Tampa Bay area families displaced by back-to-back hurricanes looking for resources

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Families across the Tampa Bay area are feeling the effects of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and many who cannot return home because of flooding or other damage are looking for housing assistance and resources.

"A lot of folks have lost everything. So, there’s some homelessness. We’re seeing some transitional housing," said Mike Sutton, the president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside.

Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside is clocking demand they’ve never seen before, receiving a large jump in calls for help as people look to reestablish their sense of security.

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"We see a lot coming from St. Pete, Clearwater, Largo, Tarpon Springs. People are calling from all over the community," said Sutton.

While their program is designed for homeownership, Sutton said they are referring displaced families to their partner resources for short-term housing.

Every county in the Tampa Bay area has resources available for housing. 

In Hillsborough County, the Red Cross is running a shelter at the Hard Rock Casino following the storms, and there’s a disaster recovery center at Barksdale Center for housing and rental help. The City of Tampa also has a housing information line at 813-307-5555 that you can call for housing information, security deposit and utility deposit help.

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In Pinellas County, there’s a disaster recovery center at the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo. The city of St. Petersburg also has disaster assistance resources. 

Sutton said he’s keeping tabs on who wants to become a homeowner down the road, a process Kevin Dorsey went through at Habitat.

"The time actually we were denied, because you have to meet the debt to income, and our debt to income was over the first time," said Dorsey.

After living in his house in Largo for three years, Dorsey said his place only had a damaged fence after Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

READ: Large algae bloom seen off Florida’s Gulf coast one week after Hurricane Milton

"For my children, you know that generational wealth [was important], and just the way that Habitat builds the homes," said Dorsey. "It’s also a security to know that during the storms that you will be well protected like this past storm we were."

As many people look for safe places to live, Sutton believes Milton will show more gaps in the housing industry.

"I think it’s also going to force everyone to look at the current housing and how people are living and how many homes are up to code and whether homes can sustain a hurricane," said Sutton. "We build with steel reinforced black walls, and so we had, relatively speaking, very little damage to any of our homes. We’ve built over 930 homes in our community."

Pinellas County said FEMA is also offering transitional shelter assistance, and it could help you for up to 90 days. You may be eligible for that when you apply for damages or losses through FEMA.

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