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Florida man helping out homeless teenager
As homelessness over the holidays is on the rise, one Florida man is telling the story of how he's helped a teenager experiencing homelessness.
PASCO COUNTY, Fla. - As homelessness reaches a record high, people and families around the Tampa Bay area are also struggling to make ends meet.
Homelessness outreach organizations in the Tampa Bay area say they’re seeing a major influx in homelessness, especially among people and families who are homeless for the first time.
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A lot of teens and young adults often get caught in the middle of homelessness as well.
One 18-year-old in Pasco County has been bouncing from motels and hotels over the last several years, until the one he was last living in closed down.
Sal Mauro and Daniel Bolster
Sal Mauro was working as a dishwasher and a busboy at The Widow’s Fletcher in 2022 when he met Daniel Bolster, who was a regular customer at the time.
"I was bar backing," Mauro said. "I had seen him at the bar. He was a fun time. I was glad to see him around a lot."
Mauro and Bolster bonded over the military because Mauro was in ROTC at the time and Bolster had served in the military.
"I think me and Sal were meant to find each other," Bolster said.
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Over time, the two built a friendship, but their bond strengthened more than they expected, around six months ago.
"I had called Danny, and I asked him if I could spend a few nights," Mauro said.
Mauro was living at the Magnuson Hotel at the time but suddenly found it was shutting down, and he had nowhere else to go.
"I believe he said, ‘Can you come please pick me up?’" Bolster said.
Bolster immediately opened his door and started trying to help Mauro get on his feet. Recently, Mauro lost his job, because he learned the restaurant was closing.
Bolster has been working to help Mauro find a new job, get on his feet, and look for housing, all while trying to finish his senior year of high school.
"It’s sad because he can’t be a kid," Bolster said.
The last six months have been nothing short of an uphill battle.
"In Pasco County, I was told today that there’s no shelter for homeless youth," Bolster said.
From handling social security to food assistance, getting a license, and housing, Bolster says they’ve tried numerous county, state agencies, and community agencies.
"And it seems like you hit a brick wall everywhere you go," Bolster said. "You go to social security. He was to have all this, then he has to go to Brooksville, which is too far for him to go. So we drive down there, then when we get there, it’s like, ‘Well he doesn’t have the right stuff’. And I say, ‘Well, he’s homeless. He doesn’t really have access to all that paperwork.'"
Bolster says they keep running into dead ends trying to find resources for someone in Mauro’s situation, but they can’t do it alone.
"There should be something for a kid who has nothing," Bolster said."
Bolster says Mauro has been turned away by several organizations, either because they can’t serve him or because they’re seeing an influx of people in need.
Mauro is still looking for a new job while he works to straighten out his paperwork and graduate high school this spring.