family Promise executive director.
Most homeless families share housing. Others "are in hotels, cars and substandard housing," said Stull.
Fewer live in the woods compared to years past, she said, as property owners and local law enforcement have become more vigilant about chasing them off.
Family Promise, said Stull, "is going to be a lifesaver."
For years, local advocates have talked of the growing need to help homeless families.
Some local shelters or nonprofits that provide traditional housing take single moms with kids. But teenage boys and men are often persona non grata.
Bozone previously worked with Mary's Home of the Treasure Coast, which serves homeless pregnant women. There, she fielded continuous calls from families needing shelter, all of whom had to be turned away.
Upon discovering Family Promise, "I knew we needed something like that here," she said.
Others familiar with the Family Promise national network were thinking the same thing.
Founded in New Jersey in 1986, Family Promise has more than 200 affiliates in 43 states providing food, housing and job placement for some 67,000 homeless family members nationally — more than half of them kids.
Before beginning the program, families are screened for drug abuse, mental health and domestic violence issues.
"We want to make sure we can get them the services they need," said April Young, a part-time case worker at the Stuart day center.
Once accepted, clients stay overnight with one of eight "host congregations," then spend the day at the day center as needed. Kids can catch the bus to school; for parents who need to get to work, Family Promise has a 15-passenger van.
The program is designed to last 30 days, and a major focus is helping the client get their finances in order — securing a job for those who need one, teaching clients how to budget and save.
Young and Bozone are the only two employees. They rely extensively on volunteers and the partner churches — founding church First Presbyterian Stuart; Covenant Fellowship Baptist; First United Methodist — Hobe Sound; First United Methodist — Stuart; Immanuel Lutheran; Prince of Peace Lutheran; St. Mary's Episcopal; and Stuart Congregational.
But, as you might imagine, it's a rather difficult time to get a new nonprofit off the ground, even one whose services are desperately needed.
Bozone said the day center was supposed to open this past spring. Then COVID happened.
Several fund-raisers had to be canceled due to the virus. Bozone says she's hoping more local churches will sign on as partners and offer to host families.
Then there's the rent, the operating costs and the fact that millions of Americans will lose their unemployment insurance Dec. 26 when two coronavirus aid programs expire.
"We will get a lot more calls," predicted Bozone.
Here's hoping the community's generosity will help meet the need.
For Lopez and her son, Emmanuel, can attest to the good Family Promise can do.
As the money to pay for the hotel room ran out, "I was weary and scared," she said. "I was kind of nervous" asking for help.
But Emmanuel insisted she do so. Now, having found compassion and hope, "I feel encouraged," she said. "I feel strong.
"And I'm sure God has something better in store for me."
Family Promise of Martin County can be contacted via its web site at mcfamilypromise.org, by phone at (772) 266-9327, email at mbozone@mcfamilypromise.org or by U.S. mail at Family Promise of Martin County, P.O. Box 1919, Stuart, FL 34995.
Gil Smart is a TCPalm columnist and a member of the Editorial Board. His columns reflect his opinion. Gil can be reached at gil.smart@tcpalm.com, by phone at (772) 223-4741 or via Twitter at @TCPalmGilSmart.