On The Battle-Front

A war out there right now, with unemployment, foreclosures, and the faltering economy striking down people all over our region—including people who never needed help before. And the organizations that help those people are fighting their own battles, to provide more services and funds than ever before just as their own donations and staffs are shrinking. Here’s a look at how some of those who are toiling on the charitable front lines are faring right now, as they try to revise their strategies and stretch their resources to continue to deliver their mission.

Helping The Homeless

Tammy and Stephen Lamphier’s home, a small rental off Bee Ridge Road, near the pocket of car dealerships that line the busy street, is quiet and unassuming, much like the Lamphier family itself. Inside, the Lamphiers’ two children—Nikki, 12, and Joshua, 10—play and laugh, cavorting with the family’s dog, cat and bird.

They seem like a typical American family. Except that the Lamphiers—like many other American families across the country and here in Sarasota—are teetering on the brink of homelessness.

Until late 2008, Stephen, 46, had a physically demanding but comfortable job as a tow-truck driver, bringing home about $52,000 a year. A typical week’s work was about 80 hours. His wife, Tammy, 35, stayed home with the kids as a full-time mom. Smiling ruefully, she says, “I remember being able to go to the grocery store and pick whatever I wanted off the shelves.”

Then a double whammy hit the family. Because of the economic downturn, Stephen’s hours were cut. On top of that, in November 2008, he came down with a mystery illness—one that has yet to be diagnosed. One night, he thought he was having a heart attack; when Sarasota Memorial Hospital doctors examined him, they found he was bleeding internally and had a dangerously low hemoglobin count. He was admitted to the cardiac ward but never given a diagnosis.

Because Stephen didn’t have health insurance, he couldn’t follow up with the doctors who treated him at SMH. And because he was so sick, he couldn’t work. His longtime boss, who faced his own struggles with the economy, wasn’t sympathetic. “He told me, ‘Whether you’ve been here four years or not, that has no pull in today’s economy,’” Stephen says, a hint of anger in his voice. And just like that, his comfortable job was gone.

Luckily, Stephen, a peace-time veteran, can seek treatment at the Bay Pines V.A. Hospital, although an official diagnosis has been slow in coming. In the meantime, tests are being run—Stephen has had X-rays, endoscopies and colonoscopies, but the family still doesn’t have any answers. And because of the nature of his illness, which makes him tired after just a few minutes of physical activity, finding full-time work has been difficult, if not impossible.

Tammy, who has no special training or recent job history to speak of, hasn’t been able to find consistent work, either. The Lamphiers began taking on odd jobs—cleaning, sewing, dog walking, yard work—to support the family, but the jobs were few and far between. Subsisting only on Stephen’s meager $243-a-month military pension, the Lamphiers fell so behind on their rent payments that eviction seemed inevitable. Even buying the most basic items, like food or sneakers for the kids, was hard to do. They weren’t sure what to do next.

That’s when, in June of this year, an acquaintance referred them to the Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Sarasota-Manatee’s Building Strong Families program. Building Strong Families’ goal is keeping families in their homes; staffers work with families to create a long-term financial plan to maintain financial and emotional stability, and they also provide resources—such as clothing, school supplies, food, even rent money-to stabilize the current situation. Jamil Collins, the Building Strong Families program coordinator, has been working with the Lamphiers since they began the program, and with her help, the family is slowly getting back on its feet.

JFCS has paid the Lamphiers’ landlord $2,400 in back rent, negotiated a more manageable monthly payment and worked out a detailed financial plan, in addition to providing the family with a much-needed support system. And Tammy is looking into going back to school to get her GED and start training to become a legal administrative specialist.