“The moment we were brought to Tampa Hope, we were welcomed,” said Maria, a Tampa Hope resident. “We were not judged; we were accepted immediately.”

The couple had been homeless, and a police officer gave them two choices: spend time in jail or spend time at Tampa Hope, a homeless shelter operated by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

Maria told the officer, “I am going to Tampa Hope.”

Tampa Hope opened on December 13, 2021, and serves up to 234 homeless adults and has plans to expand its capacity to serve 345.

“Tampa Hope offered us the ability to take a shower, to have clothes, to have medical care,” said Maria. “My husband was able to have surgery that he needed for six years. He’s getting treatment for an illness he has had for 15 years,”

The shelter has many success stories like this one, and now there is another reason for hope. On June 24, 2024, over 100 people gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony of a new Community Center that will be named Matthew 25, after the well-known Bible passage where Jesus says, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Major donors Drew and Susan Peloubet are the driving force behind making the Matthew 25 Community Center possible.

“The community center will be the focal point of the shelter, featuring a full kitchen and dining area, restrooms, a laundry room, showers, a salon, and more,” said Maggie Rogers, Catholic Charities Executive Director. “Because of this investment by Drew and Susan Peloubet, clients of Tampa Hope will be even better served. We hope to lift up the residents in dignity. This project is a natural progression from a campground-like experience to a more permanent facility that clients will ultimately experience when they move to stable housing.”

Because of Tampa Hope's welcoming love and support, Maria and her husband, Al, will be moving out of the shelter and into their own apartment.

Maria stated, “Homelessness is not easy, but when you have staff that have open arms, give you hope, cheer you on, and share resources and information, and don’t just do it for you but teach you how to do it and become self-sufficient, there is hope.”

In closing, instead of requesting prayers for her and the other homeless women and men throughout our community, Maria stunned the audience by saying she would pray for them: “I want to pray for you: to not to give up hope on us, not to give up hope on the homeless, to offer whatever you can, to share whatever you can. Anything makes a difference in our lives.”