By Dan Breitwieser, TV 20 News.

In a study released by the National Center on Family Homelessness, an advocacy group for homeless people, Florida has the 8th worst rate for the number of children who are homeless.

According to the report, 1 of 50 kids in America do not have a home, adding up to 1.5 million children nationwide.

Alachua county leaders say more than 500 schoolkids in the county are homeless--almost twice as many as two years ago.

Benny Dill, his longtime partner Aurlia Finley, and their three children slept in their van for almost two weeks before they came to the St. Francis House shelter.

"I'm hoping, well I'm not going to say hope, what's going to happen next is we're gong to find jobs and we're going to out our own house," said Dill.

Homeless agencies are getting some help. Gainesville will get $567,404 and Marion county will get $727,072 from the federal stimulus package.