ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Boley Centers, which operates a housing program for the homeless with disabilities, has asked the St. Petersburg City Council to approve additional funding at their Thursday meeting to keep it afloat.

What You Need To Know

The Boley Centers says its Home Tenant Based Rental Assistance program in St. Petersburg is running out of money due to rising rent costs

The TBRA program needs $156,000 to keep it going through September

The St. Petersburg City Council will vote to approve the extra funds at its meeting on Thursday 

Council Chair Lisset Hanewicz said it will prevent roughly 20 households from falling back into homelessness

“The HUD awards and our voucher contracts just aren’t keeping up with the local rents here,” said Adam Morris, Boley Centers Vice President of Housing. “Any funding that we could bridge to shortfall that gap would be so beneficial to those in need.”

The Home Tenant Based Rental Assistance program should have been funded for one full fiscal year but will run out of money about three months early due to rising costs, according to Morris. The Boley Centers needs $156,000 to keep the program going through September.

“As we all know, the rents are very expensive around here, especially in St. Petersburg,” he said. “We’re very excited to have the opportunity to have some additional funding to help these folks out.” 

The TBRA program takes homeless people with disabilities off the streets and places them in homes with vouchers for private landlords. Morris said the voucher program is currently paying for 20 homes, which house a total of 25 people.

“It provides rental subsidies to our folks that are exiting homelessness,” he said. “It also provides a one-time security deposit, and it even pays for an annual HUD inspection every year.” 

St. Pete Council Chair Lisset Hanewicz said that it is important to provide extra funding from HUD for the program.

“Keeping this voucher program afloat prevents roughly 20 households from falling back into homelessness and protects the stability they’ve worked hard to achieve,” she said. “Bridging this funding gap with existing federal dollars is a fiscally responsible step that costs far less than the human and financial toll of homelessness.”

City staff has recommended the council approve the $156,000. Morris said the extra funding will keep families housed.

“It’s important because we have a homeless problem here in our area,” he said. “We have folks that are living on the streets, and we want to try to keep a roof over everybody’s head.”