WAKULLA COUNTY, FL (WTXL) — A Wakulla County foster parent's last-minute search for beds for children she was taking in led her to a local nonprofit that has now helped more than 80 kids in the county get a bed of their own.
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Stacey Bian, who works at DISC Village, has seen many families in need of beds for their children. She did not expect to one day need that help herself.
A few weeks ago, Bian was contacted about fostering young family members and had to quickly find beds for them. To be a foster parent, beds are required for the children being taken in.
"So what am I gonna do? Like you know, I'm am I gonna put them on a couch? Am I gonna get a blow up mattress? Like what you know? What's going through my head right now is I really want these kids to have a bed of their own, so so they know that this is their home," Bian said.
She searched multiple avenues to find beds, which added to the stress of the situation.
"I looked through Facebook Marketplace and some other places, and everything was so expensive, and was right in between paychecks, and it was really a scramble," Bian said.
Bian remembered that she and her son had previously volunteered at a bed build for Sleep in Heavenly Peace and filled out an application with the nonprofit.
"It's been such a blessing, the joy on the kids' faces, the stress that was taken off of my plate, knowing that they were the beds were on the way," Bian said.
Bian's situation is not unique. Steve Sanabria, delivery hub manager with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, said there has been an uptick in applications in Wakulla County. By the end of July, the nonprofit had helped more than 60 kids in the county get a bed. Sanabria said that number has since grown to more than 80.
The nonprofit says there is no common thread for why children need beds.
"I've delivered beds where there were unfortunate circumstances in the house, all perhaps exacerbated by lifestyle choices, but the children have nothing to do with that. I've delivered beds in places where there was a family reunification, and all of a sudden three kids showed up, and they're out of space and they're out of beds. Where are they going to go? I've delivered beds in sadly situations where a family was burned out," Sanabria said.
Regardless of the reason, Sleep in Heavenly Peace says if a child needs a bed, they want to get them one. Bian encourages anyone in need to reach out to the organization. Click here to apply for a bed.
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