Directors of Tampa Bay area nonprofit organizations are on the front lines of the local effort to end homelessness.
From developing urban rest stops and locations for people to fill water bottles to expanding mental health programming, local charities are stepping up in innovative ways to confront the issue.
Below are just a few of organizations led by visionaries working to help the homeless while aiming to end homelessness.
Blanket Tampa Bay and SALT Outreach – (Tampa)
FOCUS: Blankets and hygiene items for area homeless
VISION: Permanent urban rest stops that feature showering and clothes washing facilities
When Blanket Tampa Bay founder Beth Ross set out to provide blankets to homeless individuals three years ago, she never expected to spark major change. Ross’s idea resonated with people, though: by Christmas Day, 308 homeless individuals had a blanket to offer warmth and comfort.
“The offers to help were immediate,” she says of the near-instant donor response.
Ross formed Blanket Tampa Bay soon afterward. A 501c3 organization, Blanket Tampa Bay accepts donations of blankets, clothes and hygiene products; it then partners with volunteer groups to distribute them. One such organization is SALT Outreach. It’s clockwork, this joint effort: every Monday night, a queue forms outside St. Peter Claver Church on Nebraska Avenue. Homeless persons go through the line and collect seasonal items. SALT-affiliated families share food and drinks.
Blanket Tampa Bay will always be involved in this effort, says Ross, but she’s ready to expand the mission. A recent trip to tour Seattle’s urban rest stops sparked her resolve to adapt the innovative concept to permanent locations in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas Counties.
The homeless have access to some shower facilities in the Bay Area, she says, but often must don the same dirty clothes afterward. Ross envisions permanent urban rest stops that feature restrooms and laundry facilities as well as showers. People seeking work would head out for the day clean and rejuvenated, she says, with greater confidence and likely greater chance to achieve gainful employment.
“We can provide this basic dignity for them,” she says. “It can make all the difference.”
HOW TO HELP: Blanket Tampa Bay accepts donations such as blankets and hygiene products, as well as seasonal items like mittens, coats and rain gear. Donate specifically toward the construction of Urban Rest Stops.
Image Credit: Julie Branaman
Phone:
(813)
501-7657
Email: