Client Story: Earle

After exiting the military, Earle said he lived out of his car while bouncing from state to state in search of a better life.

Earle served in the Gulf War in 1991 during his four-year enlistment in the U.S. Air Force and said he suffers from PTSD and depression. After he left the Air Force, he enrolled at a Concorde Career College to get a medical assistant certificate. For the next 20 years, Earle said he worked at several hospitals and in a weight loss clinic. In 2012, medical issues prevented Earle from working, and he ended up living in his car several times while waiting for low-income housing assistance.

Earle, who walks with a cane and is visually impaired, moved from Seattle to Orlando in June 2019 for warmer weather. He once again lived in his car for a month until low-income housing became available. On July 1, Earle moved into a two-bedroom duplex in Orlando. For several weeks, Earle said he slept on a blow-up mattress in an empty home. Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) referred Earle to The Mustard Seed of Central Florida for furniture assistance. Earle received 27 pieces of furniture to make his house a home.

“I would like to thank the people who donated these items because even after I left Seattle, I donated what I had to people who could use it,” Earle said. “It would have cost me more to move the furniture I had in Seattle than what I paid for it. I’m so grateful.”

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