SALT of the Earth
by Charlotte Skipper
At just 20 years old, Eric Camarillo was sleeping in his car and washing up in 7-Eleven bathrooms for six months in Chicago’s wintry weather. He was at his lowest point, with little support to find a way out of his situation.
After moving back to his home state of Florida and discovering Christianity, Eric realized what he was meant to do in life – be the support that he had so desperately needed, for others. That’s how his nonprofit organization, Service and Love Together Outreach Inc. (SALT), was born. SALT serves the unsheltered population through comprehensive mobile drop-in centers.
“When I became a Christian, everything turned 180 degrees, and it was like my life started over again,” says Eric, 37, the organization’s president and CEO. “And when SALT started, I knew that I was 100 percent sure that this is what God wanted me to do.”
SALT started in 2011, sharing food and a bit of extra love with the unhoused. While embarking upon this endeavor, Eric also enrolled at Seminole State College. Even though he had pursued a degree at other colleges, nothing stuck until he realized his passion lies in serving others – and until he found the support of the Seminole State College community.
“When I went to Seminole State, I didn’t know what SALT was going to look like in 10 years, but I knew that this was what I needed to do,” says Eric. “I was able to push through, and with financial support and the support of my teachers being flexible with me while I was working three jobs and managing SALT, I had a great experience there.”
After graduating from Seminole State with his Associate in Arts degree, Eric transferred to the University of Central Florida. He earned a bachelor’s degree in social work in 2016, along with a master’s degree in nonprofit management in 2019 and several certifications to help SALT reach even higher potentials. The organization now serves thousands of homeless individuals in Central Florida each year, providing trailers for showers, laundry, haircuts, the opportunity to connect with case managers to find a way into appropriate housing, and many more services.
A Foundation of Support
Eric says despite the many shelters available in Central Florida, most are either full or have very specific requirements in order to stay. As a result, individuals without guidance often feel confused and remain unsheltered for longer than necessary. Regardless of why a person ends up homeless, Eric says the common denominator for every unsheltered individual he sees is a lack of support.
“We’ve seen over 7,000 people here in the past four years between all our locations, and of those 7,000 people, the common denominator is not mental illness, addiction, loss of job, or eviction,” says Eric. “The common denominator is that all of these people don’t have anyone in their life who’s willing or able to support them. We feel called to be that person for them.”
As SALT continues to expand, more neighborhoods in Seminole County and beyond are reaping the benefits of the program. Thanks to assistance from the Universal Foundation, Seminole County, AdventHealth Altamonte, and others, SALT expanded beyond Orlando for the first time in 2021, launching a shower trailer dedicated to the Seminole County area and providing steady resources in Sanford every week.
“There’s a lot of need in Sanford, and in Seminole County in general,” says Eric.
Eric is living proof that encouragement and support can take you a long way. His education at Seminole State helped him flip the script and become a source of strength for others, which is exactly what he needed all those years ago living on the streets of Chicago.
“When you’re going to school, make sure you study something that you’re passionate about, that you believe is your calling,” says Eric. “I was able to study things that helped me do what I truly needed to be doing.”
Know an SSC alum we should feature? Email Alumni@SeminoleState.edu to tell us about them!