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Hope Fund: Move to Jacksonville led to

financial woes, homelessness
By Chloe Emory Sat, Dec 5, 2015 @ 9:45 pm | updated Mon, Dec 7, 2015 @ 6:29 pm

The hallways twist and turn past

room after room inside the
Sulzbacher Center, which
provides daily shelter for many
of Jacksonvilles homeless.

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The twists and turns eventually led to a room

with two bunk beds, two dressers and an
outdated television set perched on the lone
nightstand.
Will.Dickey@jacksonville.com

Dominique Smith (from left), 28, brother Muhammad

BenBenu, 16, mother Mary Dearmon and sister Salima
Benu, 14, are living at the Sulzbacher Center and hoping to
find aordable housing.

Visit the Hope Fund website to make a donation

or to learn more about the program.

Its a room barely large enough for one person.

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This is the room where Mary Dearmon, 47, lives

with her daughter, Salima, and her two sons,
Muhammad and Dominique.
This wasnt how it was supposed to be when
Dearmon moved to Jacksonville from North
Carolina in 2011.
She had been a licensed cosmetologist in North
Carolina for 25 years. She worked two jobs
while she lived there. She had a house.
But Dominiques high school graduation and his
desire to pursue a culinary degree brought her
and other family members to Jacksonville.
I was looking for a change, Dearmon said. I
didnt ever think we would be homeless. But
here we are.
Once here, she couldnt practice cosmetology
because her license wouldnt transfer from
North Carolina to Florlda. She persevered, took

http://jacksonville.com/news/2015-12-05/story/hope-fund-move-jacksonville-led-financial-woes-homelessness#

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Hope Fund: Move to Jacksonville led to financial woes, homelessness | jacksonville.com

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The family was able to live on the modest

earnings brought in by Dearmons cosmetology
work, along with the money Dominique earned
with restaurant jobs.
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industry eventually hit the family hard; its

income dwindled, and Dearmon and her
children soon lost their apartment and were
forced to seek shelter at the Sulzbacher.

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Its a far cry from her previous life.

It kills me that Ive ended up like this. I feel
like Ive failed, Dearmon said. Im trying to
keep my head up.

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Dearmon is able to work enough to make a

nominal amount of money, but not enough to afford to live elsewhere. Her most pressing
need is to find stable housing on her own. She is also seeking to be able to provide her
children with a consistent supply of adequate clothing, and acquire some updated
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Its hard, Dearmon said. [But] I live for my kids. I want to see them make it.

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Dearmons concern for her childrens well-being is more than justified, given that she nearly
lost one son two years ago.
Muhammad, now a 16-year-old student at Wolfson High School, was shot in the face when a
friend accidentally discharged a revolver. The bullet lodged in the back of his neck, taking
away his ability to play sports, something he loved.

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It also intensified Muhammads desire to make the most of his life.

By the grace of God Im here today. Theres just so much I want to do in life, Muhammad
said. Thats why I dont ever see myself giving up. I just want to keep going forward.
Its that sense of perseverance that continues to push Muhammad, his mother and siblings
on, despite their current struggles. The family places a great value in holding on to its unity,
its dreams and its ability to still find ways to smile amid their grim challenges.

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We spend a lot of time together, said Salima, 14, who aspires to be a lawyer one day.
Its a sense of togetherness that Dearmon, the familys backbone, vows will never waver.
Were going to make it, regardless, she said. I dont even think about [us] giving up.

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