Nearly Four Decades of Serving Families in Hillsborough CountyDawning Family Services, formerly Alpha House of Tampa, has been serving the homeless since 1981. Until recently, we offered shelter and support services to only pregnant women and women alone with small children — the “maternity home” model. In 2018, our Board of Directors approved a new mission to reflect the agency’s desire to address the growing need we are witnessing to serve families beyond our historic core population.In addition, Dawning Family Services is significantly stepping up efforts to serve the critical need that exists in our community to provide housing stability for all disenfranchised families. This involves increasing the number of our emergency shelter units, expanding the population we serve to include a broader range of family types, and launching a new prevention program to provide basic needs and essential supports. Our newly expanded services will include both residential (emergency shelter) and non-residential (drop-in) services.Website: http://dawningfamilyservices.org/Office: 813-875-2024Email: info@dawningfs.org
DETAILED PROJECT INFORMATION
After 38 years of providing safe shelter to homeless mothers with young children in Hillsborough
County, Dawning Family Services (formerly Alpha House of Tampa) is significantly stepping up efforts to
serve the critical need that exists in our community to provide housing stability for all disenfranchised
families with minor children. That involves: 1) increasing the number of our emergency shelter units
from 39 to 61; 2) expanding the homeless population we serve to include a broader range of families
with children; and 3) launching a new prevention program to provide basic needs and essential
supports, such as health care, food, and income supports, to families at high risk of becoming homeless.
In other words, our newly expanded services will include both residential (emergency shelter) and non-
residential services (comprehensive services center). These strategies meet criteria established by the
federal government as effective programs for ending homelessness for families with children.
This solution is sorely needed based on the sheer volume of homeless families in Hillsborough County.
Based on the 2019 Point in Time Count Survey, it is estimated that 2000 adults and children in
families are homeless over
the course of a year.
And that does not include
families identified by the
Hillsborough County School
district. In the 2015-2016
school year (latest
available), there were 424
school children living in
motels and another 2,351
children who were
doubled-up with another
household for economic
reasons.
Even more data paints “a
growing home affordability
crisis” in the county for the
general population.
According to the University
of Florida Shimberg Center
for Housing Studies, half of
renters are “severely
burdened” by housing
costs, meaning that
housing takes up more
than half their income.
According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, children who are homeless are more likely to
have health issues and emotional