JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – As housing costs climb and job losses ripple through Florida, more families are facing foreclosure here than anywhere else in the nation — and many are turning to quiet, community-based help before they lose everything.
Late last year, Florida posted the highest foreclosure rate in the country, driven by rising living expenses and an unemployment rate that reached 4.2%, the state’s highest level in more than four years. Behind those numbers are people like Kimberly Rookey, a single parent who found herself suddenly at risk of losing her home after a job loss.
Inside a small sewing studio, the hum of machines and the laughter of children learning to stitch pin cushions mask a much heavier story. The space, called The Lost Art of Sewing, exists today because Rookey was able to get emergency assistance when she needed it most…