By John Barolo
I wasn't sure if there were really more homeless people or if I just began to see them more frequently. At least that's what I have thought while driving down the streets of Tampa lately. It's easy for people to get help if "they want to" right? I know about places like Metropolitan Ministries and the Faith Cafe, don't they?
Then I saw the recent statistics from the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County and they blew me away. I had no idea that over 17,000 people in Hillsborough County are homeless and most of them are from here. It's the largest number of homeless people in the entire state of Florida.
So do we do nothing because there are just too many? No. We have to do something. Where do we start? What small things can I do that can actually have an impact? Representatives from the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough Country will be coming to speak 6:30 - 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15 in the Chapel at Hyde Park United Methodist Church. The "Homelessness | How Do YOU Respond?" event is free and open to everyone. Find it on Facebook.
Below are some photos and stories of real people who live nearby that may not be the stories you thought you knew. You can click to read the rest of their story. These are only some of the stories at the Homeless Coalition's website.
Hopefully you can join us for the event, but if not, please find out how you can respond to homelessness in Hillsborough and help break the cycle.
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