THANK YOU if you’ve already donated!

If not, please donate below. We accept ALL gifts: large or small. For larger gifts associated with naming rights, please CONTACT US (fundraising@ccdosp.org  |  727-893-1315) or fill in the amount from one of the Giving Levels below in the box labeled ‘Other’.

 

HELP BUILD A LEGACY OF HOPE
The total investment is $1.5 million. This includes the construction of the units and a reserve to maintain them and cover the increase in utilities expenses. Fundraising for Phase One construction ($360,000 for 12 Hope Cottages to replace 36 tents) is already underway and with your help will be completed by Fall 2016. Through your gift, you will build a legacy of hope for the homeless residents of Pinellas Hope:

Guardian of Hope                       $10,000         (naming rights for one room)
Protector of Hope                       $30,000          (naming rights for one 3-room cottage)
Defender of Hope                       $60,000          (naming rights for two cottages; 6 rooms)
Champion of Hope                    $120,000          (naming rights for 4-cottage deck; 12 rooms)

Audio of Pinellas Hope resident, Millicent Perry, from April 7th Blessing Ceremony:

DONATE Below:

 

Scroll below the Donation Form to learn in more detail how your donation immediately helps improve the living conditions of Pinellas Hope homeless residents.

 

PURPOSE
Pinellas Hope is introducing an exciting new temporary housing concept for homeless men and women. Pinellas Hope, a ministry of Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg, is conducting a $1.5 million fundraising initiative in partnership with the Knights of Columbus.

Goal: With YOUR generosity, these improved shelters will enhance residents’ quality of life and self-esteem, hasten their return to stable, permanent housing, and increase the number of residents successfully doing so, with fewer returning to homelessness (i.e., reduced recidivism).

 

THE VISION

 

Pinellas Hope and its partners and stakeholders are repurposing 50 shipping containers into sleeping quarters for 150 residents. The 20-foot long steel containers are re-configured into three separate (56 sq. ft.) “Certified for Habitation” living spaces. A multi-level improvement over existing tents, these individual sleeping rooms provide:

 

• Safety:  Built to withstand Category 4 Hurricane winds (Miami-Dade building code)

 

• Privacy:   Individual room, lockable steel door with security peephole, exterior light

 

• Comfort: Air conditioned space, bed , LED (night) light, window, bug-free

 

 

 

 

THE NEED – MILLICENT’S STORY

Millicent is a wonderful mother of four and grandmother who worked her entire life until her life rapidly unraveled after a series of sad and unfortunate events: with no signs beforehand, her husband left her; she hurt her back and could no longer work; unable to pay the mortgage, she lost her home to foreclosure; she moved in with relatives only to be sexually abused by a male occupant of the household. Millicent, a proud woman of faith had hit rock bottom. That’s when she learned about Pinellas Hope. She moved in. After several months of working with counselors and case managers, Millicent felt she was ready to venture out on her own again and decided to room with “friends” she had made at Pinellas Hope. Soon after, Millicent realized these newfound friendships were one-way as she began being asked to shoulder more and more of the rent, food, and utilities burden. Eventually, she could no longer manage the payments and planned on leaving as she prayed for a solution. Out of the blue, she received a call from Catholic Charities: Gina, her former case manager, was following up on her progress; Millicent believed it to be a sign she was meant to return to Pinellas Hope – the answer to her prayers. However, the prospect of returning to the tents, while a wonderful respite from exposure to the elements, scared her as Millicent had recently undergone hernia surgery and was still in recovery.  However, upon visiting with Gina in person, she was shown her new living quarter – her HOPE COTTAGE.

Hear the rest of Millicent’s story in her own words:

Millicent’s story is one of hundreds of thousands like it across the United States. Like her, most people facing homelessness certainly didn’t plan on it and are devastated once they find themselves in this situation, feeling hopeless and defeated. In fact, while national, state and local homelessness is declining (-11.2% and -13.6% since 2007 and -18.6% since 2009, respectively)^1,2, it remains stubbornly high in Pinellas County:

• Our homeless population is 3.5 times larger than the percent for the U.S. (countywide: 6,000 or 0.6% of total population)^2-3

 

• Pinellas County fares worse than the U.S. on Income – a top contributor to homelessness⁴
  • Median HH Income: $45,574 vs. $53,657

 

• Pinellas County fares worse than the U.S. on Housing Costs – a key driver of homelessness⁴
  • Rental Costs (% of Income.): 34.9% vs 33.2%
  • Home Costs (% of Income): 21.5% vs. 19.5%

 

See the HOPE COTTAGES story on video: Hope Cottages – Knights of Columbus Perspective

Notes: 1 – 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress: Oct 2014; 2 – 2014 Point-in-Time Housing Survey: Pinellas County; 3 – 2014 AHAR to Congress – Oct 2014; 4 – U.S. Census Bureau: 2014 American Community Survey (factfinder.census.gov)

 

EVERYONE WINS
Pinellas Hope residents win immediately as these sleeping quarters improve their living conditions. Experts believe an improved living experience delivers improved outcomes. This benefits all of us because as residents graduate from Pinellas Hope, they move to their own (permanent) housing and do not return to homelessness (lower recidivism).

Furthermore, these housing units enable Pinellas Hope to provide a more durable and cost-effective, even profitable, alternative to tents:

• Durability:  30-50 year life expectancy versus 11-12 month average tent life

 

• Cost-effective:  $29,167 depreciation cost/year ($17,500 at 50-year life) versus $40,000 cost/year for tents and related items (e.g., mattresses)

 

PROVIDING HELP. CREATING HOPE.
Catholic Charities has been providing social services to West Central Florida residents (Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties) since its 1945 founding. We offer services ranging from homeless shelters and affordable housing to respite and free medical care, as well as pregnancy services. In 2015, we served over 14,300 clients. Pinellas Hope was created in 2007 to address the need to provide local homeless with temporary shelter. Since then, Pinellas Hope has assisted nearly 6,400 men and women with shelter, food, and related services and returned nearly 3,300 to stable, permanent housing. Our housing expertise is not limited to the homeless. We also provide housing to the elderly, those suffering from HIV/AIDS, and low income and farm worker families. Housing and housing-related services accounted for 40% of our clients and 73% of our spending in 2015.

 

HELP BUILD A LEGACY OF HOPE
The total investment is $1.5 million. This includes the construction of the units and a reserve to maintain them and cover the increase in utilities expenses. Fundraising for Phase One construction ($360,000 for 12 Hope Cottages to replace 36 tents) is already underway and with your help will be completed by Fall 2016. Through your gift, you will build a legacy of hope for the homeless residents of Pinellas Hope – our fellow citizens:

 

        Guardian of Hope                       $10,000         (naming rights for one room)
        Protector of Hope                       $30,000          (naming rights for one 3-room cottage)
        Defender of Hope                       $60,000          (naming rights for two cottages; 6 rooms)
        Champion of Hope                   $120,000          (naming rights for 4-cottage deck; 12 rooms)

 

THANK YOU!

 

MEDIA COVERAGE

1. Watch Fox News 13 recent coverage of HOPE COTTAGES[TM]: 
   
   

 

2. Tampa Bay Times article on HOPE COTTAGES[TM]:  Tampa Bay Times Article, April 15, 2016

 

 

TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION

We are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN: 59-0875805), so your donations are tax deductible.

 

Please encourage your friends and organizations to join you in supporting Pinellas Hope.

• Group giving: 100 individuals giving as little as 82¢ per day for a year houses three residents.

 

• Individual giving: as little as $9 a day (the cost of a fast food meal) over 3 years builds one resident room.

 

• Giving over Time: spread your gift out over 1, 2, or 3 years.

 

If your company matches charitable donations, please use their program to qualify for a match.

Please consider leaving a lasting gift as a bequest fo Catholic Charities or Pinellas Hope.