JUSTICE INITIATIVES

In September of 2019, as a result of the actions of the Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality, Hillsborough County commissioners passed into law the HOPE Affordable Housing Act, which required at least $10 million to be put towards the creation, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable housing.

4 years later, in September of 2023, the majority of our 7 county commissioners voted to remove $8 million from the HOPE fund in the 2024 budget in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. These funds were reallocated towards building sidewalks.

In March of 2024, Florida House Bill 1365 was signed into law, which prohibits counties and municipalities from allowing individuals to sleep on public property. We still have not received word as to how Hillsborough County is going to proceed.

Both of these developments will have a powerful negative effect on the unhoused individuals in our community and will push even more of those on the margins into homelessness.

The good news is that you can make a difference. Please consider writing a letter or making a phone call to Hillsborough County commissioners urging them to restore the HOPE affordable housing fund to at least its original $10 million, and/or to opt for a plan of enforcement regarding the "no sleeping bill" that will consider the humanity and dignity of those living outside.

Follow this link to find the contact information of each commissioner. Remember to open your letter or call with who you are and the actionable item you want (the restoration of the HOPE fund and/or a path forward in the face of HB1365). You can include specific and personal concerns, such as the wellbeing of the elderly, rising rent prices, or an anecdote about someone you know who has struggled with housing costs or experienced homelessness. End your call or letter by stating again what it is you want them to do.

Thank you for standing up for "the least of these" in our community.