Before researching this topic I was aware how big of an issue and how big the population of homeless people was in our country but I wasn’t fully aware how close to home to issue was. Florida is home to the third greatest population of homeless people in America behind New York and California. Over 6% of Florida’s population is homeless at a whopping 47,862. Homelessness affects our society in many ways, one being tax dollars. Tax dollars are used to support many shelters, hospital stays, and incarcerations of the homeless. According to Lorena Cassady, “When homeless people are admitted to a hospital, their stay is about four days longer than average, which adds up to an additional cost to the public of about $2,400 per incident.”
Homelessness in very prominent in the St. Petersburg/Pinellas County area. In Pinellas County alone there are 5,887 individuals living homeless or unsheltered (out of cars, or on the streets). This statistic is not including people living doubled up with families or at an extended stay facility. 3,222 of these unsheltered homeless are adults while the rest are children.
I decided to do my research on two homeless organizations that I feel have a positive message and truly care for the people; Woman’s Residence and Pinellas Hope. The Woman’s Residence is located in St. Petersburg. The Woman’s Residence provides a safe location for single homeless women to rebuild themselves, they may stay from a month up to a year. Individuals come to the Women's Residence for a variety of reasons: economic difficulties, recovery from drug or alcohol use, or family problems. “The mission of Free Clinic Womens Residence is to provide safe and supportive transitional housing for single, homeless women who are capable of living independently.” This shelter stood out to me because I feel they’re truly trying to help the women and make them feel they’re worth