600 take part in Bradenton Beach walk against Manatee County homelessness

BRADENTON BEACH -- An estimated 600 people registered for Turning Points' fourth annual Walk A Mile In Their Shoes event Saturday evening to benefit the homeless in Manatee County.

Among them were Bob and Theresa Phillips, volunteers at Turning Points.

"The One Stop Center is a great place to volunteer," Theresa Phillips said.

As if to complete the thought, Bob Phillips added: "They have a lot of great people down there. They just need some help."

The homeless problem is getting worse in Manatee County, said Adell Erozer, executive director of Turning Points.

An estimated 2,000 children are homeless in Manatee County. Families account for 40 percent of the homeless population.

"It is getting worse because of a lack of housing. We just don't have enough landlords willing to lease at a reasonable rate," Erozer said.

Lacoya White watched as her 6-year-old daughter, Derionner, had her face painted as a cat.

White said she appreciates Turning Points, which helped make life better for her and her three children by providing clothing, food and housing assistance.

"One day I stopped by Our Daily Bread, and that's when I found about their other programs," White said.

Turning Points, in the Bill Galvano One Stop Center, 701 17th Ave. W., Bradenton, provides assistance to people who come for help with

a variety of issues.

Events such as Walk A Mile in Their Shoes help shine light on the fight against homelessness, said Joe Mercado, operations director for Turning Points.

Walk a Mile seems to attract more walkers every year, he said.

The walk started at South Coquina Beach, proceeded a half-mile north along the soft sand, and then made a return loop south via a Coquina Beach Park path.

The Turning Points mission is to provide, coordinate, and facilitate services to the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless in Manatee County.

Information: Go to tpmanatee.org

James A. Jones Jr., Herald reporter, can be contacted at 941-745-7053 or on Twitter @jajones1.

This story was originally published April 16, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "600 take part in Bradenton Beach walk against Manatee County homelessness ."