Advocates Say Relationships and Money Problems Drive Hernando Homelessness

Broken relationships and lost income, not drugs or mental illness, are pushing most people onto the streets in Hernando County, advocates told county commissioners on Oct. 27 in Brooksville. Data the Mid Florida Homeless Coalition presented to the commission showed relationship troubles were cited 76 times and financial loss 58 times as causes of homelessness in September. Substance abuse was cited 10 times and mental health five times.

The full September breakdown included trauma at 28, landlord issues at 25, incarceration at 20 and medical health at 12. Tiffany Brown, a coalition representative, said substance abuse is a factor but not the main issue driving homelessness in the county. The night before the meeting, 403 people in 244 families were known to have slept on the street. Thirty-eight of them are homeless for the first time, coalition representatives said.

Brown asked commissioners to adopt a resolution proclaiming Nov. 15 through 21 as National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week in Hernando County. The resolution states that hunger and homelessness remain a serious problem for many individuals and families in the county. The coalition now hands out cards with a QR code that leads to a five-question assessment connecting people with community services. Food banks are also seeing growing demand.

Commissioner Steve Champion praised the group’s work and said children and families should not be homeless. He said he had seen research showing many homeless people are on the streets because of mental illness or drug use, and he asked how to keep them off the streets. He also said some people choose to be homeless. Brown acknowledged that some do, but said Hernando County has become the place where Hillsborough and Pinellas counties and the city of Orlando send homeless people when those communities move them off their streets.

For more information, readers can visit the Tampa Bay Beacons or learn more about homelessness resources through the Mid Florida Homeless Coalition.

Originally reported by Tampa Bay Beacons – Hernando