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Suncoast Pasco News

County pledges help to end homeless problem

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BY CARL ORTH

SUNCOAST NEWS ASSISTANT EDITOR

Published: October 25, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - With winter not far away, the plight of more than 4,000 homeless people in Pasco will become even more desperate.

The Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County is determined to break the cycle, with coalition president Rev. Dan Campbell enlisting the help of county commissioners.

The commissioners signed up this week to be part of developing a 10-year plan to end the chronic problem.

A survey done by coalition members and the Pasco County Community Development Division on Jan. 30 estimated 4,074 homeless people in Pasco. Among them were 2,649 adults and 1,425 children.

Out of the total, 2,574 people had no shelter at all, living in places not meant for habitation, such as in woods or under bridges.

For 20 years, the coalition and its members have been providing shelter and services to the homeless. But Campbell emphasized community agencies must coordinate efforts to put an end to the misery of the homeless.

The survey showed a wide range of ages among homeless adults, who might be 18 to 60 years old.

Thirty-five percent of the homeless were children under 18.

More than 25 percent of the people in the January survey had been without homes for a year or longer.

For more information, call the coalition at 727-842-8605 or send an e-mail to homelesscoalition@verizon.net.

The complete report and summary from the January homeless survey can be found online at http://www.pascohomelesscoalition.org/> through the coalition's web site.

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