Thousands of people in our community live every day without access to even the most basic needs. Many of us take for granted the food we eat or the clothes we wear, but for some life with such things is hard to fathom. Hillsborough County has one of the largest homeless populations in the state and unfortunately many of these people are experiencing homelessness for the first time in their lives.

Here are some interesting facts you may not know about the homeless in Hillsborough County.

        - On any given day in Hillsborough County there are just over 9,500 homeless adults and children.

        - Of the 9,500 homeless in Hillsborough County 43% are are experiencing it for the first time.

        - 37% of the homeless population is female.

        - Children under the age of 18 make up 16% of the homeless population. 

        - Hillsborough County Public Schools reported 1,574 homeless children enrolled district wide.

        - On any given night in Hillsborough County shelters can only provide enough beds for 15% of the homeless.

Reaching Tampa would like to show the love of Christ to the often neglected and tell them that there is hope. Our prayer is that we can develop friendships that ultimately lead to a relationship with Jesus Christ. Our homeless efforts are broken up into many different areas in which individuals, small groups, or churches can help. A list of available ministries along with a short description of each is listed below. Please browse through the needs below and let us know if you are interested in any of the areas.  You can respond by clicking on either of the email addresses at the bottom of the page. 

• Cooking Teams - If you enjoy cooking, this aspect of the Homeless Ministry may be for you. Every Thursday afternoon at 3:30 PM the Cooking Team gets together and prepares the food that will be handed out later that evening. Everything needed for cooking including the food is already provided.  If you, your small group, or church would like to be a part of this team please contact Caitlin or Mark.

• Food Distribution Teams - The Food Distribution Teams are the heart and soul of the Homeless Ministry. These teams meet every Thursday night in South Tampa at 6:30pm and hand out food to homeless individuals in the Downtown Tampa area. Teams meet at a central location to pray and divide up food and other needed items. From there they head to designated locations to build relationships with the homeless people in our community. If you, your small group, or church would like to be a part of this team please contact Caitlin or Mark.

• HOPE Packs - HOPE (Helping Other People Everyday) Packs are small bundles of basic necessities such as toiletries and other personal hygiene products. Once the packs are complete they will be given to the food distribution teams and handed out during the weekly ministry. If you, your small group, or church would like to help us by putting together HOPE Packs please contact Caitlin or Mark.  

• Christian Book Drive - Reaching Tampa is collecting Christian books for our Homeless friends. A great majority of the people we minister to love to read. That said, most of the books we come across in used bookstores are mysteries and romance novels. We would like to introduce some Christian Literature into their lives. The Christian Book Drive is geared towards collecting Christian Books of all kinds. Our prayer is that people from all over the community would search their closets and bookshelves for Christian books and Bibles they no longer need. If you, your small group, or church have books to donate please contact Caitlin or Shale for drop-off locations.

• Bus Passes - Reaching Tampa is collecting Bus Passes for our Homeless friends. For individuals without a home or vehicle, transportation to and from work can be very difficult. In addition, obtaining employment even in the form of day labor can be difficult without transportation. In an effort to help encourage some steps the homeless are taking to acquire jobs, we are collecting bus passes and monetary donations to purchase bus passes. The cost for a one day unlimited bus pass is $3.75 and the cost for a monthly unlimited bus pass is $60. Please be assured that the passes will not be given to just anybody. Individuals receiving them must demonstrated a true desire to get back on their feet. If you, your small group, or church would like to donate Bus Passes please contact Caitlin or Shale for more details.  

• Clothing Drive - The Clothing Drive is a ministry aimed at providing lightly used or new clothes to Homeless individuals in our community. Clothes are obviously a much needed part of our everyday lives. Most of us have closets full of old jeans and shirts we haven't worn in years. If you, your small group, or church would like to donate or help us collect clothes for the Homeless please contact Caitlin or Mark.

• Shoe Drive - Most of us walk out of the house everyday, get in our cars drive to work and then do little or no walking throughout the day. Due to minimal wear and tear our shoes usually last close to a year if not longer. Generally our Homeless friends aren't so lucky. For the average Homeless person a pair of shoes lasts only a couple of months. The purpose of the Shoe Drive is to provide shoes to those in need. If you, your small group, or church would like to collect or donate shoes please contact Caitlin or Mark for drop-off locations.

• Blankets and Sleeping Bags - One of the largest needs of someone who is Homeless is quality sleeping gear. Most of us don't even think twice when it comes to the beds we sleep on, but imagine sleeping on the ground night after night. To someone who is Homeless a good sleeping bag or blanket can make the difference between a good nights sleep and a bad one. With that in mind Reaching Tampa is collecting blankets and sleeping bags for our Homeless friends. Many of us have shelves of old blankets and sleeping bags that are seldom used. If you would like to help us in these efforts please contact Caitlin or Mark.

• Backpack Collection - As you can imagine life without a place to call home can be very stressful and sometimes depressing. Most Homeless people carry all of their personal belongings on them at all times. These items are usually carried in hiking style backpacks or bags. To help accommodate the need for these bags Reaching Tampa is collecting backpacks for our Homeless friends. If you, your small group, or church would like to donate or help collect backpacks please contact Caitlin or Mark.

If you, your small group, or church are interested in helping or would like to donate please contact

Caitlin Coates at caitlin@reachingtampa.org or Mark Blair at mark@reachingtampa.org.