St. Petersburg’s “Pinellas Hope”
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St. Petersburg has struggled a lot lately with what to do about their large homeless population. You might guess that many Florida cities have a large homeless population in the winter, due to the fact that the weather here permits living outdoors all year around. You would be correct.
A large “tent city” was removed this pat January, deemed a fire hazard since so many of the dwellings were made out of cardboard. There were also some security issues.
St. Petersburg will home to a new “tent city” called Pinellas Hope come December 1. Catholic Charities, at the request of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, is transforming 10 vacant acres in town into a temporary home for up to 250 homeless people. This will happen just in time for the winter increase in the street population.
This temporary community will be available for five months, until April 30. Until then, homeless folks will find a place to sleep, shower, use the bathroom, and receive meals.
Pinellas Hope has the blessing of city and county leaders. The idea behind the project is to give people a sense of stability so they can find work and look for low-income housing.
Background checks will be required of those who wish to stay in Pinellas Hope.
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