PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — A Port St. Lucie woman faces homelessness after waiting five months for Florida's Department of Commerce to determine her eligibility for unemployment benefits, highlighting ongoing systemic issues with the state's re-employment assistance program.
Lena Hoti was laid off from her hotel housekeeping job about five months ago and applied for Florida's re-employment benefits in June. Despite weekly visits to her local CareerSource center in Fort Pierce, where staff connect her directly to the Florida Department of Commerce, she still hasn't received a decision on her claim.
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"I've been waiting five months for them to decide whether I'm going to get these benefits or not," Hoti said. "Nobody can really give me a straight answer. And it's kind of frustrating."
Florida's re-employment benefit is capped at $275 per week. For Hoti, who rents a bedroom from a family in a Port St. Lucie apartment, that money represents a crucial lifeline.
"I need to pay my rent, and if I don't have this money, I'm going to end up on the street," Hoti said.
She has about two weeks before she must vacate her current living situation.
"I'm looking for shelters or anything, but there's really nothing in this area," Hoti said.
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Hoti said she no longer has a vehicle, after her car broke down and she couldn't afford to fix it. Friends have been driving her to CareerSource and local food banks for groceries, she said.
Despite having what she describes as "a pretty impressive resume" from years of housekeeping work, Hoti hasn't received responses to her daily job applications. She noted that even during the pandemic, she found employment within four months.
When visiting CareerSource weekly for updates on her claim status, Hoti receives the same response.
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"Oh, that the claim is being reviewed and that we will have an answers hopefully soon," she said. "It's the same excuse every week."
"I think it's awful that they that they keep people waiting like this for months," Hoti said.
A spokeswoman for FloridaCommerce said they are looking into Hoti's case. The spokeswoman did not provide a timeline or answers to emailed questions about why a determination of eligibility could take so long.
This situation contrasts with the Florida Department of Commerce's September employment data report, which stated: "Data in the month of August continues to indicate that there are jobs available for every Floridian who wants to work."
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