TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Hope serves the city by providing a place for homeless people to stay and get back on their feet.
Unlike some facilities, many of their residents stay in small private rooms called Hope Cottages.
What You Need To Know
Tampa Hope now has 215 Hope Cottages, which give homeless people a place to stay while they get back on their feet
The organization is able to serve 350 people a day between the organization’s cottages and tents
Tampa Hope officials say they want to add an additional 60 cottages in the future
City of Tampa: Tampa Hope cottages
John Taylor said the privacy the rooms provide is a big reason he stays at Tampa Hope.
“This has been able to offer me a place where I can sleep, where I don’t have to worry about nobody bothering me or touching me or taking my stuff or anything like that at night,” he said.
Taylor has been at Tampa Hope for around one month and in Florida for seven. Before becoming homeless, he worked in sales for 15 years.
He said Tampa Hope is offering him a way to find success.
“The whole reason we come here is because we want to get on our feet,” he said.
Maggie Rogers, the executive director of Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg, said the organization has come a long way since opening in 2021.
“We started with 100 tents up on platforms,” Rogers said. “And then we partnered with the pallet company and we started purchasing those with the gracious donations and funding from donors, as well as the city of Tampa. We’ve been able to get up to 215.”
Rogers said thanks to all the cottages and tents, Tampa Hope is able to serve 350 people every day.
However, Rogers said there’s a lot of need, and they want to do more.
“I’d like to purchase another 60,” she said. “We’re working on the site plan with the city of Tampa, so that would take us to over 400 people every night.”