By Brittany Kirke
The holidays can be a particularly difficult time for those living in homelessness. Bay County’s homeless population has been steadily growing since Hurricane Michael in 2018. This growth is in addition to the already high concentration of homelessness in Panama City. With the housing market still inflated from the hit of the Covid-19 Pandemic, and wages too low to afford the shift in income-to-expenses ratio, some people are left working two or three jobs and still can’t afford a place to live. A fire damaged the Panama City Rescue Mission’s Men’s Shelter in November of 2020 and reconstruction has reportedly been taking longer than expected. Affordable living options are few and far between with waitlists that extend into next year. As a community, we take care of our own. So, what can you do to help solve these problems? Donate to local programs that aid those in need, whether they can help with finding homes and provide assistance with paying for one, or offer job opportunities and training, clothes, and food. Such programs in Panama City include Doorways for Northwest Florida, The Salvation Army, and The LEAD Coalition of Bay County.
Yvonne Petrasovits – Doorways for Northwest Florida.
Visit doorwaysnwfl.org.
Doorways of Northwest Florida is the hunger and homeless coalition that serves Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington counties. Our main concern is to assist individuals and families with establishing housing and to prevent homelessness. Holidays are here, and we understand the importance of ensuring our clients do not have the burden of housing and food as a factor during the holidays, or any time for that matter. We recently co-hosted a Thanksgiving meal for our community, and it was a great turn out. We served multiple individuals in house as well as we were successful in street outreach for clients and non-clients with a Thanksgiving meal.
When an individual is homeless, there are multiple life factors that can hinder a client from being housed. We work with these clients to ensure they have what they need in order to establish housing. We also strive to prevent homelessness. The pandemic has caused a lot of issues with maintaining housing, and we work towards helping these clients keep their housing to prevent homelessness.
We also understand that “an easy fix” is not always the solution. We know our clients have struggled in the past, but we work towards building a foundation with the client to ensure they do not end up back to where they started. We provide case management for at least 12 months after assistance to aid clients with any other problems that might arise while they are trying to get fully stable on their own.
If you would like further information, or need assistance, please call (850) 481-5466.
Major Ed Binnix – The Salvation Army, Panama City.
Visit salvationarmyflorida.org/panamacity.
Services upon which the homeless rely are often disrupted at a time when weather is difficult. Many of the “Christmas Oriented Services” are aimed toward families with children. This can also make it difficult for single individuals as organizational budgets are targeting those family-oriented assistance programs. In addition, the services are also disrupted by holiday closures at the various organizations that provide services to the homeless population.
Our plan at The Salvation Army is to accommodate those needs by providing extra (food, clothing, etc.) on days prior to holiday closures. We currently provide food and clothing to individuals suffering from homelessness. We are not curtailing the LEVEL of services. Food boxes and food items are provided. When we have a supply, homeless individuals can get MREs daily. This is a popular option, and our supply is running dangerously low. We have food boxes, but much of that food requires preparation and is too bulky for those on bicycles or foot.
Our clothing vouchers are for five changes of clothes. However, there will be days the Thrift Store will be closed, so there are some disruptions for filling those vouchers. The recipient will need to plan ahead. We are working to notify folks that we will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas day as well as New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Hopefully, this will allow those in need to be prepared for those disruptions.
Jocelyn Smith – A Better Life Homelessness Solutions Program.
Visit www.leadabetterlife.org.
Homelessness in our community is higher than it has ever been and the impact on families has been devastating. LEAD developed a program to help combat the issue of homelessness. The Rapid Rehousing Program was created to aid those without a home in rental assistance. Through this program, LEAD can provide the deposit and the first month’s rent.
One of our successful rehousing efforts was for a mother and son. We first encountered this family outside of a grocery store. The mother had been a Panama City resident for over 20 years. She lived a normal life until Hurricane Michael destroyed her apartment. After the hurricane, the mother and son moved into temporary housing, a condominium in Fort Walton. Although this solved their current housing concern, the mother knew she had to work to pay for their new home. The condominium was expensive, and it took working three jobs. They were able to stay for a while, but it was too much, forcing them to move back to Panama City, where she would be homeless and jobless all over again.
LEAD began assisting the mother, supplying her with trolley passes and assistance with her job search. The mother secured a job and began looking for permanent housing. Within a couple of months, she found a place, and through a grant, we were able to pay her deposit and first month’s rent. Today, the mother and son are doing well and living life to the fullest. LEAD continues to work with those that are homeless and in need of rental assistance.
The LEAD Rapid Rehousing program aids those who are technically homeless. They may be living with family and friends but want their own home. The LEAD Rapid Rehousing Program can assist them with application fees, deposits, and first month’s rent. For more information, please call: (850) 640-2028.
*Income must be at or below 50% Area Median Income (AMI) for Bay County.
