George is a 76-year-old male, arrived in the United States from Greece many years ago and became an American citizen. His many years as a successful commercial fisherman came to an end as he became frail with age. Without work George became homeless and his contact with family members who live locally were severed. 

TaskForce staff “discovered” George over five years ago walking in and out of a wooded area on State Road 84. The TaskForce started to work on getting George into shelter or housing, however, until recently he refused assistance and continued to live as he had for eight years, in the woods on State Road 84 in Davie. 

He is a vulnerable adult due to age, medical, cognitive and mental health issues. He has cataracts, which are causing him to go blind in both eyes, is hard of hearing, and suffers from depression and chronic health conditions which hindered him from caring for himself. He had no caregiver and lacked the capacity to consent to treatment of any kind. 

George had been very resistant to assistance of any kind and made it very clear to the TaskForce Outreach Workers as they desperately tried to assist him and bring forth relief, that he would not be willing to accept any type of healthcare nor shelter. George was living in the woods with countless raccoons, cats and other wildlife which greatly added to the rapid decline in his health. 

TaskForce staff, led by our own Cherimond Tropnas, worked diligently for years, building rapport, and offering basic necessities to George but still could not get him to come out of the woods. Finally, Cherimond asked DCF to petition the courts and obtained a court order from General Magistrate Claudette Vanni of the Mental Health Division of the 17th Judicial Circuit to bring George to the hospital for a medical assessment and treatment for his medical conditions. He was brought in for treatment and afterwards was able to be placed into a nursing home in Lauderdale Lakes on April 14, 2021. We are hopeful that one day George might even recover physically enough to enjoy some light fishing again, which he used to enjoy earlier in his life. 

If you saw Darlene at work, you would never guess that she has a degree in both Social Services and Criminal Justice, and that just three months ago she was homeless and living in her car. A South Florida native, Darlene has a bright smile, glowing skin and an infectious laugh. Although she is 67, you would guess she was much younger and living the good life. She credits her beauty regime on three things - 1) Drinking lots of water 2) Being close to God and 3) Being grateful for everything. But number 3 isn't always easy.

Darlene has had a rough 2022. After giving up her job, home and life to care for her elderly mother full time, her mother finally passed away in February, but that was just the beginning of the trouble. She was not aware that the house she was living in would soon belong to someone else, and that she would soon be out on the street and scrambling to get her belongings into storage before she was locked out of the property. 

Although Darlene has family, no one could give her a place for long. There were no good choices for her so she started living in her car in her relative's driveway. She kept a routine every day of prayer, morning wash ups at a McDonalds bathroom, and looking for work and a place to stay.

When she met Alex and Genji from the TaskForce she was at her wits end. After 3 months of poor eating, not enough rest, and not finding an affordable place to stay, she had let herself go. She was angry at the situation she let herself fall into, angry that she couldn't just pull herself out of it, and tired of life. She just wanted to sleep.

Luckily Darlene's strong faith and patience working with the system paid off. TaskForce was able to get her into the Broward Outreach Center shelter where she has the support she needs to thrive. She is now working as a school crossing guard, and absolutely loves her job.

"Having the opportunity to see the kids and engage with the community means a lot to me. I want to start reading again, get my own place and eventually travel. Being fiercely independent, I really enjoy helping others, and that's what I plan to do with my future. I've seen a lot in life. I want to take my life's experience and learning and help others live the best life they can." - Darlene