Celebrate Outreach has broken ground on the first tiny home for a homeless veteran in St. Petersburg. Credit: Celebrate Outreach

At the holidays, many reflect on how they can help the most vulnerable people in our community. In St. Petersburg, the homeless need serious help. A 2012 estimate places the Tampa-St. Petersburg at the top of the list for homeless people in the country, with 57 out of every 10,000 residents homeless. The 2018 Point in Time Count for Pinellas County identified 6,216 homeless people.

Celebrate Outreach is a network of ministries that helps the homeless with both short and long-term assistance. The organization began in 2007 when USF St. Petersburg's Dr. John Paul brought together a group of people from area faith communities under the belief that no one congregation could meet the many needs of the area’s homeless.

Celebrate Outreach currently hosts three regular meals each week, reaching more than 250 people. Volunteers like retired English teacher John Stewart appreciate having the chance to make a difference. Stewart says he's inspired by the faith of the homeless who “use faith to hang on by their fingernails” as they lack the cushion of protection that the financially secure enjoy.

For long-term solutions to homelessness, Celebrate Outreach has been working on an innovative plan to build tiny houses for the homeless under the Tiny Homes for Vets endeavor. The designs for the 500-square-foot homes are not, as Stewart noted, meant to be “cute or novelties” but rather offer a complete and manageable place for the homeless to live. Celebrate Outreach has partnered with the University of South Florida and Professor Josue Robles Caraballo to ensure that the designs are affordable and functional.

Volunteer and urban planner Sabine Von Aulock said the project focuses on veterans at the moment because they represent a significant portion of the homeless population, as some 281 veterans are homeless every night in Pinellas County. Finding space and financing has been an ongoing concern but this past Veteran’s Day, they broke ground on the first tiny home, and the group hopes many more will follow.

Celebrate Outreach also keeps busy throughout the holiday season. In addition to its recent Thanksgiving dinner and the 29th annual Still No Room at the Inn (held Dec. 7), they'll participate in the Dec. 16 Interfaith Service of Remembrance in memory of the homeless who died in 2018.

A serving line at the Friday Night Picnic in St. Petersburg. Credit: via Celebrate Outreach

How to get involved — not only at Christmas, but throughout the year:

Celebrate Outreach: Learn more and get involved at Celebrate Outreach's website or by emailing Celebrate Outreach.

Meals

Sunday Supper: 6:30 p.m. dinner following a 5:30 p.m. Mission Dei church service, 1330 Burlington Ave. N., St. Petersburg. Contact G. W. Rolle or call 727-424-1088.

Friday Night Picnic: 6 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 100 Mirror Lake Drive, St. Petersburg. The Picnic has an ongoing need of potluck-style food, beverages, paper goods and volunteers. Call Reggie Craig at 727-631-1031 or sign up to help here.

Saturday Loaves and Fishes Breakfast: 8-10:30 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran, 401 4th Ave. N., St. Petersburg. The breakfast offers eggs, grits, fruit, biscuits and other breakfast favorites. Contact Anita Podgwaite or 727-565-8742.

Christmas Dinner: 3-6 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran, 401 4th Ave. N., St. Petersburg. Contact G. W. Rolle or 727-424-1088.

Interfaith Service of Remembrance Remembrance: Dec. 16 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 100 Mirror Lake Drive, St. Petersburg. Contact Barb Fichter.

Tiny Home for Vets: Get more information about these small, affordable homes for the homeless on the Tiny Homes section of Celebrate Outreach's website.

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This article appears in Dec 6-13, 2018.