How a Tampa non-profit is working to support unhoused students

Florida Matters

An increasing number of people in Florida are experiencing homelessness. The surge in homelessness comes as state lawmakers are considering legislation that some advocates see as punitive: a law that would make it illegal to sleep on public property. Florida’s council on Homelessness reported 30,809 individuals experiencing “literal homelessness” last year. That means not having a fixed, regular or adequate place to stay, and includes people living in shelters. That’s a 9 percent increase since 2019. The number of students experiencing homelessness in Florida is even higher. On this episode we speak with Anne Ray, the Florida Housing Data Clearinghouse Manager at the University of Florida’s Shimberg Center for Housing Studies, about the rising number of homeless students and the support that's available for them. We also discuss a specific group of students who experience homelessness: kids who are separated from their families because of abuse or neglect, but who aren’t part of the foster care system. We talk with a Tampa non-profit leader, Vicki Sokolik, who works to support those students, and we hear from Jamal, an alumnus of her program.