Joseph Gerbasio, 18, has moved from place to place – and person to person – his entire life.
He can’t stay with his mom, and his dad has been in and out of jail for selling drugs.
“I did not deserve a lot of what happened to me,” he told NBC2. “There have been a lot of moments where I felt like I had no support system."
Gerbasio has found that support system – finally – at Rob’s Cottage, where he’s stayed since the start of the year. The cottage is part of Youth Haven in Naples, a shelter for abused, neglected or homeless children.
“We are their family. We're here to support them through their entire life,” Youth Haven CEO Linda Goldfield told NBC2.
Goldfield explained that Rob’s Cottage is for teens who’ve chosen to live there. Right now – it's at capacity.
“There's a waiting list for this cottage for the first time in its history,” she said.
Over at the Campbell Lodge – another shelter in Naples – a wait list has become the norm.
“It's a growing issue, and we're trying to grow with it in our support,” Zach Miller told NBC2.
Miller works for St. Matthew’s House, the nonprofit that runs the lodge. They also house homeless children – those who are with a parent.
They have rooms for families, like Adreona Riley and her 10-year-old daughter.
“I feel like I'm becoming a better mom for my kid. I feel like I'm doing a lot better,” she explained to NBC2.
Riley was evicted earlier this year after struggling with an addiction. She sought help from the shelter to get back on her feet and recently found another living option.
“She shouldn't have to worry about anything. She should be worry-free,” Riley said of her daughter while at the shelter. "She should be playing and happy. She should be a kid."
But the number of kids – students – considered homeless is on the rise in Collier County. The school district reported an increase of more than 600 students in the 2022-2023 school year.
In Lee County, the number of homeless students identified by the district soared by almost 3,000 in 2022-2023. Numbers did drop a bit this past school year but are still more than three times the total from just a few years ago.
“This is a crisis situation. Housing is a crisis situation for our families,” Erin Dalla Costa, the homeless liaison for the school district in Lee County, told NBC2.
Students are considered “homeless” for several situations. Some are living on the streets: in parks, or cars, or tents. Others may be in shelters, in shared housing or in motels.
Long-term, none of those options are good ones.
“If your basic needs are not being met, then how can you learn effectively?" Dalla Costa asked.
She said better reporting is part of the reason for the increase, but she also blamed Hurricane Ian and crippling housing costs.
“The solution is providing more affordable housing to families,” Dalla Costa said.
“It's housing, it's finances, it's health, it's everything,” Miller said when asked about solutions. “But really, in order to reach all of those goals and check all of those boxes, you have to have support."
St. Matthew’s House is taking the support they’ve gotten and are building a new women's and children’s shelter in Fort Myers.
It’s set to open by the middle of fall to help the growing need.
“I think our response to (the problem) is saying – how can we be bigger? How can we provide more services to more people?” Miller explained.
Youth Haven is also looking to expand by offering transitional housing to teens who can no longer stay on campus.
“It's about helping them move beyond the trauma that brought them into our care,” Goldfield said. “To help them realize that they deserve every opportunity that all of the children of this community deserve."
That’s something Joseph Gerbasio has now realized. He’s proof that these programs do work. He just graduated from high school and plans to attend Florida State in the fall.
Despite his past – and despite all he’s been through – his future is bright.
“Youth Haven has provided me the family structure I've always wanted,” he said. “I don't necessarily believe things are going to just magically get better one day, but I do believe that I can sort of just seize the day and make things better."
If you or a parent or child you know is homeless and needs help – or if you’d like to support the organizations mentioned in the story – we have links below.