{"id":367480,"date":"2026-08-10T14:22:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T14:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/367480\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T14:22:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T14:22:10","slug":"met-ministries-expands-school-based-homelessness-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/367480\/","title":{"rendered":"Met Ministries expands school-based homelessness program"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 As students return to the classroom, Metropolitan Ministries is expanding its Pathway to Hope program in Hillsborough County<\/a>, aiming to help families facing homelessness and financial hardship while improving student attendance.<\/p>\n

The program, which partners with Hillsborough County Public Schools<\/a>, works directly with schools to identify families at risk of homelessness and connect them with resources that address both immediate needs and long-term stability.<\/p>\n

Suzette Estello, a mother of four, said the program became a turning point for her family.<\/p>\n

More than two years ago, while pregnant with her fourth child, Estello realized she wanted a different future for her children.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I kind of sat there, and I thought about my kids and I said that they needed a better future, I was just like, I need to do something,\u201d Estello said.<\/p>\n

Although she was raised to avoid asking for help, support found its way to her through her children\u2019s school.<\/p>\n

Pinecrest Elementary is one of 10 Hillsborough County schools staffed by Metropolitan Ministries to identify families who may be at risk of homelessness. Through Pathway to Hope, Estello earned her GED, opening new career opportunities while setting an example of perseverance for her children.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always going to be something that\u2019s going to feel hard, but you still have to get through,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

While the Pathway to Hope program has operated in Hillsborough County for several years, its mission has evolved. Initially focused on helping families stay housed by providing rental assistance, the program now emphasizes building long-term financial security and self-sufficiency.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could be educational attainment, it could be better wages, helping to find a more secure job or a higher-paying wage,\u201d said Dr. Dorcas Smith, senior director of Community Case Management Services at Metropolitan Ministries. \u201cWe\u2019re finding too that families just need additional resources and connections to other providers. So how do we build that bridge?\u201d<\/p>\n

Metropolitan Ministries said the need for services continues to grow, which is why the Pathway to Hope program operates year-round.<\/p>\n

According to data from Hillsborough County Public Schools and the Hillsborough County Homeless Coalition, an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 children experience homelessness at any given time in the county.<\/p>\n

This school year, the program is placing a new emphasis on improving student attendance by identifying and addressing the barriers that keep children out of the classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so, what are the barriers to showing up?\u201d Smith said. \u201cIs it that they don\u2019t have food in the morning? Is it they need transportation assistance? So, really kind of diving into the different needs and being the bridge for both the families and the school.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Estello, that support continues to shape her family\u2019s future. She is now exploring a career in the medical field and believes the assistance she received has made those goals achievable.<\/p>\n

As Estello works toward her next chapter, she hopes her children are learning an important lesson by watching her determination.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am looking into getting into the medical field,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s always been my wish, and with the amazing help I\u2019ve gotten, I feel like I would get there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 As students return to the classroom, Metropolitan Ministries is expanding its Pathway to Hope program…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":367481,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[274,54547,113,2635,115,135,137,136,278,835],"class_list":["post-367480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-app-top-stories","tag-back-to-school","tag-education","tag-jason-lanning","tag-news","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news","tag-top-stories","tag-vod"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}