news release

Marty Mercado, Executive Director of The Hope for Families Center (HFC), will present on building stronger, more coordinated community partnerships at the 2026 Florida Conference to End Homelessness, held September 1–3 at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista.

Mercado will present “Braiding Partners” on Wednesday, September 2, at 2:00 p.m. She will discuss how communities can move beyond isolated efforts by connecting expertise, resources, influence, and lived experience to create stronger pathways out of homelessness and toward lasting stability.

The Hope for Families Center is the largest provider serving homeless families on the Treasure Coast. HFC supports families with children in transitioning from homelessness to permanent, sustainable housing by offering safe shelter, food, and comprehensive supportive services.

Mercado’s presentation is informed by HFC’s recent transformation. In recent years, she helped lead a $6 million expansion of the HFC campus, doubling shelter capacity, adding transitional apartments, and creating more space to serve parents and children.

“Once the campus was built, I had a moment that I can only describe as, ‘Now what?’” Mercado said. “We had created the rooms and the physical space, but a building by itself does not raise wages, create affordable housing, provide childcare, address transportation challenges, or make complicated systems easier for a family to navigate.”

This realization led Mercado to emphasize the importance of connecting organizations and individuals to address the barriers families face.

“When we say a family is homeless, housing is the most visible crisis, but it is rarely the only barrier,” Mercado said. “Transportation, childcare, employment, health, debt, documentation, affordable housing and other challenges can compound one another. When barriers are connected, our solutions must be connected too.”

In “Braiding Partners,” Mercado will introduce a framework based on four essential community assets:

·         Service partners bring expertise and direct support.

·         Connectors bring influence, trust, and relationships.

·         Funders bring flexible resources and the ability to scale what works.

·         Families bring lived experience and the clearest understanding of the barriers they face.

“When those strands share understanding and responsibility, separate services become a coordinated path toward family stability,” Mercado said.

A central message of Mercado’s presentation is that coordination is itself a service.

“A referral says, ‘Here is a number. Call them,’” Mercado explained. “A braided partnership says, ‘We know who should help, we will make a supported connection, everyone understands their role, and we will follow up.’”

Mercado will encourage participants to build partnerships by identifying a shared barrier, listening to families, mapping community assets and gaps, connecting those with relevant expertise and resources, and committing to a next action, an owner, and a follow-up date.

“A braid becomes strong through repeated, intentional crossings,” Mercado said. “The same is true of partnerships. Trust is built by doing the next small thing together and coming back to review the result.”

The Florida Conference to End Homelessness brings together professionals, advocates, community leaders, service providers, and others committed to ending homelessness statewide. Day passes are available for those interested in attending and hearing presentations, including Mercado’s “Braiding Partners.”

Community members interested in learning more about HFC or supporting local families experiencing homelessness are encouraged to contact The Hope for Families Center.

About The Hope for Families Center

The Hope for Families Center is the largest center for homeless families on the Treasure Coast. Located in Vero Beach, Florida, HFC provides safe shelter, food, and supportive services to families with children experiencing homelessness. Through individualized case management and community partnerships, HFC works alongside families to help them move from crisis toward permanent, sustainable housing and lasting stability.