"Everything is referrals with them."
Celia Franjul is one of the 30,000 people Hope Florida boasts it helped get out of poverty and off government assistance.
She is even featured in the Hope Florida magazine alongside a softly-lit photo of two children hugging a woman — one of four success stories touted by the organization that has provided few specifics to support its claims of impact.
The photo is not of her or her family, however. And her actual encounter with Hope Florida is very different from the one featured in the online magazine.
Three years after she was referred to Hope Florida, Franjul, 42, appears to be no better off than she was.
Franjul’s story illustrates why lawmakers want more answers from those running the program.
Read more at the Orlando Sentinel