SALINAS, Calif.- For some, this chilly weather is even more difficult to deal with. The number of children left in the cold on Salinas streets, is growing. While a lot of you have a permanent roof over your head, we spoke with one family with two kids about how hard it is to be homeless in Salinas.
Home for Lawrence, his wife, his 8-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter is a motel room.
"It's really pretty rough, especially this time of the year," said homeless father Lawrence Chambers.
They've been there for 4 years and pay rent on a weekly basis. Lawrence said everyone at the motel looks out for each other, including the 15 kids who are living there too.
"It's very costly. I mean most of my income goes to pay rent, flat out. After that, there's pretty much nothing left," Lawrence said.
His kids are only two of the 2,838 kids who are currently homeless in Salinas and that's about 1,100 more than last year. In Monterey County, there are 5,144 kids with out a home, that's about 1,500 more than a year ago.
But on a night like Wednesday, when temperatures were near freezing, having a door to open, means Lawrence and his family will have a warm place to stay for at least one more night.
Lawrence said he sees a lot of homeless kids on Salinas streets and as a parent, his heart breaks for them. But taking his kids away from Salinas isn't an option.
"I love Salinas, to be honest about it, I love Salinas. I mean I've been here all my life," Lawrence said.
Lawrence said he's had odd jobs around town, laying tile and working as a carpenter. But he said sometimes a background check keeps him from finding something consistent.
"I mean there's been times where I've really had to do some stuff I didn't want to do. But I've got to take care of these guys. I don't really have a choice," Chambers said.
Lawrence told us he wanted to share his family's story because he hopes it'll help more people understand how hard it is for those thousands of kids who are homeless in our community.
