Florida Catholic | Reduced Homeless Shelter To Stay Open For Summer

JAMIE PILARCZYK | FC
William White, 57, walks through Pinellas Hope in late April, where he had lived since January. He planned to move back to South Carolina to be with family by May 3. As for an extension that will allow the temporary homeless shelter, which had been scheduled to close April 30, to stay open on a limited basis for the summer, he said, “I think it’ll be great for people to get help and keep off the streets.”

Reduced homeless shelter to stay open for summer

Advocates seek funds to resume full program at Pinellas Hope in fall.

JAMIE PILARCZYK | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 05.09.08

ST. PETERSBURG | With news that the Pinellas Hope temporary shelter and assistance center has been extended through the summer, its organizers and homeless are breathing a sigh of relief.

“I think it’s great for people to get help and keep off the streets,” said William White, 57, who said he lost his job after a brain aneurism and stroke.

For three years he had been living on the street until January when he came to Pinellas Hope on the edge of Pinellas Park and Clearwater, 5726 N. 126th Ave.

White, who retired from the U.S. Army after serving in Vietnam, said the staff at Pinellas Hope helped connect him with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and he now has plans to return to his home of South Carolina.

The program was scheduled to close at the end of April. But about two weeks before D-day, officials announced its extension on a reduced scale through the summer. About $200,000 in private donations will help keep the camp running through Sept. 30, said Frank Murphy, president of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, which operates the program on behalf of a coalition of sponsors. Pinellas Hope is a Shelter Ministry, one of the diocese’s five Ministries of Mercy.

To get to the modified accommodation of about 70 residents at a time instead of the 250 hosted these past five months, staff worked quickly to place residents in other housing, connect them with family or with other services. As people find permanent solutions and move on throughout the summer, new residents on a waiting list will be substituted in.

“Unfortunately, the need has not lessened at all,” said site manager Angie Mosley, citing the home foreclosure crisis as a contributor to the problem. “I believe the demand will be even greater in the fall.”

Murphy said staff will be modified to accommodate the smaller number of residents. Since it opened in December, more than 450 homeless people have found temporary shelter in tents, a safe place to keep their belongings, hot showers, laundry services, access to social services and assistance seeking employment.

It’s not all handed on a silver tray though, said Kim Ledger, 48, a resident since December. Ledger had been sleeping under St. Petersburg overpasses on the concrete for a month before she was referred to Pinellas Hope.

“You have to have the initiative to get out and get a job,” said Ledger, who had plans to move to the St. Petersburg Boley Center, a housing and recovery center, at the beginning of May.

While the results of an independent study of Pinellas Hope’s success won’t be available until July, organizers are hopeful they made a difference for the residents coming through their gates.

“It really feels great to see the change in people since they walked through that gate in December,” Mosley said. “The impact on the lives here is evident in how they behave and how they approach life now than when they came.”

Mosley said the primal defense mechanisms most arrived with have softened as they learn to trust the staff and make personal connections.

“After being here for a while, they got used to knowing they have something to come to, security, and if they come to us their issue will be addressed,” Mosley said. “I might not be able to fix it, but they know I care.”

Catholic Charities runs Pinellas Hope on more than 10 acres of land donated by the Diocese of St. Petersburg. The effort is a partnership with Pinellas County, Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless and others.

Murphy said he will continue to pursue city, county and state funding for a more permanent solution, with the hopes of continuing service in October for a full, 250-bed shelter.

“You feel a sense of community by being here at Pinellas Hope,” Mosley said. “It’s like we’re a really large family. It’s heartwarming the change we’ve been able to make for people.”

For information or to volunteer, contact Pinellas Hope at (727) 556-6397 or www.pinellashope.org.

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Reduced homeless shelter to stay open for summer

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