Get Educated

When you think about a homeless person, do you think about…

• A single mother making minimum wage who loses the struggle to afford rent, childcare, transportation and food
• A family whose father suffers a debilitating illness and is unable to work
• A man who suffers from mental illness without the resources for treatment
• A child who ages out of the foster care system at age 18
• A family with children living paycheck to paycheck when the mother is laid off
• A young man caught up in the despair of drug and alcohol addictions
• A woman escaping an abusive relationship with nothing but the clothes on her back
• A man who because he is homeless without an address, phone number, clean clothes, a place to shower and food can’t not secure gainful employment despite having needed skills
• A elderly couple living on a fixed income facing rising rents, insurance, and medication costs
• A family living in their car because the apartment they struggled to afford has been converted to condos; the parents terrified they will lose their children

All these situations are true; real people who have become homeless in Hillsborough County.

While most people have only one picture of what homelessness is – there is no “one” type of homeless person.  Homeless people are men, women, and children, families and individuals, young and old, full-time workers and unemployed, with and without addiction and/or mental illness.  Homelessness crosses all lines – racial, religious, class, ethnic and culture – and affects everyone.

Being able to help our homeless and near homeless neighbors begins with understanding who these neighbors are, causes of homelessness and solutions needed by our community to be able to maintain and expand housing and services they need.

Take some time in the "Get Educated" section to learn about about our homeless neighbors in Hillsborough County - the who they are, causes of homelessness, the community-developed plans that can increase housing and services, sign up for the Coalition's e-newsletter and how to schedule a formerly homeless person to speak to your group, class or organization.