PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Jason wasn’t always living on the streets.
“Shoot, 20 years ago, I was living in a 6,000-square-foot house on six acres. I was really doing good,” he said. "I look back at that life now, and it’s real tough to look back at that life.”
But now he’s struggling.
He’s one of possibly thousands of people in Pasco County without a home.
“It’s pretty bad. There are people in tents, probably 6-10 places around here,” he said as he walked around a neighborhood off U.S. 19 in New Port Richey.
“It’s a crisis. Epidemic. Call it what you want. But we have, instead of a few hundred homeless people, we are dealing with a few thousand now,” said Greg Armstrong, chairman of Pasco’s Continuum of Care.
The organization oversees all the groups that provide services for those who are experiencing homelessness.
He said the perfect storm of COVID and skyrocketing housing costs left many people struggling.
That’s why leaders in Pasco County are considering a so-called tent city.
The county is looking at different locations where they can provide bathrooms and showers, and heated structures.
“We’ve got encampments right now where they are getting ready to build homes. Well, those people have to be moved. And we want to use the tent city as a way to get them out of the woods and then try and find resources for them,” said Armstrong.
Meanwhile, Jason, who has a background in flooring, is hoping for steady work and the boost he needs to get into a place of his own where he’ll continue to take care of his adult son, who has special needs.
“You fall behind; you can never get caught up. It’s like a struggle every day to figure out how you’re going to get back to that point.”
For renters facing eviction, you can reach out to Pasco County Community Development.
Those experiencing homeless can click here for more information.
