POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The number of homeless people continues to grow in Tampa Bay as local leaders gather to commemorate National Homeless Person's Remembrance Day.
In Largo, city leaders lit up bags along a walkway to pay tribute to the lives lost while people experience homelessness.
In St. Petersburg, the Unitarian Universalist Church hosted a memorial service Friday. The event honored 114 people who died in 2023 in Pinellas County while experiencing homelessness.
The events come as the number of people experiencing homelessness nationwide is growing, as the cost of living stays high.
ABC Action News is also taking a look at what’s being done to get folks back on their feet. In Polk County, Gospel Inc. is working to make a difference.
Becki Rose said she has come a long way from her life on the streets, "Just making decisions that put me on the street led to a life of addiction in my 20s."
For more than two years, Rose did not know where her next meal would come from or where she would lay her head to sleep at night.
“You walk around at night just hoping that you're not attacked as a young female. You constantly wonder where will I be going to sleep? Where am I going to get my food?” she added.
It wasn't until Rose decided she was ready to seek help for her drug addiction that she was able to get back on her feet. Now, her life has come full circle. She is working as the resident and wellness facilitator for Gospel Inc., a nonprofit serving the homeless community.
41 people live at Gospel Village. It's a community in Lakeland where people who were previously homeless have affordable housing and work opportunities.
Ray Steadman, the Executive Director of Gospel, Inc., says he has seen an influx.
“There are more and more homeless people all throughout the country, and we are certainly experiencing that here in Polk County as well," Steadman said.
There are currently 776 people experiencing homelessness in Polk County, according to the Homeless Coalition of Polk County.
Steadman believes there needs to be more affordable housing solutions to tackle the rise in homelessness. It’s something he hopes several organizations, non-profits, and local and state leaders will come together to solve.
"We're about to break ground to add an additional 72 units so we can help alleviate the pressures of the homeless,” he elaborated.
