Florida Teen Talks About New Faces Of Poverty

MIAMI (CBS4) – The new faces of poverty in America are turning up and some are in Florida.

Homeless children spoke out Thursday in front of a congressional committee to talk about their life in poverty.  One of them, Destiny Raynor, spoke about her homeless experience in Central Florida.

"We had to eat at a gas station at the corner because they had a microwave," said Raynor.

Raynor's family was recently featured on 60 Minutes describing her daily routine as well as the life of other impoverished kids in her Florida community.

With a tough job market, many kids are finding out what life is like to live without a real roof over their heads.

In Florida alone, there are 83,000 kids without a home. Kids who say they are tired, underfed, embarrassed and failing in school while their parents struggle to find regular work.

The epidemic of family homelessness has forced many cash –strapped families to stay with relatives while others moved into motels, homeless shelters or worse, their cars.

Raynor's  family recently got a break after CBS' "60 Minutes" aired her story.

"Because of the '60 Minutes' segment our community has come together and provided my family with a home," said Raynor.

Congress is looking for answers while it tries to write new laws and  help a new generation of homeless.