The number of students experiencing homelessness in Hillsborough County is on the rise.
According to the Florida Department of Education, more than 4,000 students found themselves in homeless situations in the last several years.
Hillsborough County Public School officials said the number is increasing due to the rising cost of living, limited wage growth and a lack of affordable housing.
Pathways to Hope, a prevention program that was implemented at Hillsborough County schools in March, gives support to families before they're pushed out of their homes.
"They are struggling to pay this month's rent, or maybe a family member lost a job or there was an illness. They can work with resource specialists to really get connected and see, 'Okay, what can we do to prevent this family from becoming homeless?'" said Myrna Hogue, Supervisor of School Social Work Services at Hillsborough County Schools.
A resource specialist is stationed at the ten schools that have the greatest rate of students experiencing homelessness in the county: Lewis, Robinson, Forest Hills, Oak Park, Greco, Jennings, Mango, Pinecrest, Dover, and Turkey Creek.
The specialist will help with families who are experiencing economic instability and/or housing insecurity by connecting them with the program or other community partners.
Odalis Castellanos and her three grandchildren were at risk of homelessness earlier this year when she lost her housekeeping job.
Speaking through a translator, Castellanos said Pathways to Hope helped her pay for bills and provided food and clothing for her grandchildren.
"All [we] could afford was the first month's rent and security," said Castellanos. "There was no food, there was no electricity, there was no water bill. All that had to be provided by the program."
Rising rents are pushing people out of their homes
Castellanos added that she knows other families who are experiencing the same struggles because living in the Tampa Bay region is becoming more difficult to afford.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that Florida Atlantic University found Tampa residents need to earn at least $85,000 to live comfortably.
And the average monthly rent for an apartment in Tampa has risen by more than $300 in the last two years and now hovers around $1,920, according to RentCafe, an apartment listing website.
Because wages are not increasing as fast, more people are becoming cost-burdened, or spending more than 30% of their income on rent.
Studies show that those who are cost-burdened experience great rates of anxiety and depression.
"The rents are so high, so many people are not able to afford this. The situation has become very critical," said Castellanos.
While fewer people are experiencing homelessness in Florida compared to a decade ago, more people are experiencing housing instability.
"Most of us are a few paychecks away from being in a crisis situation," said Hogue, "So this is really about prevention."
More families are experiencing housing instability and homelessness
Dorcas Smith is the Senior Director of Community Case Management for Metropolitan Ministries, one of the nonprofit partners in the Pathways to Hope program. She says the face of homelessness is changing.
"It's not just the single individual who's on the street. We're looking at intact families who just are having a hard time making the accommodations that they need," said Smith.
The Pathways to Hope program provides a variety of resources, whether that's food, clothing or housing assistance. Families are experiencing different hardships which requires different resources, said Smith.
"We encounter families who have income instability so they're not earning a wage that is helping them afford their expenses and budgetary items," said Smith. "We have a housing specialist, an employment specialist.
"Those individuals work hand-in-hand with the families to either identify affordable housing opportunities or gain skills to move from a $13 an hour job to an $18 an hour job."
Pathways to Hope's services include access to case management support, educational workshops, goal planning and community resources in addition to housing, employment and vocational specialists.
Hogue said she's seeing more families "doubling up" or moving into one dwelling and more families experiencing homelessness for the first time.
"If a child isn't getting a good night's sleep, if they're not getting good nutrition, if they're stressors in the home, that can impact their development," said Hogue. "Sometimes at schools, we see students who maybe are acting out — behavior problems, or social emotional issue — and it stems back to not having their basic needs met."
Hogue said families who have children attending one of the ten schools can reach out to school staff or speak directly with a specialist to get the help they need. Families who are not connected to one of those schools should get in touch with a school counselor, social worker or student services team to be put in contact with Pathway to Hope.
"There are so many resources that we can connect families to," said Hogue. "The first step is is reaching out."
