HOLIDAY, Fla. — Local leaders are tackling a growing problem in Pasco County, finding shelter for people experiencing homelessness.
On Monday, one non-profit in the community stepped up. Metropolitan Ministries broke ground on a new development, including housing, a new early learning childhood education center, and a family support center.
Along for the journey was Ryan Clarke. Metropolitan Ministries is important to Clarke. When he was homeless, the group became his saving grace.
"So it all started in 2016. I had a good job, we had a nice little place to stay. There was a flood; it wasn't even supposed to be a flood. They called it the No Name Storm in 2016 that covered Baton Rogue. Couple of events happen; my job market dried up, I lost my job. My wife lost her vision, I was a caretaker with three children. A little bit stuck. So me and my 18-month-old drove out here. And I was staying with my mom. And she got me in touch with Metropolitan Ministries. I didn't want to stay with my mom. I'm too old for that," Clarke said.
Watching the groundbreaking brought up a well of emotions for Clarke and reminded of the help he received.
Metropolitan Ministries said 28% of low-income renters spend more than 40% of their income on rent.
Pasco County leaders believe there are about 350-400 people experiencing homelessness. Director of Support Services Paula Baracaldo said 80% of them are in west Pasco County. Currently, the county is investing about $11.9 million into combating homelessness.
"One of the challenges that we face right now is a lack of low-barrier shelter," she said.
Currently, there are 62 confirmed encampment locations in Pasco County. The county is now working to figure out how to get quick and efficient housing into the community, specifically near US 19. So far, there are a few options on the table.
"The first one would be a similar project to the Tampa HOPE and Pinellas HOPE, where you have shelters and you have also tents for a more dignified housing situation and safe for those individuals who are suffering from homelessness in our community. They would be provided with case management, we would connect them to resources, and the program would be managed by a nonprofit partner," said Baracaldo.
Another option would be a similar format but using only tents.
"Our team is not necessarily supportive of that effort," she added.
The third option: pallet shelters. Pallet shelters are small dwellings assembled using aluminum and composite panels on top of pallets for easy and quick access.
The fourth option is a congregate shelter. That's any private or public facility that provides temporary congregate (i.e. - communal) refuge to homeless individuals and/or families for an extended period of time. The county would have to buy the building, but a non-profit would handle daily operations.
"Of course, there are some challenges with that, in terms of space, potential health issues with individuals that are there," she said.
All of the options would require acquiring land. While the county wants to remain near the current clusters, there is no plot of land currently under development.
"We would like to have this issue solved yesterday because it is a big need for the community and a big priority for our Board of County Commissioners. However, as you know, this is not the market to be finding exactly real estate," Baracaldo said.
Baracaldo said as the county grows, many of the wooded areas people in need once sought refuge in are gone. David Engel said on top of the growth; wages are also an issue.
"I'd have to point out that Redfin has reported that housing in Pasco has gone up 63% in the last three years, but wages have only gone up 18%, according to the DEO," Engel said.
For now, the county has picked a plan to find shelter for everyone and encouraged everyone to reach out with ideas to help solve the issue.
