HOUSTON—
The economy may be getting better, but if you ask Raymond Maracle, he's not so sure. A few months ago, Maracle was laid off from his job at an automotive parts store."I got let go of after that I tried looking for work, but I couldn't pay the rent. We lost our house, ended up moving in with family, and then from there we just ended up here," said Maracle.
The father of two and his wife, Susan, are the newest residents at the Star of Hope Women and Family Shelter. The shelter has seen a record number of families turning to them during the summer months.
"During Katrina, we had maybe 40 or 50 people actually sleeping on the floor waiting for a bed, waiting for rooms. Now because of the economy and because of the heat it's double that," said Scott Arthur with the Star of Hope.
This week alone more than 100 women and children slept in the shelter's dining hall used as an overflow room. A majority of them are children.
"They've had more people stay here than ever, so you got wait in-line to take a shower, you've got to make your bed and then you lay down in them, then of course there's people talking around. So, it's kind of hard to get the kids to go straight to sleep," said Susan Maracle.
Meanwhile, donations to the shelter are down, which has created a $700,000 shortfall. Arthur said the Star of Hope is endanger of turning away people and cutting back on programs, such as its daycare operation.
"When you are dragging kids along and they are screaming and playing it makes it very difficult to apply for a job, an employer does like to see that," said Raymond Maracle.
The Star of Hope is making it easier to donate just text SOH to 20222 to make a $10 donation or visit sohmission.org to learn more.
