Hurricanes severely damage Pinellas Hope’s complex for homeless community

Homeless shelter damaged after hurricanes

Jordan Bowen reports

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The punches from Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton took a toll on families across the Bay Area. It's also severely impacted our charities.

Pinellas Hope can no longer house the homeless because their shelter was damaged. They said they will need all the help they can get, because this will be a rebuilding process unlike anything they’ve ever been through.

At their complex in Clearwater, they had dozens of downed trees, and several fell on various buildings on the property. They said the damage is in excess of at least $500,000.

READ: Residents in St. Pete community devastated after Hurricane Milton: 'We're just in survival mode'

"Between Debbie and Helene and now Milton, it's been a triple whammy. Milton was our biggest scare," Pinellas Hope Director Joe Pondolfino said.

During Debby, more than 100 tents for the homeless were destroyed as well as a dozen wooden platforms. They also experienced flooding and more damage during Helene. With Milton, Pondolfino said downed trees have been the biggest problem and one that takes the most manpower to deal with.

"We have a lot of trees out in our facility, a lot of oak trees, and the ground has been saturated. So after Debby and Helene, the ground was so wet it didn't take much to tip these trees over, so when Milton came, we had a lot of trees over and a lot that were just tilted that needed to be removed," Pondolfino said.

As they work to rebuild, Pinellas Hope has teamed up with the county and the St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Clearwater. Together, they opened a temporary shelter at their facility where they now have a sleeping space, mobile showers and bathrooms and supplies like clothing and food.

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"People feel a lot of a large sense of gratitude. And what we're able to do in in this crisis, they feel supported. They feel in communication with us that I can't tell them when we're going back yet, but every bit of information I pass on to them," Pondolfino said.

He said clients themselves have even been pitching in to help out, removing loose tree limbs and doing anything they can to help Pinellas Hope continue to be able to serve the homeless community.

"These clients have been outside of their normal life for the past eight or nine days, and the tensions can get high sometimes. But I have staff here. We're de-escalating whenever necessary, and there's been a great support," Pondolfino said.

As for the rebuilding process, on Thursday they’ll be bringing in a crane to help remove the rest of those massive downed trees. Right now, they said the timeline is still up in the air, and they’re not sure when they will be able to open back up.

In order to help them rebuild as quick as possible, they're asking for help from the community. To donate, click here or text "HELENE" to 44834.

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