For Some, A Year Worth Remembering

The following guest column by Gulf Coast President/CEO Mark Pritchett appeared in the December 19 edition of SRQ Daily:

As we end a uniquely difficult year, I knew I could count on some good people to remind me what’s right in our world.

I am talking about a humble group of Gulf Coast Community Foundation donors who helped make it possible for more than 200 chronically homeless individuals in our region find permanent homes this year. These previously homeless individuals are the ones who have “highest acuity of need.” That means they were homeless for long periods of time—most often years—and suffer complicating challenges like mental illness or addiction.

Take, for instance, James. We heard James’s story from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. While he was serving a felony sentence in the county jail, James expressed interest in help. He began working with a team of “Reentry Navigators,” who then connected him with the county’s Homeless Outreach Team upon his release.

James was able to get shelter and services from The Salvation Army, where he reactivated the disability benefits that were discontinued during his incarceration. His history of homelessness and his disability qualified him for the Suncoast Rapid Rehousing program, run by St. Vincent de Paul CARES. The good people there helped James move into his own apartment, where he continues to receive case management from them while working toward the full independence he set as his goal.

Read the rest of Mark's column in SRQ Daily