By Brian McBride
Associate Editor

There are a number of services available for the homeless in Osceola County, but now add one more — a church.

In its second year, Life in the Son Ministries, 18 W. Bass St., Kissimmee, has been providing church services Friday through Sunday to teach the Word of God to those on the street. But it’s graduated into something more — a boarding house led by Director Jan Demond.

“I felt like God was saying to me, ‘You need to do something,’” she said.

The church houses seven homeless individuals — five men and two women — in makeshift bedrooms, which are actually cubicles squared off by furniture. They also have access to food, showers and laundry machines. They must stay sober and be inside by the 11 p.m. curfew. Transients who don’t live there can also seek some assistance, if it’s available.

“It’s a great place to take a load off a lot of people,” said Kevin Baldwin, 53, one of the residents. “This place helps a lot of people out.”

After getting out of jail in 2007, Baldwin, who earns his keep by working at the church doing whatever is needed, said Demond, 67, has helped him become a changed man.

“I used to have a bad attitude,” he said. “Now I’ve learned how to communicate with people.”

Her program is helped by area churches covering some of the bills, and others offering food. The boarders also contribute, as some find day labor and throw in some money to help out. The homeless also help with fundraising and doing monthly cleanup projects.

“I love it,” 62-year-old Lorne Allers, another boarder, said of the ministry. “I think it’s doing a service to not only help the homeless but everybody else.”

Demond is currently trying to start a program called Change for Life. It would help the homeless re-enter society by teaching life skills and those that would help them join the workforce. It would include recruiting volunteers to teach and enroll the homeless into a general education program to help them obtain a diploma, if needed. She also would help them get a birth certificate or a Florida identification, things that are needed for jobs.

But while trying to make a difference in people’s lives, Demond herself can use a little help. The boarding house she runs is not included in the plans of the Kissimmee Community Redevelopment Agency’s master plan, Demond said. The city’s planning board gave her 18 months to find a new location. So now she’s looking for a 10-acre piece of property, preferably near a bus route, and any monetary donations or in-kind construction services to build a new facility. If time runs out, she can stay at the location, but will just have to close the boarding house.

“We are always looking for individual donations,” Demond said.

So how did this all start?

In the mid-1990s, Demond and her husband ran a vacuum and sewing shop out of the building. Because it was near the Osceola Christian Ministry Center, formerly the Daily Bread, which offers aid to the homeless, transients would sometimes stop by the store and ask for money. The Demonds would ask them to do some simple chores, like pull weeds or wash windows.

“We didn’t want them to feel like we were just giving them money,” she said.

They later closed the store and moved to north Florida, but Demond returned in 2007 after her husband became ill and died. It was then she decided to open the boarding house, but not without being a little nervous about welcoming strangers into her building.

“I asked, ‘Lord are you sure you want me to do this?’” she said. “Oh yes, I was apprehensive. I just had to depend on God.”

For Sonny Rivera, 37, he’s glad she did. Rivera doesn’t live at the facility, but takes advantage of the services.

“I think it’s an awesome place,” he said. “It keeps me off the streets and helps me read more about the Word.”

Anyone who would like to donate items to the ministry, it needs toilet paper, paper towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner, razors, shaving cream, feminine products, deodorant, underwear and tennis shoes.

In food, it would accept nutrition bars, Gatorade, fruit, pre-packaged crackers and chips, granola and trail mix.

It also needs monetary donations for monthly expenses that include power, water and building maintenance.

For more information or to help out the Life in the Son Ministries, call 407-933-0300.