Welcome to

Florida stands to get 65 million dollars in stimulus money to help a growing homeless population. The money could be available in April and the bulk of it will be sent to cities and counties with programs in place. Miami-Dade County will see 16 million. Hillsborough, 1point 5 million and Pinellas County should be getting 1 point 2 million. Department of Children and Families Secretary George Sheldon says the money couldn’t come at a better time.

“As this population is being driven higher and higher by the economic downturn, these dollars can be a safety net that’s critical to these organizations,” Sheldon said. “A lot of it is shelter, a lot of it’s food. But in addition to that is the continuing of care. A lot of these individuals have issues other than just a roof over their head and food. Some of that is mental health and substance abuse services. So really, you’ve got to have a continuing of care that links all these things together.”

Of the 65 million, the state will be getting about 18 million to help those counties not on the federal government’s list.