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Homelessness A County Issue

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By CARL ORTH The Suncoast News

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 7, 2008

With winter not far away, the plight of more than 4,000 homeless people in Pasco County will become even more desperate.

The Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County is determined to break the cycle, with the coalition's president, the Rev. Dan Campbell, enlisting the help of county commissioners.

The commissioners signed up recently to be part of developing a 10-year plan to end the chronic situation.

A survey done in January by coalition members and the Pasco County Community Development Division estimated that there were 4,074 homeless people in Pasco, 2,649 adults and 1,425 children.

Of the total, 2,574 people had no shelter at all, living in places not meant for habitation, such as in woods or under bridges.

For 20 years, the coalition and its members have been providing shelter and services to the homeless.

But Campbell emphasized that community agencies must coordinate efforts to put an end to the misery of the homeless.

The survey showed a wide range of ages among homeless adults, from 18 to 60 years old.

Thirty-five percent of the homeless were children younger than 18.

More than 25 percent of the people in the January survey had been without homes for a year or longer.

For information, call the coalition at (727) 842-8605 or e-mail to homelesscoalition @verizon.net.

The complete report and summary from the January homeless survey can be found at http://www.pasco homelesscoalition.org/.

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