Just days ago, Julius Walker spent his nights sleeping under the interstate in downtown Tampa by the skate park.

“It was very hard. You can’t sleep at night, every little movement you got to wake up and watch,” said Julius.

Now he has a “safe zone,” as he calls Tampa Hope, a new, permanent homeless shelter operated by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Petersburg that opened December 13, 2021 just in time for Christmas.

“The opening of Tampa Hope is a great day for the City of Tampa, and will provide hope to the homeless who come there seeking a safe place to live and assistance with getting back on their feet,” said Bishop Gregory Parkes.

Tampa Hope is built on land purchased by Catholic Charities in November of 2021. The program is a partnership between Catholic Charities and the City of Tampa. At full capacity, the shelter will house up to 300 people. Initially, clients will be housed in tents assembled on wood platforms and then transition into permanent structures, known as Hope Cottages™ that provide residents with privacy and security.

“Yeah, it’s a tent, but it’s my tent. It’s my apartment, it’s my home, it’s my mansion and I live in it,” said Frank Creel one of the first clients welcomed into the facility.

A little more than 14 years ago, Catholic Charities opened Pinellas Hope, a similar shelter for the homeless of St. Petersburg and surrounding areas.

In addition to providing a safe and secure shelter, Tampa Hope will give each resident access to a variety of services to include education, employment assistance, basic medical care, case management services and substance abuse and mental health counseling. Both Frank and Julius are grateful for the chance to work towards the path to self-sufficiency.

“This is a great opportunity to reinvent myself and recharge myself and take myself to where I know I belong in society. And not in a jail or prison or on the sidewalk,” said Frank.

For both men, the shelter is an answered prayer, “It couldn’t happen without Him,” said Julius, referring to God. “My goal is to stay focused off drugs and alcohol. By being here it’s going to help me do some things I need to do for myself so I’m glad for this.”

After the success of a temporary shelter created in March 2020 to provide a haven to the homeless during the height of the coronavirus, Tampa city officials decided to partner with Catholic Charities to develop a permanent location to provide the best opportunity to assist the homeless men and women of Tampa.

“Improving access to housing for all Tampa residents is a central part of our Transforming Tampa’s Tomorrow strategy, and I am so proud and grateful to be working with Catholic Charities on this compassionate and innovative program to help people along the path to self-sufficiency,” said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.

The continuing efforts to improve the quality of life for Tampa Hope residents, will require additional help from the local community.

“I’m hoping a donor will step up and that we can afford to build a complete kitchen here, and we’re counting on the community to provide meals. We need clothing, toiletries, shampoo toothpaste, blankets, sheets and towels,” said Maggie.