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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County

Making homelessness ‘rare, brief and non-recurring’

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Pasco County has been working to change the trajectory of homelessness — and two of the leaders in that effort recently updated the Pasco County Commission on the quest.

Marcy Esbjerg, director of community development for Pasco County and Don Anderson, CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County appeared jointly at the county board’s March 22 meeting.

They reported on progress and discussed ongoing challenges, offering suggestions for future action.

Esbjerg reminded commissioners that the board approved a coordinated investment plan in September of 2020 and she was there to report on what happened..

“We said we were going to house 225 people in 180 days,” she said.

“We wanted to take some that were unsheltered elderly; some that were unsheltered, but not elderly; unsheltered, chronically homeless; and, families.

“We were using about $4 million from the Emergency Solutions Grant,” she said.

The goal to house 225 people in 180 days didn’t happen, Esbjerg said. It took longer than 180 days, but ultimately, 254 households were housed, including a total of 368 individuals.

Other initiatives also have occurred.

For instance, 14 new, permanent supportive beds have been added, along with the county’s  partner agency, St. Vincent DePaul, using a combination of funding sources.

“We had people that came strictly right off the street,” Esbjerg said.

“I met Joe, who for 20 years lived in the woods. He said to me, in a meeting we had recently, that it was the first time he thought that he would ever have a microwave and a refrigerator. And, no, he didn’t use his dishwasher yet because he only had one fork, one spoon and one bowl and he didn’t need to use the dishwasher,” the community development director said.

The county also opened a family shelter.

It operates out the former Boys & Girls Club on Youth Lane, which has been renovated.

It has nine separate rooms and a large common area, Anderson said.

“The primary objective here is get these families houses, as quickly as possible. We don’t want to warehouse them at the Family Shelter, rather, we want them to be housed as quickly as we can.

The combination of efforts is making a difference, Esbjerg  said.

“This is the most movement, the most achievement, the most success that we have seen when it comes to homeless initiatives in probably over a decade, if not longer,” Esbjerg said.

The county’s homelessness initiatives are data-driven and based on best practices, Esbjerg said.

The efforts begin with an outreach team who identify the individuals and the families that are homeless, Anderson explained.

Help is prioritized by greatest need
“We evaluate them with a standard tool, and then they go to what is referred to as a ‘By-Name List,’” Anderson said.

“The individuals and families on that By-Name List have all been evaluated by the same tool, so they are ranked, in order of, who’s at the greatest risk of harm on the streets, in the woods,” he said.

“We triage, so we help the highest needs first,” Esbjerg added.

“We have a housing first philosophy, meaning we take people straight from the streets and the encampments and we put them into houses and into housing rather than this ladder approach, where they go into emergency shelter and then perhaps transitional housing and they have to earn their way through the various steps,” she added.

“Clients have a choice in their housing and also in their services,” Esbjerg added.

Pasco County is one of 400 or so Continuums of Care (COC) across the country, which compete for funding.

Esbjerg reported “the (Pasco) COC has doubled the amount of funding that they get from 2018, to now. From $800,000 to $1.7 million.”

Point-in-Time Counts are taken to determine the extent of homelessness.

“What’s important about these numbers is that these aren’t merely anecdotal,” Ebsjerg said.

“We drove down the street: What did we see? “We drove into a neighborhood: What did we see? “These are actual counted numbers,” she said.

In both the 2020 and 2021 Point-in-Time counts, there was a high percentage of single adults, Esbjerg said. In 2020, 76% were singles; and, in 2021, 82% were singles.

A gap analysis was done and it determined there was a gap between how services are being directed and where they are needed, she said.

As it turns out, more resources are needed to address individual homelessness, Esbjerg said.

More resources also are needed to address the increasing issue of domestic violence, which is leading more people to enter the system, she added.

The county has received a $300,000 grant for domestic violence programs, she said.

The county also intends to use American Rescue Plan funding to increase the supply of affordable housing.

Esbjerg said the county also is trying to purchase a hotel, motel or multifamily housing to help address homelessness.

It had identified one, but lost out on that one to a private developer, she said.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey asked why the county couldn’t build one.

Esbjerg said it could, but it would take longer.

County Administrator Dan Biles said besides taking longer, the county couldn’t build it as cheaply as a private developer could.

Anderson said he’d like the county consider building a family shelter on the east side of Pasco.

“It’s very difficult for a family, if they are on the east side, while they are homeless, many times they have tentacles into the community —maybe job, children going to a particular school — it’s really a hardship to expect them to come to this (west) side of the county,” Anderson said.

Published April 06, 2022

Planning Commission appointments approved

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The Pasco County Commission has approved the reappointments of Jaime P. Girardi and Peter D. Hanzel to the Pasco County Planning Commission. Their term will end on Aug. 9, 2022.

They also have approved the appointment of Don Anderson to fill the vacancy created by the departure of former Planning Commissioner Michael Cox. The term for the seat ends on Aug. 9, 2021.

Girardi, of New Port Richey, is a civil engineer with more than 20 years of experience in that field. Since 2005, he has focused on private development, planning and design.

He has served on the Pasco County Planning Commission since 2015.

Hanzel, of Wesley Chapel, is retired from the U.S. Department of Justice.

He is a past member of the Pasco County Citizens Mobility Board, chairman of the Lexington Oaks Community Development District and a past member of the Lexington Oaks Homeowners Association board.

Anderson, the CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County, was among 19 applicants for the post.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey made a motion to appoint Anderson, which was seconded by Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick.

In calling for Anderson’s appointment, Starkey said she thinks he “brings a really fresh perspective that’s needed to the commission.”

Zoning Administrator Denise Hernandez said the call for applicants for the volunteer post attracted considerable interest.

The pool of applicants was filled with people of varied backgrounds, including a retired employee of the Florida Department of Transportation, civil engineers, community association managers, retired Department of Justice employee, real estate investors, real estate appraisers, real estate brokers, mortgage brokers, folks that formerly served on planning and zoning commissions in other states, architects, folks that served in the public works commission in other states; one certified planner and a few contractors, Hernandez said.

That drew a reaction from Starkey, who asked if there is a way for the county can “find a way to let them have their voices heard.”

Commission Chairman Ron Oakley agreed with Starkey’s suggestion of finding other ways to encourage the applicants to be of service.

“We’re always looking for people to be involved,” Oakley said.

Hernandez said the application did inquire whether applicants would be willing to help in another capacity and many of the applicants said they would.

Published May 05, 2021

Homeless Coalition seeking rental properties

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The Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County is seeking available rental properties to provide residences for its Housing Surge, which will house 225 currently homeless households — singles and families — over the next 180 days.

Those knowing about a house, mobile home or apartment posted for rent should take a photo of the sign with the contact information, and send it along with the street name and address to the coalition’s housing locator, Kelly Miller-Funk, at .

Landlords should send their contact information and the number of units owned. A weekly list of available units will be provided to case managers.

For more information, call the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County at 727-842-8605.

Published December 09, 2020

A home welcomes Zephyrhills’ impoverished

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There’s an open-door policy to whomever walks in the Samaritan Project of Zephyrhills Inc., with economic struggles weighing them down.

The organization has become a fixture in Zephyrhills to combat the continuing cycle of homelessness.

Established in 2008, the agency was in response to those already living on the streets, or on the verge.

The Samaritan Project works to get its name out to the community in helping the homeless. Pedro Molina and Roxxy Geisenheimer advocate on behalf of the organization at Zephyr Park. (Courtesy of the Samaritan Project of Zephyrhills Inc.)

Roxxy Geisenheimer is the executive director for the Samaritan Project and has been with the agency for the past two years.

“This organization was founded to stop the domino effect that happens when people experience traumas, tragedies or unforeseen circumstances,” she explained.

The director added that Zephyrhills saw a need for a “one-stop shop resource center.”

In turn, its office has a donation pantry where the less fortunate can come to collect food boxes, hygienic products and comb through racks of clothing.

The Samaritan Project staff also sits down with individuals to assess their situation and refer them to the proper resources.

Some may need things as simple as identification cards or bus passes, while others’ needs are more urgent.

In pinpointing the necessary resources, the agency works with the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County, among other organizations, in what is known as the Continuum of Care.

Under this program, local institutions collaborate in collecting data to ultimately house the homeless and take preventive measures.

One such partnership the Samaritan Project has is with United Way of Pasco County.

Together they have established an agreement with Duke Energy to help clientele with past due electric bills.

Homeless veterans and their loved ones are referred to the Supportive Services for Veteran Families to help get on track to stable housing.

And, while the Samaritan Project has a psychologist on staff, there are those whose mental instability prevents them from properly articulating their needs.

In these cases, they may be sent for treatment to such places as Premier Community HealthCare, BayCare Behavioral Health or the North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital.

Agency staff is also ready to drive people to their needed destinations, if necessary.

The collaborations go both ways as the Samaritan Project also receives referrals from local hospitals, law enforcement and churches, Geisenheimer said.

“We all try to share information and resources the best we can, and wrap around people who are struggling,” she added.

Job counselors help to get some on the road to employment, and disability attorneys advocate for those who cannot work.

Guardians ad Litem also support parents in the courtroom to reunite with their children when living conditions begin to improve.

However, not everyone who walks through the agency’s door comes from a cycle of poverty.

Samaritan Project staff members often go outdoors to befriend the homeless and help to get them on their feet. From left, front: Karen Greene, Carol Greene and Roxxy Geisenheimer; and, back: Paul Bathrick and Lawrence Vickstrom are several of the friendly faces found at the agency’s office.

“We work with people who, at one point, did very well for themselves,” the director said.

She noted that currently employed individuals, such as electricians, health care workers and teachers, also find themselves homeless.

From 2013 to 2017, the average household income in Zephyrhills was only an estimated $35,100 and the current poverty rate stands at 20 percent (of the population), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

While some with jobs make a steady income, it may not be enough to keep them in their home – or even put down a security deposit.

In turn, the agency offers the Rent/Utility Assistance Program.

This initiative grants funds to help pay the rent or mortgage short-term, while trying to find a long-term solution.

“We try to help them figure out ‘how do we prevent this from being a problem next month,’” Geisenheimer explained.

With the Emergency Cold Weather Shelter program, staff will be on call 24 hours a day.

When the temperature drops below a certain level, displaced individuals are taken to safe shelters, whether a gymnasium or a hotel room.

To support its efforts, several grants are given from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Florida Department of Children and Families.

However, most of the agency’s funding comes from community donations, like businesses, churches or individuals, the director said.

Although Geisenheimer has seen various demographics seek help, she said she’s most surprised by the amount of elderly people who are homeless.

She recalled once helping a wheelchair-bound woman in her 80s make the transition from the woods to being placed in an assisted living facility.

That too, is what staff will do once closing up the office – street outreach. The agency sets out to find those in the woods or in abandoned buildings.

And, while they offer assistance to get people off the street, they will help set up tents for those not quite ready to leave the outdoors.

This is understandable to staff that volunteer, as they were, at one point, in the position as those they serve.

Geisenheimer, herself, was struggling years ago to find a stable home when she was pregnant.

She stated that staff members offer others not sympathy but empathy, noting:

“They know when they walk through the door, that they’re not being judged.”

What’s more, the agency does not operate in a plaza or off a main road, but within a residential area.

Its office is a renovated, two-bedroom house, which adds to a welcoming atmosphere, the director said.

She said that those who are displaced should remain hopeful that their situation is temporary.

And, by stepping through the front door of the office, that hope can become a reality.

For additional information or help, call (813) 810-8670, or visit Facebook.com/SamaritanProjectZephyrhills.

Published May 29, 2019

Neighbors object, but family housing OK’d

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The Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County can move forward with plans to temporarily house homeless families in a building at the former campus of the Boys & Girls Club in Port Richey.

The coalition, with support from other social service agencies, also will open the Housing Services Center, which will administratively help families and individuals seeking permanent housing and other services.

A former Boys & Girls Club on Youth Lane in Port Richey will be renovated and opened as a temporary shelter for homeless families, and administrative offices for the Housing Services Center.
(File)

The Pasco County Commission, with Commissioner Jack Mariano dissenting, approved the coalition’s plan at its June 19 meeting in New Port Richey.

Commissioners also approved a 15-year lease agreement for $1 a year; and, a $190,000 contract to design renovations of two buildings at 8239 Youth Lane.

During the public hearing, many area residents who live near the site gave county commissioners the same unified message they’ve delivered before: They don’t want the coalition in their neighborhood, and they are voters.

Residents say they worry about crime, loss of property values, and safety.

“We deserve to be heard. We deserve to be listened to. We live and sleep here,” said Suzanne Greene Taldone, a resident in nearby Crane’s Roost. “You keep trying to put a square peg into a round hole.”

Supporters, including most county commissioners, say it’s overdue for Pasco to step up efforts to help the homeless population.

Data from the coalition puts the number of homeless people in Pasco County at about 2,500. Homeless families make up about 1,800 of those people and there are about 700 single adults.

Mary Ashcraft is pastor at Joining Hands Mission Church and opens the church to the homeless in cold weather. She supports the coalition’s project.

“There’s so many families out there,” she said. “I get phone calls, and I have nowhere to send them but Metropolitan Ministries. They go a great job, but they are full and packed.”

The county owns the land on Youth Lane and is providing at least $700,000 in grants, and other sources, to pay for building renovations.

“I think we’re going to do the right thing,” said Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey. “Sometimes, we just have to take a chance.”

The lease agreement has a 90-day written notice of termination clause.

Starkey said, “If it doesn’t go right, we’ll do something about it.”

Crane’s Roost resident Valerie Schaefer said the coalition’s programs would be like a magnet — attracting more homeless people and transients into the neighborhood.

“We taxpayers and voters will hold you commissioners responsible if you vote this through,” she said.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano
(File)

Mariano shared concerns that the Housing Services Center could have people loitering in the area. He also thought spending available grants on Habitat for Humanity houses would be a better option.

“The issue is something we’re all sensitive to. It’s only primarily about location to the neighbors,” Mariano said. “I still don’t think it’s the right project.”

The programs approved by county commissioners were a change from the initial project to open a one-stop navigation center, with wrap-around services and a shelter for adult men and women.

Most supporters liked the shift in direction to help homeless families; while others still favored the original navigation center concept.

Under the amended proposal, the center will house four to eight families in the former teen center that’s on the site. They can receive services for up to 180 days, though coalition representatives say they expect most will be there about 45 days before transitioning to permanent housing.

No more than 36 people can stay there at any one time.

There also will be background checks, curfews, security cameras, and staff members onsite at the family shelter 24 hours a day.

Plus, the coalition will limit services available at the Housing Services Center, which will operate Monday through Friday office hours.

There will be no showers, emergency food or clothing, or health care services.

Those conditions convinced owners of an adjacent shopping plaza to support the coalition.

“This is not going to bring people out of the camps,” said Robert Lincoln, an attorney representing the plaza owners. “There’s not giveaways. It’s not going to be the anchor for bringing those people into the area.”

Chase Daniels, assistant executive director for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, also voiced Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco’s continued support for the program.

The coalition will provide desk space for deputies working in the area. They can stop by and fill out their paperwork, Daniels said. “They will have a presence,” he added.

Published June 27, 2018

Review board recommends family homeless shelter

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The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a program to temporarily house homeless families in a former Boys & Girls Club building.

Planning commissioners reached that recommendation during a public hearing on June 6.

The Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County wants to operate the temporary shelter on Youth Lane in Port Richey. The coalition also wants to open administrative offices in a second building, designated as the Housing Services Center. Individuals and families would be able to receive a range of social services at the center, with a primary focus on housing for the homeless population.

About 50 people attended a public hearing to oppose a program from the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County to operate a temporary shelter for families, and provide additional services at a Housing Services Center. (Kathy Steele)

The county owns the land, and has partnered with the coalition to get the program up and running.

About $700,000 in grants, and other funding sources, has been allocated for building renovations.

The Pasco County Commission is expected to make the final decision at a June 19 meeting in New Port Richey. Commissioners also will vote on an amendment to the county’s comprehensive land use plan to change the land use from open space/recreational to a public/semi-public use.

About 50 people attended the planning commission’s public hearing to show their opposition to the project. Most of the concerns, however, focused on the services available at the services center, not the temporary family shelter.

Area residents worried about increasing crime, a loss in property values, and overall public safety.

“The only good thing about this program is the good intentions,” said Suzanne Greene Taldone, who lives in the Crane’s Roost subdivision, off Little Road.

She thinks the coalition’s site will become a magnet for transients and will create “a cesspool of crime.”

Greene added: “Encampments flourish near these centers because they want to be first in line for services.”

The program was initially proposed in 2017 as a temporary shelter for adult men and women, with a focus on providing a one-stop center for social services and with a goal of placing people in permanent housing.

Amid strong opposition from residents, the coalition changed its purpose to instead help families only at the shelter. Coalition representatives also voluntarily limited the services that would be available at the Housing Services Center.

Under the proposal, the center would not have an emergency food pantry, clothes closet, showers, or scheduled visits for a mobile medical unit.

The coalition also agreed to other conditions.

Four to eight families would be housed temporarily, but no more than 36 people would stay at the shelter at any one time. The coalition estimates helping a minimum of 50 families annually.

Background checks would be done. There would be security cameras, and a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Also, coalition staff members would be on-site 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Families could stay no longer than 180 days.

The goal, coalition officials said, would be for families to stay 30 days to 60 days, with most being placed in housing within 45 days.

“This is something that is very realistic,” said Don Anderson, chief executive officer of the homeless coalition.

Area residents remain skeptical.

Judith Bowes lives in the nearby subdivision of The Orchards of Radcliffe. She said more than 70 widows live there.

“They were scared. They had a lot of sleepless nights,” Bowes said. “The shelter that will house six to eight families is not the problem. The problem is (the Housing Services Center) will bring a lot of transients into the neighborhood. My neighbors are still having sleepless nights.”

But, Amina Ahmed said it made her sad to hear people making assumptions about people who are homeless.

“Not all of them are criminals,” Ahmed said. “People think if you’re homeless, you have to have a problem, which is not true. Let’s help people become valuable members of society.”

Attorney Robert Lincoln, who represents the owners of an adjacent shopping plaza, also spoke in favor of the coalition’s efforts.

The owners had found fault with the original plan but support the new direction, Lincoln said.

He said that eliminating such services as showers, medical care and clothes makes a difference.

“You take away those kinds of things, you take away the kinds of services that get people wandering in off the street,” Lincoln said.

Plus, he noted: “It’s much better to be working with (the coalition) and becoming engaged.”

Published June 13, 2018

Free seminars about county services aim to educate, motivate

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With so many different agencies providing services throughout Pasco County, figuring out exactly what each one offers can be confusing.

But the Community Awareness Series at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch aims to make things easier to understand with free lectures that focus on different service providers.

Sonia Rodriguez, associate dean at Pasco-Hernando State College, put together a series of free seminars providing information about community-based organizations and agencies. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Sonia Rodriguez, associate dean at Pasco-Hernando State College, put together a series of free seminars providing information about community-based organizations and agencies. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

The six-part series began with a presentation by Pasco County Community Services on Sept. 5, and continued with the Florida Department of Health on Sept. 19.

The next seminar will take place Oct. 10, focusing on the Sunrise Domestic and Sexual Violence Center, followed by the American Cancer Society on Oct. 24. Veterans Services Pasco County and the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County will round out the series in November.

The series helps satisfy one of the college’s strategic goals of increasing awareness in the community, PHSC associate dean Sonia Rodriguez said.

“Most institutions are microcosms of their environment, and there are a lot of agencies and information out there that people don’t know about,” she said. “Or they have a situation going on where they don’t know where to seek help or find an avenue in which to help someone else.”

Rodriguez has been with the college for 20 years, and was involved with a similar program on their north campus in Brooksville. Attendees often are people who not only want to learn about the specific services each agency offers, she said, but also find out how they might be able to volunteer time or donate to their cause.

The room is set up to hold 60 people, and it was around half-full for the first presentation. Rodriguez considers that a good start. She believes that more people will attend later events as word gets out, and as certain topics generate more interest. The second presentation attracted around 35 people.

She picked the agencies with members of her staff, choosing the ones she thought would be of interest to the community. As the series progressed in Brooksville, different agencies would ask to be featured, providing more topics and covering a wider variety of services.

The popularity grew until it became a weekly series, and Rodriguez hopes to see the Wiregrass Ranch campus offerings to eventually grow to that level.

While she wants to see as many people take advantage of the Community Awareness Series as possible, Rodriguez said the people who might utilize the services directly might not be the ones actually attending the seminars. While unwanted pregnancy and domestic violence issues exist in the county, for example, those topics are unlikely to draw the individuals involved with them.

“The people who need it the most are the people that you probably can’t get to come to something,” Rodriguez said. Instead, individuals who know someone in need might be the ones in attendance.

The college also encourages its faculty and students to attend, since they might interact with people who need those services. The knowledge they gain from the presentations could help them in assisting others.

Each session lasts 90 minutes, with a 60-minute presentation and a 30-minute question-and-answer session. Each agency decides what kind of seminar to give, and could include a PowerPoint presentation, or different agency members speaking on specific topics.

Feedback has been positive so far, and Rodriguez hopes they’ll continue to be well received by the students and faculty, as well as the community in general.

“Pasco-Hernando State College’s mission is to be a part of this community,” she said. Before we were a state college we were a community college, so community never leaves our mission.”

Each seminar starts at 10 a.m., at the conference center in Building B. The Wiregrass Ranch campus is located at 2727 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

For more information about the Community Awareness Series, visit PHSC.edu.

Published October 8, 2014

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