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Will Hope fade or stay?

Pinellas Hope shelter is to close April 30. Some community leaders want it open year-round.

By CRISTINA SILVA, Times Staff Writer
Published January 15, 2008

Sheila Lopez, left, chief operating officer for Catholic Charities, Diocese of St. Petersburg, shares a laugh with Eileen Bezemek at Pinellas Hope off 49th Street N. Bezemek said she became homeless almost four months ago when she was overwhelmed by expenses while living in St. Petersburg.
	[Douglas R. Clifford | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Douglas R. Clifford | Times] Dian Maloy, 53, waits to leave for her new home after a month at Pinellas Hope. [Douglas R. Clifford | Times] Bezemek, 50, dries laundry at Pinellas Hope. The outdoor shelter opened Dec. 1 and closes April 30. "It's clean, it's healthy, it's friendly, I feel like I have a condo," Bezemek said.

With a permanent solution to Pinellas County's growing homeless population nowhere in sight, some community leaders have begun rallying to keep Pinellas Hope, a temporary outdoor shelter, open year-round.

That would be a tough sell, if not impossible.

Catholic Charities, which owns and operates the shelter, plans to close the tent city April 30.

"One of the things we want to do is have the people in Pinellas Hope think, 'What's my next step?' " said Frank Murphy, president of Catholic Charities. "We are not trying to create a tent city that people can live in permanently."

And at this point, it isn't even clear if Pinellas Hope will reopen next winter, Murphy said.

"We have to determine if it really is successful first," he said. "If we can place 150 people in permanent housing, then we will consider it successful. But we also have to follow up with people and see whether they are maintaining their independence."

Since it opened in December, Pinellas Hope has provided temporary housing to more than 240 people and helped at least 25 people find permanent shelter.

At the 10-acre tent city off 49th Street N south of Ulmerton Road, residents describe Sheila Lopez as a savior, a saint and an angel. She sees herself simply as a mother hen, making her daily rounds among the tents.

Lopez, who has an endless supply of warm hugs and encouraging words, is chief operating officer of Catholic Charities. But her efforts are bolstered by an army of volunteers, many of them residents, who divide up a schedule to make the project work.

The shelter has also helped to relocate dozens of homeless men and women from tourist-dense areas like Clearwater and downtown St. Petersburg.

Pinellas Hope provides one hot meal a day, access to a case manager, Internet access and a tent.

Some business owners affected by the homeless have welcomed the idea of the tent city.

"This is our best chance, our best hope in solving the toughest problem the city faces," said Michael Johnson, chairman of the St. Petersburg Homeless Task Force and owner of the Curves gym on Second Avenue S.

Johnson said he would seek donations from business owners to help cover expenses the shelter would have if it were open year-round.

"We are going to make that our No. 1 priority," he said.

Government officials have also begun discussing the pros and cons of extending the shelter.

"We could build two more of these things and have them full," said Jamie Bennett, St. Petersburg City Council member.

The county's homeless population has climbed in recent years.

In 2007, about 5,195 homeless adults and children were counted in Pinellas. In 2006, there were 4,950. In 2005, the count was 4,540.

Times photographer Douglas R. Clifford contributed to this report. Cristina Silva can be reached at csilva@sptimes.com or 727 893-8846.

By the numbers:

5,195 people are homeless in Pinellas County.

240 the number of beds at Pinellas Hope.

25 Pinellas Hope residents have been placed in permanent housing so far.

150 residents will have to be placed in permanent housing for organizers to consider it a success.

[Last modified January 14, 2008, 21:55:52]