Southern Comfort
Story: https://bit.ly/2r2y1XO
Kreshae Humphrey, 26, and Eric Soto De Jesus, 26, are pictured with their daughter, Leilani Soto De Jesus, 18 months, inside their home at the Southern Comfort mobile home park. The park management recently announced it will close due to failure to comply with a judge’s order to clean up their wastewater collection system and annex it to the City of Clearwater’s sewer system. All residents must move out by October 31. Many residents began to leave upon hearing the news, leaving lots and homes, empty. Humphrey and Soto De Jesus have a voucher for Section 8 housing and are looking for a three-bedroom apartment for their family of five, but have been unable to find anything so far. .
Humphrey and de Jesus' two eldest children, Navaeh, 3, and Leilani, 17 months, have suffered skin anomalies, rashes and discoloration, the couple believes this is due to the water quality at the park. They have since stopped bathing them with the running water and use bottled water only. Their youngest daughter, Erica, 5 months, has never been bathed with anything but bottled water and has no issues.
Navaeh holds a large jug of water for her bath. Navaeh's mother and father switched to giving her and her sister baths with bottled water after they discovered large anomalies, discoloration and rashes on their children's skin. They suspect the foul-smelling water at Southern Comfort mobile home park, is to blame.
Weeks later Kreshae stands in the living room of her mobile home on moving day among piles of possessions. It's her birthday. The family was waiting until the last minute for a call from the Juvenile Welfare Board’s family services initiative to offer them a check for the security deposit and first month's rent on a house approved for their Section 8 voucher. If the call didn't come through in time, they would have to go to a shelter in the meantime and leave much of their things behind.