TAMPA, Fla. — Last year’s hurricane season left many families to rebuild, including Harrison Best, Maranda Pruitte, and their family.
“It was so stressful,” said Best. “It was probably one of the worst things I went through in my life.”
Best said during Hurricane Milton, a tree fell through their apartment, crushing their home.
WATCH: Family settles into new home with help from Tampa's Homeless Outreach Team
Pruitte was at work that night.
“They were pretty much almost blocked inside,” said Pruitte. “They had to climb over branches to get out the front door.”
“I ended up struggling trying to rent a hotel as long as I could, which is very unaffordable, and then I tore my ACL and lost my job. Then, I officially became 100 percent homeless at that point,” said Best.
The family connected with Tampa’s Homeless Outreach Team.
City leaders said since its creation three years ago, the team has permanently housed 224 households.
“We’re seeing more and more individuals that are either becoming homeless or on the brink of that because of affordability issues, the lack of a supply of homes, and then also the ability to earn enough money to be able to afford our rising home and rental prices,” said Mayor Jane Castor. “The good news is is that our rental prices have gone back to the 2021 levels, but still, we’ve all seen the increases.”
The city said the team offers services and shelter to those in need, including direct access to Tampa HOPE and Salvation Army beds, transportation aid, and rental move-in assistance.
“I work with a lot of agencies to make sure that people get the help that they need, so I meet people where they’re at,” said Manuel Pelegri, a Homeless Outreach Coordinator.
Pelegri also worked in partnership with Tampa non-profit Family Promise.
“We don’t just provide a shelter,” said Edwina Reddick, the Family Promise Program Director. “We actually provide the shelter beds. We offer the meals. We offer case management. We offer job readiness, and then we offer a long-term stability plan.”
Now, the family is settled in what Pruitte called a dream home and is thankful to the people who helped them along the way.
“Everybody’s got their own room, and I’ve got a dishwasher,” said Pruitte. “I always wanted a dishwasher.”
“Reach out to somebody,” said Best. “There’s people out there that actually do care.”
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
