‘Hope Florida’ program boosts Tampa Bay area churches, non-profits helping those in need

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Bay area churches and non-profits got a boost on Monday from Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis. 

They were in Tampa to present awards through the Hope Florida program to 13 of them who have helped people get back on their feet. One of them was the Grace Family Church of North Tampa, who got a $50,000 award.

They said one story that was illustrative of the work they do centered around a single mother of three.

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"I got to talk with her and understand that she was living in her car," said Grace Family Church's Outreach Director April McCullohs.

She said the teenager had two children, was expecting a third, and was clearly in need of more than just food. When the story was posted on their care portal, a donor came forward, agreeing to subsidize a three-week motel stay.

"We got her to a safe place with her kids," McCullohs said. "In the meantime, we're able to work on helping reconcile with her with an extended family member, so she can have a long-term solution to housing."

Florida's first lady touted the program as a clearinghouse to link people in need with non-profits. The checks are slated to go towards more programs.

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"Their mission to do God's work. They want to do that. But they didn't know that single mom was there," said Casey DeSantis. "They'd give anything to know if that single mom was there. But uniquely, government is position for that single mom to come in to ask for help."

The state calls its middlemen – and women – Hope Navigators, which can be accessed through an online care portal or at 42 locations across the state. So far, 87,000 people have been helped by the program, which opened in 2022. Twenty-five thousand have seen their need to rely on public assistance dwindle.

"They're not just going to show up once with groceries," Casey DeSantis said. "They're going to come back as long as that mom needs help."

Grace Family Church said it's not just about the help they can provide, it's about the inner-strength of those who step forward to ask.

"She just texted me about two months ago a picture of her holding her G.E.D," said McCullohs. "Challenges are not over. But, she has a vision for her future."

For more information on the Hope Florida program, visit hopeflorida.com.