Metropolitan Ministries has launched its first-ever residential housing program in Pinellas County, through a partnership with the St. Petersburg Free Clinic.
The new initiative expands the nonprofit’s services beyond hunger relief and prevention programs by providing stable housing for families experiencing homelessness, according to a statement.
The Free Clinic is contributing two residential facilities, as well as food and health services. Metropolitan Ministries will staff and manage the shelters, offering case management, counseling, childcare, therapeutic youth programs, education and career development.
“This collaboration provides families not just a safe place to live, but a pathway out of homelessness and toward long-term stability,” said Dr. Sarah Combs, president and chief executive officer of Metropolitan Ministries.
Jennifer Yeagley, CEO of the St. Petersburg Free Clinic, called the partnership “a critical step in addressing the needs of our community’s most vulnerable families.”
The new housing program is part of Metropolitan Ministries’ 20 years of service in Pinellas, which has included daily meals, food pantry distributions, rent and utility assistance, holiday outreach and mobile brigades providing supplies and housing navigation to individuals experiencing street homelessness.
The Baldwin Family Residence, at 814 4th Ave. N., in St. Petersburg, will serve as one of the two housing facilities.