TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — During public comment at Hillsborough County's Commission meeting, speaker after speaker brought forth a unified message.
“We are asking you to think about and please, please go forth and show leadership in putting the $10 million back into the budget,” one speaker passionately urged.
Just a week prior, the Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality (HOPE) organized a rally where over a thousand people shared their stories about the struggles of living paycheck to paycheck.
However, many couldn't shake the disappointment of who didn't show up.
“There was an amazing program that HOPE had put on for Nehemiah Action. It's an annual event, and only one out of seven county commissioners showed up,” said Humaira Afzal.
At the commission meeting, HOPE members brought with them stacks of more than 1,200 signed yellow postcards from community members expressing their disappointment. Each signature represents a plea for justice and a commitment to ensure that marginalized individuals are not forgotten in the county's development plans.
"We're here as a voice for that justice. We're here as a voice to ensure that they're not forgotten. To ensure that when we create a plan for the county, and we create a plan for what development looks like, not just this year and this budget cycle for the next five years, for the next 30 years, we're not leaving anyone behind," said Dr. Neil Manimala, another member of HOPE.
Hillsborough County has cut $16 million from its Affordable Housing Fund in the last two years.
"One of the major focuses of HOPE has been affordable housing," Dr. Manimala noted. "Which is merely a fraction of the overall county budget of nearly $11 billion, and it has been repeatedly attacked."
HOPE leaders pledged to continue advocating for the restoration of funding by attending every county commission meeting until their demands are met.
“You know, I gave him probably the biggest hug I could ever recall giving him, and he held on tight"
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