PORT STREET LUCIE, Fla. (WSVN) — Tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton tore across Florida in October. Although the worst of the storm has passed, some communities are still in recovery mode.
Tornadoes produced by the storm left many residents homeless. But two nonprofit organizations stepped in to help, providing temporary housing to those in need.
Project LIFT is an innovative nonprofit organization that helps at-risk teens and young adults address their mental health.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, they built tiny homes for people whose homes were damaged.
“The home has approximately 240 square feet of floor space on the lower level and 426 square feet on the upper level, which allows for two bedrooms,” said Robert Zaccio, CEO of Project Lift. he said. “There’s probably about six to 10 different teenagers in this house alone.”
Two neighborhoods in Port St. Lucie were particularly hard hit by the historic storm, with one having its roof torn off and a door blown out.
Other nonprofits stepped up amidst the destruction, partnering with LIFT to provide supplies and create solutions in their communities.
Casey Cass, CEO of the community service nonprofit, was one of the first people on the scene to support the effort.
“I thought it was just going to be about scholarships and fun events, but it turned out to be a pretty big initiative,” he says.
Heaters and other equipment were installed in the homes to ease the burden on families as they waited for more permanent solutions.
“We also have an in-line hot water heater here for the washer and dryer,” Zaccio said. “So just the construction costs, just the materials and the labor costs, it’s about $75,000 per house. Just finding a house on the spot, you end up with about $110,000 to $115,000. Masu.”
Zachio and Cass were willing to bear the weight of the cost as long as the mental health of the children involved in the home work improved and the community knew they were supported.
“To get people to fundamentally change, you have to make them understand that they are givers, not takers,” Zaccio said.
“Our goal right now is to get them moved in so they can live here while their home is being rebuilt,” Cass said. Project LIFT has spent a lot of money to make it happen. I come from a family of nine people and I wouldn’t be where I am today if people hadn’t reached out to me at different times in my life. ”
As of Sunday, there were two small homes in the neighborhood. With more funding, the group hopes to build more facilities.
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