Florida woman living in pickup truck with 7 children, 2 dogs after losing home to inflation: 'It's hard'

APOPKA, Fla. - An Apopka woman, her seven children, nephews and two small dogs have been living in their pickup truck since May after losing their home to inflation. 

"I lost my place due to the fact of the inflation being so high. We weren't able to keep up with the rent," Cinella Purdue said.

You wouldn’t even notice the black pickup because it’s tucked away underneath shade trees. Shade that hides a glaring fact, Purdue and her entire family are homeless. 

The family has been sleeping in the tight space every night. Purdue's swollen legs are a reminder of the cramped conditions. 

"Well it is horrible. I mean, I wake up in aches and pains. My kids wake up from here and go to the store. They get dressed and go to school, and it's bad," Purdue said. 

The children range in age from 11 to 17 years old. FOX 35 News has blurred their faces to preserve their dignity.

They get ready for school by washing up at a nearby convenience store, eating what they can, and studying where they can. 

She said the children are taking it the hardest. "They don't like it. "They get frustrated and cry sometimes. I try to stay strong for them but even the strong need help," Purdue said.

Many of the days of Purdue's life have not been easy.

Born in Sanford, she was a normal teenager until a traumatic event at 19 altered her life forever. She went on disability and was making it OK, she said, until another traumatic event – the brutal murder of her 16-year-old son in 2016. 

"It's hard. It's hard," Purdue cried. "It's hard to talk about. I just deal with it among me and my kids."

She said she went into a spiral after her son's murder. It still haunts her.

"I was thinking like, ‘why me, after all that I do for everybody,’ but I have not a soul to do anything for me. I mean, but I still give and give until I have nothing, I still don't change who I am. I am here as a giver and that's what I'm going to do. I put everyone first. That's the only thing that gave me back my mind because I was a goner," Purdue said.  

Purdue collects disability and picks up scrap metal for money. 

She said the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) has been out to her location and the children's schools who say they children come to school well-dressed and clean. 

Purdue said, however, DCF has not offered assistance because, technically they have a roof over their heads – their vehicle – and they've acknowledged Purdue is taking good care of the children. 

FOX 35 News has reached out to DCF and have not yet heard back. 

Purdue is hoping to put a permanent roof over her children’s head. Not the roof of a car, but the roof of a real home with heat, air conditioning and a sense of normalcy. "This is what I want for my family," she said.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there are more than 31,000 homeless people on our streets on any given night. 

State agencies and private organizations are overwhelmed. Purdue said because of the size of her family, shelters can't accommodate them long term, but sometimes to escape the cramped truck, she gathers enough money for the occasional hotel stay, giving them heat and air conditioning, a bed, a shower and a sense of normalcy, if only for one night. 

"For people who are going to be watching this story, what do you want them to know," Good Day Orlando anchor Danielle Knox asked Purdue.

"Pray for me. Pray for me for a better day," Purdue said.