When people ask me who my parents were I’ve always replied “a hard working nurse and Uncle Sam”.
This is because I grew up in a fatherless home like so many others in the Orlando area.
I like to think I turned out okay. But that can’t be the case. I’ve lost everything twice in the Orlando housing crisis. And so have many other veterans.
But unlike myself, many of those other veterans currently struggling with me are fathers.
And the percentages are staggering. Many veterans will often let their kids go stay with relatives rather than expose them to a life of sleeping in cars and shelters.
And like the generation before them, those kids will also grow up in fatherless homes.
You may have already heard the challenges the children of single parents face, both in and out of the home. Parenting alone has become so common in 2024 that we’ve forgotten that children who grow up in a single parent home are essentially growing up with half of the support of a traditional family.
Single parents are super heroes, but they can’t do it all.
They can’t make it to all of the baseball games. They can’t pay for the same clothing and school supplies as other kids. They have to watch the bank balance when celebrating a birthday.
And even worse, they can’t be there for all of the challenges. They can’t see all of the bad influences that may turn their children down the dark path, which may make their own children homeless one day.
It’s sad cycle. And an uncovered dimension to our homeless veterans crisis.
And a personally sad angle for me during my current struggles. I can only look back and think how things would have been different if I had a father who cared and may have saved me from where I am today.
We have to do something.
Dear Readers. Times for me are tough. If you can help out the blog below, I’d be grateful. If you have any questions, you can write me Torres.fjr@gmail.com , Thank you.
NEXT: Read about how some Florida employers don’t want to hire homeless veterans
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