Following back-to-back hurricanes, Category 4 Helene and Category 3 Milton, programs serving the homeless in the Tampa Bay area are witnessing a significant increase in the number of people needing assistance.

Yvonne Morales, the Homeless Program Section Chief at Bay Pines VA Hospital, noted a substantial rise in veterans seeking help. “Our calls to the National Homeless Hotline for this catchment area, from Pinellas County to Collier, increased exponentially, about 120%,” she shared with Bay News 9 Tampa.

Navy veteran Mark Green reached out for help after the storms and is currently staying at St. Vincent de Paul Cares, a homeless shelter in St. Petersburg. Grateful to have a place to stay, he reflected, “I just stayed at the house when Helene came in. I didn’t think the water was going to get as high as it did.”

Realizing he needed somewhere to live, Mark called the national hotline for homeless veterans, which connected him with Bay Pines VA Hospital. He is now in the early stages of the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans program, working towards finding permanent housing.

“I got so many people helping me that I’m grateful for,” Mark expressed. “I know things are going to get a lot better and I’m going to be where I need to be.”

For veterans in need, the phone number for the national hotline is 877-424-3838.

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(Image credit: Southern Life channel on YouTube)