program. why did you come to florida? translator: she says it was never her intention to stay here this long. she thought she would be able to come here a little while and go back. reporter: instead santiago is considered the mayor of the super 8 motel. she helps evacuees who ended up in a string of motels along highway 192 in kissimmee, florida navigate the red tape of disaster relief. these families say they were told that the hotel voucher program would last until may, but about 16% of the families were stunned to learn they were no longer eligible and about to be kicked out of their rooms a month early. that set off an intense week of rallies, tears and calls to political leaders and activists demanding help. then relief as word spread that the fema program would likely survive until mid-may. whoo! reporter: father jose rodriguez says there is no transition plans to help these
and living on the streets. she had been assaulted recently and we just didn t have the resources to give her some of the programs that existed before, they re just not in existence anymore. and i know many shelters don t actually accept pregnant women because they see it as an insurance liability problem. a risk, mm-hmm. and there were programs in existence, like the hotel voucher program. those programs just aren t in existence anymore. there s no more gas vouchers. there s almost no emergency funding for anything. sometimes we have a tendency to look at people and feel like they created this situation for themselves. in reality, we are i know i m one step away from being in the same situation. i rely on public services. and those were affected in the sequester cuts. food stamps are going down. i talk to people on a daily