ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Two area non-profits are teaming up to open the doors to a new housing program for families experiencing homelessness.
Wednesday, Metropolitan Ministries, St. Petersburg Free Clinic and local leaders made a house a home, cutting the ribbon on a building near Mirror Lake. \
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“We know it’s not just about hiding the homeless or moving them to a different place,” St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said. “It’s about that emergency shelter, those supportive services that help folks get back into a hopeful future.”
Big picture view:
The two non-profits have worked together for a while on things like feeding families in need and other services. Now, they’re joining forces to house families in need. They recently launched the Pinellas Family Shelter Program.
“Today is such a beautiful day not just for Metropolitan Ministries and our partners, but also for the city to be able to provide hope for those families who are living in their cars. To be able to allow them to know that they have a safe place to call home is just truly remarkable,” Dr. Sarah Combs, the president and CEO of Metropolitan Ministries, said. “I think that today we’re meeting that need head-on.”
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By the numbers:
According to Metro Ministries, in the last five months of 2024, 3,555 children in Pinellas County were experiencing homelessness.
“As we looked at what was happening in the community, we noticed an alarming number of families and children who are experiencing homelessness,” Jennifer Yeagley, the CEO of St. Pete Free Clinic, said. “So, in evaluating that, in looking at our necessary expansion to be able to provide more food and more health care to our neighbors in need, we were really looking to partner with an organization for whom housing and sheltering families was very much in their wheelhouse so that we could start a collaboration, support them with the facility and other wraparound services, and allow them to do what they do best in sheltering the families. So, the conversation with Metropolitan Ministries really evolved from there.”
Dig deeper:
Yeagley said those talks between the non-profits started about a year ago.
The program includes two buildings, and services like case management, education and employment services, trauma counseling, childcare, transportation and health, wellness and spiritual care. St. Pete Free Clinic provides the two residential buildings and nutritious food and health services. Metro staffs and manages the shelters, and offers the other wrap-around services.
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“We were able to come throughout this space and really make it unique,” Dr. Combs said. “So, that way families, when they come in, they feel like they’re home. It’s not a typical shelter that you would see in other places, and the beauty of it is we have so many different wraparound services that are able to really meet individuals right where they are.”
The David and Virginia Baldwin Family Shelter, where the ribbon cutting was Wednesday in St. Pete, previously served as a women’s residence for several years. Yeagley credited the Baldwin family and several other donors for making the facility possible in the first place.
What they’re saying:
“We’re very excited to expand the mission in continuing to serve women in need along with their children through this partnership,” Yeagley said.
“We’re just continuing the work that has always been done here, which is to bring people from the streets into a place of healing, safety, a place where they can begin to relax,” Kip Corriveau, Director of Pinellas Residential Programs with Metropolitan Ministries, said.
The David and Virginia Baldwin Family Shelter has 29 emergency shelter units for families and single women to stay in for three to six months. The Lealman Family Housing facility has eight two-bedroom apartments and two transitional units for 10 units. They’re low rent and have continued support for up to 12 months.
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They said they’re currently filling both facilities.
“In this place that you’re in, there are families who were living in their vehicle with their children just a week ago,” Darren McKinnon, the vice president of Residential Programs for Metro Ministries, said. “In this place, there are individuals who could not pay their rent and were evicted and had nowhere to go. They didn’t know which way was up. In this place, there are residents who experienced domestic violence continuously and coming into this program was actually the change in their life that they need.”
“We do have families within the building and we have really got the ball rolling in regards to their employment. We originally had a young lady who was slated to come and speak this morning, but she gave me the good news late yesterday that she is starting her first day of work today,” McKinnon said.
What you can do:
The new residential housing program is a $1.5 million investment serving 74 families and more than 200 children. Those who want to apply for the program can reach out to Metro Ministries or St. Pete Free Clinic.
The Source: FOX 13’s Kailey Tracy spoke with representatives from St. Petersburg Free Clinic and Metropolitan Ministries for this story.
