More people are ending up homeless in Bradenton as nonprofits struggle to provide help
A wave of eviction filings hit the Manatee County Court system in 2020, due in large part to layoffs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, nonprofit agencies providing a safety net for people trying to avoid homelessness were overwhelmed by requests for help.
Although eviction filings have eased since then — there were fewer in June, July and August than the same months a year ago — requests for help continue to surge because of the worsening workforce housing crisis.
“We have seen clients’ rent going up $500 a month when their lease is up for renewal. Clients who have been with the same landlord/apartment for the past five years or so,” Margi Dawson, development director for Turning Points, said recently in an email.
“We have had 741 applications for rental and utility assistance come in for the month of August. In August 2021, we had 480 applications for assistance. So that is a 55% increase over last year,” she said.
And those requests could increase this month due to the impacts caused by Hurricane Ian, Dawson said.
In addition to helping people find housing, Turning Points helps those living paycheck to paycheck avoid becoming homeless through rent and utility assistance.
Even before the pandemic, the ALICE report (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) in 2019 indicated that 44% of Manatee residents struggle to keep up with the cost of living.
With the surge in housing prices since the pandemic, rent in the Bradenton area has become among the least affordable in the United States with wages failing to keep up with higher rents, according to several studies.
One of those Turning Points was able to help was a single dad with four children who got into a car accident and had to pay extra for ride shares.
“He was facing eviction. We were able to assist with the rent to get him back on track. And he is doing well,” Dawson said.
In addition to seeing an increase in rent-related requests for help, Turning Points has seen more demand for its essential needs services, while struggling with a shortage of volunteers.
Turning Points provided services to 300 new clients — men and women — in June and July in its Day Resource Center.
Those services include access to breakfast, hot showers, free clothing and help in obtaining legal documents and public assistance.
”We are in desperate need of volunteers,” Dawson said.
Turning Points lost many of its volunteers, who were older and stayed home because they were most at risk of the threat posed by the virus, early in the pandemic.
A home for the homeless
The housing crisis and the worst inflation in four decades have helped drive up the number of homeless people in Manatee County and nationwide.
Homelessness is up 25% in Manatee County since this time last year. More than 65% of those are homeless for the first time.
A mental health and supportive-housing program for homeless adults in Sarasota has expanded its work into Manatee County.
Second Heart Homes purchased a property in Bradenton on June 9, expanding its program capacity to serve 43 men and women.
Second Heart Homes’ approach provides long-term housing and care that revives dignity, establishes stability, and teaches independence. Clients come to the organization based on their commitment to address their mental and physical health, remain sober and achieve personal goals toward self-sufficiency. Many later rejoin the community.
“Pandemic economic woes and runaway inflation have accelerated affordable housing and mental-health crises,” Megan Howell, founder and executive director of Second Heart Homes, said in a press release. “Community support helped us rapidly extend our program to meet this urgent community need.”
Enabling the purchase of the new property was a $300,000 grant from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation. Other community leaders came together to support the purchase, too, Howell said.
“Tamara and Todd Currey and broker Craig Cerreta of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty helped us find the home and donated commissions towards closing costs. UNI Together’s Chad Gates also donated closing costs and pro bono legal services, while Art Avenue owner Paul Sykes gifted artwork and additional funds,” she said.
Since being founded in 2019, the organization has provided its clients with more than 10,000 nights of living off the street. This has helped alleviate the strain on emergency and other social services personnel, as well as the prevalence of panhandling.
“Second Heart Homes has shown that its housing-first approach has helped many rebuild their lives while supporting effective mental health outcomes,” Teri Hansen, president and CEO of Barancik Foundation, said in the press release. “They have made a positive mark in Sarasota, and we’re eager to see their impact on Manatee County.”
Hope Pathways of Manatee County
New on the scene to help address the housing crisis is Hope Pathways of Manatee County, which has launched an initiative to increase coordinated services to lift people out of cyclical poverty.
Hope Pathways is an initiative led by Align Consulting Teams, specializing in building partnerships between nonprofits.
Chartered partners include Goodwill of Manasota, Nick Manassa Ministries, Jewish Family and Children’s Service of the Suncoast, Hunger’s End, Loving Hands, Bridge a Life, Help to Home, Care Net of Manasota, Feeding Empty Little Tummies, Prodigal Daughters, and Harbor58.
Hope Pathways aims to fill in the gaps to supportive services with the goal of restoring lives affected by addiction, mental health, abuse and other life changing events.
They utilizes Unite Us, a software tool that streamlines data analysis to better serve those in need in Manatee County.
In October, Hope Pathways will open the application process for organizations that are interested in partnering on this initiative by providing supportive services, direct services or preventative services.
To learn more about Align Consulting Teams, visit alignconsultingteams.com or contact founder and CEO Christina Gerken at cgerken@alignconsultingteams.com.
For more information about volunteering at Turning Points, visit http://tpmanatee.org/volunteer.
