As the holiday season comes to a close, so can the season of giving. But homelessness in areas like Kissimmee knows no season. In fact, spring is a tough time for fundraisers.
"Before the holidays, we see a lot of people coming in to volunteer and a lot of that is it's the end of the year and a lot of people get into the giving mood," said Justin Butler, of the Habitat for Humanity of Osceola County.
It's the giving mood that has brought a lot of welcomed help to organizations throughout the holiday season. Some organizations even held special Christmas parties for the thousands of families in need throughout Osceola County.
It's the time after the holidays, Butler said, that things take downturn.
"After the holidays, it starts to dwindle," he said. "They get back to their lives and back to work and they leave feeling like they did something good for the holidays."
Jennifer Farrell found herself and her three children out on the street after escaping a domestic violence situation. While she is getting back on her feet, Farrell said the holiday help was more than she could have hoped for.
"The holidays are a Band-Aid fix," Farrell said. "It helps us get through the holiday season. There just needs to be continuous help with homelessness."
Osceola County Public Schools has more than 3,000 homeless students registered in the school system, and school officials expect to see more than 4,000 registered by the end of the school year.
Butler said what homeless families need doesn't go away after the holidays do.
"We realize — well, they realize — that there is limited help out there on a regular basis as opposed to the seasonal help they can get," he said.
Butler said Habitat for Humanity's hope is that they can get more people to volunteer during the rest of the year so that the agency and other local organizations can help people out of their situation and back on their feet.