BELLE GLADE, Fla. — Daniel Santoyo has been homeless for 4 years. He wanted to share his story so others could understand life without a home.
"For the last 4 years, it's very hard. You got to worry about where you're going to sleep, how you're going to use the bathroom. What's the next step? It's not, it's not really easy," Santoyo said.
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Santoyo has been living on the streets of Belle Glade after a situation at home pushed him out.
"Where I'm at, I don't wish this on anybody. I mean, just what, what you have is always good to keep what you have. If you got a home, it's good. If you have a job, stick with it because this could happen to anybody," Santoyo said.
Belle Glade's poverty rate is over 27%, according to a 2024 Data USA study. That's more than twice the county average. The city also has the county's lowest average rent — a one-bedroom goes for about $890 a month, but Santoyo says there just isn't enough housing or shelter available.
"I always wake up and be like, I want to get off the streets. I want to have a job. I want to have a home. I want to have a car," Santoyo said.
Dolores Butts, a volunteer at a local food pantry, says she is also seeing the problem of housing in the area.
"They need somewhere decent to stay. They need somewhere where they can eat the proper foods that they need. They need somewhere where they can come back. They need somewhere where they can take a decent bath. They need decent clothes," Butts said.
Butts wants city leaders to turn abandoned buildings into more shelter space.
As temperatures hit triple digits, people like Santoyo can cool off at spots like Pioneer Park or the Aquatic Center, along with a few shelters, but those options are temporary and don't solve the bigger problem.
"Just have more programs, more resources. More help. So I could be — so anybody like me could get off the streets," Santoyo said.
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