To both locals and tourists, our community appears to be nothing short of paradise—an oasis of palm trees, crystal-clear waters, luxury resorts and brand new, amenity-filled developments popping up all the time. But behind the perfect image lies a growing housing crisis, one that affects the very people who keep our paradise running: hotel staff, servers, nurses, teachers, maintenance crews—and more vulnerable residents, including veterans, formerly incarcerated individuals and families struggling to get by on limited income. As property values rise and short-term vacation rentals flood the market, affordable housing has become increasingly scarce. Essential workers are being pushed farther from their jobs, forced into long commutes just to make ends meet. 

These organizations and partnerships are stepping up to address this crisis—through funding, counseling, advocacy and philanthropy, they’re working to ensure that everyone has a place to call home.

SECOND HEART HOMES 

With a mission to restore dignity to the homeless and those with mental health challenges through housing, support and love, Second Heart Homes—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019—provides housing and critical services to homeless adults in the Sarasota and Bradenton areas who are committed to addressing their mental health. Serving Sarasota and Bradenton, the organization operates 11 homes for 68 individuals dedicated to managing their mental health and rebuilding their lives. Residents must be able to perform daily living tasks and actively work toward personal goals and independence.

Founder and Executive Director Megan Howell notes that homelessness and housing issues in the region have escalated dramatically. “The housing crisis is affecting people of all ages at a higher rate than ever,” she explains. “Probably half the residents in our program are over 55, and it’s so sad—you work your whole life, and maybe one unfortunate thing happens and what do you do? Home ownership is probably not an option for a lot of people in those circumstances.”

Most Second Heart Homes residents are seeking employment and trying to navigate complex systems for self-sufficiency, but face increasing bureaucratic obstacles. “We tend to think of homelessness as something for bad people or people who made mistakes,” says Howell. “Some of those things can be true but it can also come from things that are out of our power. We all have to look in ourselves personally and say, ‘what can I do to help’ and that includes sacrifice and unique solutions to solve the issues of housing insecurities.”

To better manage growing demand, the organization recently added an outreach coordinator to build community relationships and manage a service waitlist. Second Heart Homes operates without government funding, mortgages or debt. According to Howell, its sustainability depends entirely on public support, with donors recognizing that housing—supported by care and compassion—is the foundation of lasting solutions to homelessness.

One major hurdle remains the rising cost of properties and ‘not in my backyard’ resistance. The organization addresses these challenges by listening to concerns and clarifying its mission. With support from the Barancik Foundation, Second Heart Homes uses 85 performance metrics to track residents’ progress in areas such as physical and mental health, employment, social well-being and family reunification. “Second Heart Homes has shown that its housing-first approach has helped many rebuild their lives while supporting effective mental health outcomes,” says President and CEO of the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Teri Hansen.

secondhearthomes.org

HARVEST HOUSE

Harvest House is a local supportive housing and hunger relief provider with 380+ beds and multiple programs throughout Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Harvest House became a pioneer in the local supportive and affordable housing movement in 1992. They serve members of our community who are working to rebuild their lives, including families and children experiencing homelessness and adults with a history of addiction and incarceration. Their programs improve the economic status of residents and stabilize lives for generations to come. 

Harvest House addresses the everyday inequities that too many in our region experience: attainable housing, trusted and consistent support systems, behavior health services that meet the individual need, access to nutritional food and the daily struggle to make ends meet. Harvest House meets people where they are the moment they walk through their doors, and they are always refining their operations and assessing their capacity to maintain this commitment. 

Safe, dignified housing and mental wellness are the most pressing challenges for our community. In the coming months and years, Harvest House will expand their supportive and affordable housing programs to serve more low resource households, and increase therapy services to ensure all clients have access to quality mental health care. “At Harvest House, we believe that dignity is a non-negotiable,” says Vice President of Advancement, Katie McCurry. “Safe housing and mental wellness aren’t luxuries, they are the foundation for every other success in life.”

Without needing to be bounced from agency to agency, at Harvest House low resource families can gain access to emergency housing, case management, therapy, education opportunities and long-term affordable housing. Stability is key for parents and children to bounce back from the trauma of homelessness. One client shared: “Harvest House saved our lives. They were an open door when we didn’t have anywhere else to go, and I am eternally grateful.” 

Overall success metrics for Harvest House show that 97% of clients entered from chronically unstable living situations, 91% percent moved to stable housing upon exit  and 100% of families and young adults who moved into stable housing were still housed after 180-day follow-up.

“When families walk through our doors, they’re not just getting a roof over their heads. They’re entering a community of support, stability and opportunity that can transform their future for generations,” says McCurry. “We’re proud to be part of Sarasota and Manatee’s solution for supportive and affordable housing, but the need is still greater than ever. Our commitment is to keep growing until every family has a safe place to call home.” 

harvesthousecenters.org.

PROJECT 180 

Project 180 is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals successfully transition from incarceration back into the community. Each year, more than 30,000 people are released from Florida’s prisons. While many are eager to rebuild their lives, they face overwhelming obstacles: limited job skills, lack of education and widespread discrimination in housing and employment due to felony records. These challenges often lead to homelessness, unemployment, poverty and rearrest. Without support, over 76% of formerly incarcerated individuals in Florida are rearrested within five years—perpetuating cycles of crime and straining community resources.

To address these issues, Project 180 offers a range of reentry services designed to foster stability, self-sufficiency, and long-term success. Programs include workforce education classes for incarcerated individuals, financial literacy training funded by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, public reentry lecture series to engage and educate the broader community, referrals for housing, employment and recovery support services and a long-term residential program for men in recovery.

Project 180’s Residential Program provides formerly incarcerated men with up to two years of stable housing and comprehensive support. Residents receive nutritious meals, clothing, transportation, help paying fines to restore driving privileges, access to cultural activities and assistance in securing full-time employment. Designed for long-term success, this program serves a limited number of men committed to transforming their lives. The program collaborates with key partners, including the State Attorney’s Office, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Corrections, Drug Treatment Court, Lightshare and the Salvation Army. These agencies help identify suitable candidates and offer ongoing support and treatment.

One of Project 180’s cornerstone initiatives is The First Week Out Program, which supports individuals returning to Sarasota and DeSoto counties after state prison. Many participants struggle with substance use disorders, and those who identify with addiction are referred to trusted community recovery programs such as Harvest House, Grace Recovery, Purpose House and local peer recovery homes.

“For participants who don’t identify with addiction, options in our area can be limited,” says Stacey Rickelmann, Brand & Operations Manager at Project 180. “That’s where our residential program becomes critical—currently housing 17 men who can stay for up to two years.”

Housing remains one of the most difficult challenges after incarceration. Project 180 partners with organizations like Onetop Housing Authority to help place graduates in stable housing, but long-term success depends on each individual’s commitment.

“A lot of times, it can be discouraging,” says Program Coordinator Seth Campbell. “We see guys get out and, after a few weeks, go back to what they know because it’s easier. Reducing homelessness is one of our key missions.”

project180reentry.org

GULF COAST COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF) is dedicated to serving the needs of the region,  which includes working to find solutions for homelessness and affordable housing. By relying on partnerships and generous donations, they are moving closer to solutions every day. One of GCCF’s initiatives focuses on unaccompanied homeless youth, an often-overlooked group of homeless individuals in our community. With the resources in our community, no child should have to sleep in a car. Yet as many as 1,000 students in the Sarasota County public school system are identified as homeless each year. Partnership with local social-service agencies and generous donors has transformed the safety net for these children and their families.

Director of Policy and Advocacy, Jon Thaxton explains that when the homeless student statistic was presented to him over a decade ago, it marked the beginning of a journey—not just of charity, but of systemic change. “That was kind of an awakening for the board,” Thaxton recalls. “How can a community of such wealth and resource have a thousand homeless children in our schools?”

It wasn’t long before a board member, Elton White, who Thaxton affectionately renamed “St. Elton”  learned about a mother and her three children living in a van parked at a Walmart in Venice. Without hesitation, he wrote a blank check and said, “Use this to get them into housing.” But no one was equipped to act. The system, known as the Continuum of Care, was disjointed. Well-meaning organizations were working in silos, duplicating efforts, unaware of what others were doing. Funding was scarce. Collaboration was absent.

That was when the Gulf Coast Community Foundation made a pivotal decision: it was time to build a better system. Together with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, they laid the groundwork for what would become the Sarasota Housing Action Plan—the most comprehensive review of Sarasota’s housing demographics ever undertaken.

But this plan wasn’t just about data. It was a blueprint for systemic change, outlining exactly what needed to happen for housing to become more accessible for the most vulnerable—families, veterans, individuals with mental health needs and the chronically homeless.

Over the next decade, the community, under the guidance of the Foundation and its partners, built an integrated system of care. They created a shared database, a coordinated point of entry and a requirement that all service providers work under a unified strategy built on national best practices. 

The results were striking. Homelessness—particularly among children, veterans and the chronically homeless—began to drop. In fact, Sarasota saw double-digit reductions in homelessness year after year. Areas once crowded with homeless encampments thinned. The chaotic downtown scenes of the past gave way to more stability, safety and dignity. As Thaxton puts it, “We built our system around two words: hope and dignity. That’s what we wanted to give people. Because just as food is the only cure for hunger, a home is the only cure for homelessness.”

That philosophy guided their efforts, from housing children to helping veterans. Most recently, the community celebrated the launch of Heroes Village, a housing facility created in partnership with St. Vincent de Paul and the City of Sarasota, aiming to reach functional zero for veteran homelessness—a term that means homelessness is rare, brief and non-recurring.

It’s a difficult goal, but within reach. “We’re moving veterans into Heroes Village as we speak,” Thaxton shared. “And we’re doing it with dignity, giving them not just shelter, but a reason to hope.”

But the future isn’t without risk. Federal budget cuts and certain congressional actions have threatened the very backbone of these successes. Funding for critical systems—including the data centers used to track and support individuals by name—has been slashed.

“This is most remarkable,” Thaxton said, “because a housed person costs a community far less than a homeless one. Without continued investment, we risk losing everything we’ve built.”

Thaxton explains that over 40% of households in Sarasota County are “cost-burdened”, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing. This cost burden often leads to trade-offs with other basic needs–which is especially harmful for families with children—and contributes to generational poverty. Sarasota County has approximately 260,000+ households, making the number of cost-burdened households substantial.

Still, hope remains. Sarasota has shown what a focused, unified community can accomplish—not by sweeping homelessness out of sight, but by acknowledging it, understanding it and meeting it head-on with compassion and strategy.

“We may never eliminate homelessness completely,” Thaxton says. “But we can ensure that when it happens, it’s brief, it’s met with care and it never robs a person of their hope or dignity.”

gulfcoastcf.org

CEDAR COVE

Cedar Cove, a powerful symbol of hope, broke ground in early October in Bradenton. The 80-unit apartment community—designed for families transitioning out of homelessness—is the result of a partnership between Tampa Bay-based affordable housing developer Blue Sky Communities and nonprofit organization Community Assisted & Supported Living (CASL).

Set on Orlando Avenue, Cedar Cove will feature three-story residential buildings, a clubhouse, playground, generous green space and plenty of parking. The mix of 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments will be available to families earning between 22% and 60% of the Area Median Income, with rents starting around $1,200.

More than just housing, Cedar Cove is designed to be a lifeline. CASL will provide on-site support for 40 families—many with school-aged children—including transportation help, healthcare access and personalized case management. The goal: long-term stability and opportunity. “The groundbreaking of Cedar Cove represents a powerful milestone in our community’s fight to end family homelessness. Suncoast Partnership receives numerous requests from families experiencing homelessness throughout our community seeking to be connected with resources to end their homelessness,” says  CEO of Suncoast Partnership, Taylor Neighbors. “We are honored to support this development and stand alongside Blue Sky Communities, CASL and Manatee County in bringing safe, stable homes and on-site supportive services to families in need. Together, we’re not only helping families access housing; we are restoring hope that has been lost and ensuring families have a pathway toward long-term stability and opportunity.”

The $28 million development is backed by Manatee County’s Livable Manatee program, the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, Chase Bank and Raymond James Affordable Housing Investments. Carteret Management will oversee day-to-day operations. “Workforce Housing fills a critical need for the citizens of Manatee County,” says Manatee County Commissioner Mike Rahn. “Cedar Cove will provide the housing that is needed for those who need it the most. We are proud to have this project in Manatee County and what it will provide to the citizens.”

Construction is now underway, and when Cedar Cove opens its doors, it won’t just be offering a roof—it’ll be offering a fresh start.

blueskycommunities.com