A HAND UP

BY DANIELLE HENDRIX

There are people who recognize when there’s a need in their community. Then, there are people who take the next step and mobilize to help meet it — and Eric Camarillo ’16 ’19MNM is one of them.

Inspired by both his faith and an interaction with someone experiencing homelessness, Camarillo began the process of launching a nonprofit with a desire to focus on impactful community service projects. In 2011, Service and Love Together Outreach (SALT) was born. Based in downtown Orlando, SALT serves the homeless through comprehensive mobile drop-in centers that include access to showers, laundry facilities, case management, mail services, charging stations and more.

“Our vision encompasses the whole U.S., but we want to master a prototype model here in Central Florida first. Eventually, we want to duplicate that in other metropolitan areas and help launch satellite branches.”

“We wanted to serve people experiencing homelessness, and the highest concentration in Central Florida was in downtown Orlando,” Camarillo says. “Our vision encompasses the whole U.S., but we want to master a prototype model here in Central Florida first. Eventually, we want to duplicate that in other metropolitan areas and help launch satellite branches.”

And the need has never been greater than it is right now. According to the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, the region saw a 75% increase in unsheltered homelessness from 2019 to 2023. Most shelters are consistently at capacity. Combined with the lack of affordable housing, rising rent costs and increased evictions, the number of people experiencing homelessness for the first time is also on the rise.

“Central Florida also has one of the highest concentrations of youth and adult homelessness in the U.S. It’s a big problem, and it’s continuing to grow. We feel called to do what we can to help meet that need.”

“Central Florida also has one of the highest concentrations of youth and adult homelessness in the U.S.,” he says. “It’s a big problem, and it’s continuing to grow. We feel called to do what we can to help meet that need.”

To best address that need, Camarillo went back to UCF — where he previously earned his bachelor’s degree in social work — for a master’s in nonprofit management. He learned more about priming SALT for growth through volunteer management, board governance, fundraising and grant writing. And the hard work of Camarillo and his team paid off. In just four years, SALT grew by 30 times — skyrocketing from $90,000 in funds raised in 2019 to $3 million in 2022.

“Our team is amazing and has put in so much time and effort to make this what it is today,” he says.

At the end of the day, Camarillo says the most rewarding part of it all is helping people become more resilient through tangible impact.

“Seeing the people we serve get moved into housing, seeing them become self-sufficient again, those are moments that are really special to us,” he says. “Ending homelessness can seem impossible, but we still strive to do what we can to work toward it.”