By John Hayden
Stacy Hyde dedicates her life to helping others. As executive director of Broward House, she helps people find structure and security during desperate times. After devastating floods in April, clients aren’t the only ones facing challenges. Her staff and Broward House’s facilities are in trouble.
After two days of increasingly heavy rains, Hyde and her staff knew by Wednesday afternoon they were in trouble. “Our Director of Contracts called around 5:30pm and said water was coming through the walls at our administrative offices and then our Behavioral Health Manager (BHM) called and said water was coming through the doors at our Assisted Living Facility,” she told OutClique. “I was at our Wilton Manors location and went home near Cypress Creek to get my shop vac. By the time I got to Broward Blvd. there was no way to get downtown.”
Once the water receded, Hyde knew she was facing the biggest, unexpected challenge of her twenty years at Broward House. “We just thought this is a clean-up, but the realization started to set in. The ACs were down in the client rooms, the hot water heater was down, the mold smell was settling in, and it just kept raining. As we emptied water it just kept coming through the walls.”
The more Hyde and her team got into the recovery, the more they realized how dangerous the situation was. She learned that the cellulose in walls and flooring is a food source for ‘black water’ contaminants, which breeds fungus and pathogens.
The circumstances are perfect for mold and bacteria to grow just out of sight. “As we began to take down the walls the damage and concerns were evident. The water was throughout the entire building even those center locations not near the outside wall.”
The timing couldn’t be worse. Broward House just received a $67,000 increase in property insurance. They do have flood insurance, it’s not enough and they expect an additional $825,000 in recovery costs. In addition, their major fundraiser, Dining Out for Life, was scheduled for the day after the flood and was severely affected.
On The Move
Broward House clients already face instability and uncertainty in their lives. Adding in a new housing crisis could be too much for some. But Hyde and her team stepped up. Seventy-four residents have been moved, even while sixty-one of the staff members were dealing with their own flood-related emergencies.
Hyde says it was a team effort. Residents who could, worked to save their homes and help. One moment in the crisis still resonates. “Ms. Eunice is 76 years old. She lost her home to foreclosure after damage she could not afford to repair with her limited income and inability to work. She has been living with HIV for 18 years and is a kind and strong woman. The flood caused fear of again being homeless, as I left one evening, she stopped me and grabbed my hand and said, ‘Please don’t forget me.’”
A Call to Care & Compassion
Hyde’s dedication to bettering people goes back to her younger days, when she watched someone slowly succumb to illness with little or no help from others. “When I was a waitress 30 years ago, I watched a regular diner die from AIDS with no support.”
Dignity is a word that can be too easily tossed around to make a point and then abandoned. For Hyde, it’s at the core of her mission. “People deserve to be cared for – all people all of the time. So many people I meet do not believe they deserve good or have been dismissed by others.”
“I see it as our role to make them feel seen and heard and to help them believe in their core they are deserving of health, deserving of a good life.” It’s those beliefs that motivate her day after day. “Each day I get to be a part of creating a space and witnessing people, both clients and staff, reach their goals and recognize their value.”
She hoped we would be further along in this fight. “Thirty years ago, I did not believe we would still be fighting for basic rights for people.” However, her vision of a more perfect world will not be deterred.
“We are and we will continue to fight fiercely for people to have access to the care, respect, and home they deserve. I am filled each day with hope as I get to be surrounded by the good in this world, people caring for each other. I truly breathe our mission.”
