More than 700 people face homelessness in Pinellas County, new 2024 report shows

Counting the homeless ahead of new law

A new status report on the homelessness issue in Pinellas County is shedding light on the potential impact of a new Florida law, which will ban sleeping in public places.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Come October 1, Floridians will no longer have the right to sleep in public places.

"We've been able to communicate with different providers so that we can enroll clients more into supportive housing, rapid rehousing programs, working with our housing authorities for possible vouchers, so we've all been collaborating together to get ahead of this," said Daisy Corea, the CEO of the Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas County.

According to the new 2024 Pinellas County Point in Time (PIT) Count Report, an annual look at the state of homelessness in St. Pete shows the county counted 721 unhoused people in 2024, about a 12% increase from 2023.

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"I believe that's because we are such a rich resource county, a lot of people tend to flock over to Pinellas County, because they're looking for services, and they're looking for resources," Corea said.

So will Pinellas County be ready for a possible influx at homeless shelters once the law takes effect? Corea said they're doing everything they can to make sure they are, including briefing the homeless community on the streets with law enforcement about the changes and resources available.

"We've been able to increase some shelter capacity with some of the providers that we currently have. Some shelters have increased their capacity anywhere from 10 to 25 spaces for our clients," Corea said.

Corea said the county will use the PIT report to apply for HUD grants once they learn more about the potential new needs that could come from the law.

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