When Nancy Kelly moved from New Jersey to Florida in her 20s, she hoped to be an actress.
Instead, the 70-year-old is living in a Naples homeless shelter thanks to a $30,000 grant from the Women's Foundation of Collier County, the News-Press reports.
"I wanted to get my own home," Kelly says.
"That was the only thing feasible that I could see that I could get and see if it worked to be fully retired."
But when she bought a recreational vehicle in California in 2022, "I hit a spell of bad luck and is getting back on her feet," she says.
"I just have to stay consistent in my mind."
Kelly is one of about 20 senior women living at St.
Matthew's House, which has received the grant to help more older women avoid becoming homeless.
The age group faces the same challenge as younger people with increasing housing costs, but "very often seniors are not able to work to support themselves," St.
Matthew's House CEO Steve Brooder says.
He tells the News-Press that hurricanes, rising rents, and the death of a spouse have all contributed to an increase in the number of older women experiencing homelessness.
Florida has the third highest homeless population in the US, behind California
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