Lives Changed, Hope Restored

There are days when all Scott Billue can do is sit in his truck and cry. The weight of running an organization as large and determined as Matthew’s Hope Ministries compresses his chest, and even with the amazing growth the organization has enjoyed over its nearly 15-year history, the need has outpaced Billue’s ambition.

In fact, that ambition truly is a double-edged sword — so much that Matthew’s Hope is too vast for an elevator pitch. Is it a food pantry? Yes, but that’s not all. A shelter? Yes, Matthew’s Hope shelters people. A medical facility? Yes, that too. A preschool? Check. A retail shop? Yep. A counselor? Absolutely.

In all, there are 26 different verticals that make up Matthew’s Hope’s Orange County and Brevard County operations — all with the goal of providing hope to the homeless and, perhaps more accurately, the hopeless.

It costs $15 million per year to make Matthew’s Hope happen, and because of work done during the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization has been running on a $500,000 deficit. 

But in this season of giving, an anonymous angel has brought the promise of hope to Matthew’s Hope itself. From now through the end of the year, every dollar donated will be matched — up to $1 million. What’s more, the donor also has pledged to match any recurring donations. That means the blessings from this grant can continue into 2025.

Billue says he refers to Matthew’s Hope donors as investors.

“As investors, they should expect a return on that investment,” he says. “They should be able to look at us and see the results of their short-term and long-term investments. They should be able to see lives changed.

“Matthew’s Hope is designed to move people forward to to a life independence and self-sustainability ,” Billue says. “We are looking to get people on the right side of life — so they’re not dependent on places like Matthew’s Hope and your tax dollars  for the rest of their lives.”

And, if it is indeed impossible to distill Matthew’s Hope’s story into an elevator pitch, that’s because the organization’s story is more fitting for a novel — complete with protagonists, antagonists and a roller coaster of conflicts and resolutions.

THE CHANGING FACE OF HOMELESSNESS
When many think of the homeless, their minds conjure the stereotypical image — a downtrodden individual who has succumbed to an addiction and whose life goal never stretches further than getting the next fix. They’re the panhandlers, the drunks, the ones passed out on city park benches. 

And yes, those people still are among the homeless, they’re far from the majority, Billue says.

More accurately, they are seniors, those with physical and mental disabilities, and they are the working homeless, to include even teachers, first responders and veterans. They’re living and working among us. But instead of retiring to a home or apartment at the end of a long day of work, they retreat to the back seat of their aging cars, hoping to be able to contort their bodies in just the right way to catch some sleep before daylight.

And with Florida House Bill 1365 going into effect Oct. 1, 2024, it’s now illegal for the homeless to sleep outside, 

“Anxiety is off the charts,” Billue says. “I’ve seen grown men sob because they’re just so tired. And they’re being told, ‘You can’t be here.’”

One of the fastest-growing demographics among the homelesss are Baby Boomers, Billue says. 

“Baby Boomers are aging out of the workforce, and many are retiring with pensions that were never designed for this economy,” he says. “Then, if their spouse dies, their income goes down even more, and they find themselves sleeping in cars because they’ve lost everything else.”

Another growing demographic are people with special needs. 

“They’re outliving their caregivers,” Billue says. “And disability is $709 per month. You can’t do anything with that. Throw the lack of affordable apartments into the mix, and you have now created the perfect storm. ” 

This, Billue says, is the new face of homelessness.

MEETING THE NEED
Billue has walked in those shoes. He’s been homeless. He’s battled cocaine addiction. And that’s why, when those tears streaming down his face in the safe confines of his truck, without fail, he will pull himself together and muster the strength to open the door and continue the mission God set before him.

That determination — and the changing needs of the homeless population — has steered Matthew’s Hope’s growth. After 12 years in Orange County, in 2022, the organization opened a second operation in Brevard County. And although the two locations operate as separate entities with individual budgets, they do so with the same mission in mind: Show Jesus’ love in any and every way possible.

At the Orange County location, a feature wall displays Matthew 25:35-40: “For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me. 

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?’

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.’”

Through the food pantry, Matthew’s Hope fills empty bellies. Through its mobile outreach, Matthew’s Hope delivers food, hygiene products and clothing. Through its transitional housing, Matthew’s Hope gives shelter. Through its Firm Foundation Preschool, Matthew’s Hope provides young children a safe place to learn and grow. And through its medical services, Matthew’s Hope provides transportation to appointments, helps fulfill prescriptions and more.

As the COVID-19 pandemic raged on in 2020, Matthew’s Hope even expanded its offerings to include those in East Winter Garden. Although they might not have been technically homeless, they needed food. They needed masks. And they needed someone to love on them.

Most recently, during Hurricane Milton, Matthew’s Hope provided shelter to more than 140 people in Orange and Brevard. After all, “shelter in place” doesn’t make much sense if you have no “place.”

“We deal with it all,” Billue said. “Every day, we’re faced with something we’ve never seen before. We don’t want to be a place that says, ‘No, we don’t do that.’”

IT’S WORKING
In April 2024, Billue named Shannon Diaz as the new campus director for the Orange County operation. Not only was the move a great hire, but also it is proof positive that Matthew’s Hope works.

“I love this girl so much,” Billue said of Diaz when he announced her promotion. “She came through our program. She was a rock star in the program. … This girl was a heroin addict four years ago. 

“When Shannon was getting ready to graduate from our program, I said to her, ‘What do you want to do?’” Billue said. “She said, ‘Scott, I really want to do this.’ And I looked at her, and I said, ‘With your felony, nobody’s going to hire you. … But I don’t play by those rules.’ So, she went to work for us, and she worked her way up the ranks, and she is now officially the director of this campus, and we’re so proud of her.”

She’s not the only one.

Gage, 25, is winning his battle with an impossible situation. His mother died of an overdose, and his father remains an addict and homeless. In six months with Matthew’s Hope, Gage has earned his GED and has ambition to turn his life around. 

“He told me he wants to go to Orange Technical College,” Billue said. “He wanted to get into the electrical contractor program, and then I learned he actually spent the night there so he could be first in line to sign up. And he got in.

“We tell our people — trust the process,” Billue says. “If they do that, and they see it through, they can reach their goals.”

Billue says five Matthew’s Hope employees have come through its program.

Another Matthew’s Hope guest is wheelchair-bound paraplegic. Often, her chair would lose power, and she would find herself stranded. So, the Matthew’s Hope team figured out how to install a solar panel to the back of her chair. That way, as long as she can get some sun, she can charge up enough to get moving again.

“Eighty-five percent of the people we serve have a direct connection to our community,” Billue says. “They’re from here. They went to the local high schools. They worked in local businesses. They have family here. They truly are our community.”

And that’s why, at 62, Billue remains laser-focused on the mission God gave to him in 2010. He’s seen lives changed. He’s seen God provide. And he remains hopeful that God will continue to do so.

“Anyone who wants to see their dollars in action — come see for yourself,” he says.