Pathway Homes Florida supporters were treated to some very moving words from consumer Jason Sabbath at this year’s Duck Race fundraiser. Living without a home for 6 years, Jason finally secured housing last year after connecting with Pathway Homes, and he now has a lot to say about his experience as he tries to inspire others. “When you become homeless,” Jason noted, “nobody tells you – nobody prepares you for what you’re going to go through. There are no TV shows you can learn from. There are no movies or documentaries. There’s just not anything out there that prepares you for being homeless.”
While housing can be hard to come by in many regions of the country, Jason observed that not only is there a severe lack of affordable housing in central Florida, but there is also a lack of disabled housing, specifically. As he explained to Duck Race attendees, “Being a disabled person, I need certain things in order to function on a daily basis. I need a bathroom that I can actually physically use!”
Jason’s gratitude for having a home again makes him determined to pay it forward to help other individuals who find themselves in similar circumstances. “I can’t describe what it feels like to,” Jason expressed, “to finally have a home, to finally have a place where you can feel like a normal human being once again. When you’re homeless, you don’t feel like a human anymore. Finding housing is so very important for a sense of self. So, you feel like you have some worth. You feel like you have something that you can give back to maybe other homeless people.”
“The other thing I’d like to talk about with Pathways is after you find housing — because their job does not end once you find a place to live. They take the time and effort to help with any issues you may have with your housing, to help with any issues you have over and above your housing. You feel like there’s somebody out there fighting for you, somebody out there who cares about you and that might be their most important job is making you feel whole again, making you feel like a person who can contribute again and again.”
Fundraising is more important than ever, according to Jason, because of the ever-increasing numbers of people who are losing stable housing. For that reason, he said, the job of Pathway Homes “just gets bigger and bigger and bigger and more and more important every year because there are more homeless people who need that help to feel normal again.”
Jason’s story was incredibly heartfelt, and his persistence and resilience truly inspiring. We hope his message of hope will resonate and inspire others who seek the same stability and search for a much-deserved home.
Jason Sabbath speaking to those in attendance at Duck Race 2025, Pathway Homes Florida’s annual fundraiser.
