News & Stories - Hope for Her

News

Community Resources During COVID-19

March 18, 2020May 21, 2020

Community Resources
During COVID-19

In response to Governor Desantis’ direction and to help protect our women and families, we have closed our office until further notice.

Please stay tuned as we continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates via our website and social media. Additionally, a list of community resources is below.

Security & Scams:

COVID-19 Scams Are Everywhere Right Now. How to Protect Yourself.
Security and Scam Updates from Suncoast Credit Union HERE

IRS – Economic Impact Payments – What you need to know – LINK

Local & State Government Updates

Brandon Chamber of Commerce – LINK

City of Tampa – LINK

Hillsborough County – LINK

Florida Health – LINK

Spiritual Online Services

Bay Life Church – LINK

Bell Shoals Baptist Church – LINK

New Hope UMC – LINK

Hyde Park UMC – LINK

Joy FM Prayer Line – LINK

Emotional/Mental & Physical Health

Crisis Center

Dial 211 on your phone to talk to a counselor. – LINK

Suicide Hotline

If you or someone you know are struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Florida Domestic Violence Hotline

FCADV operates and manages Florida’s 24 hour statewide hotline. The Florida Domestic Violence (FL DV) Hotline is a trilingual service provided 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Call 1 (800) 500-1119 / TTY Hotline 1 (800) 621-4202

ACTS

Clients must call (813) 246-4899 before entering the building for their initial assessment. – LINK

Phoenix Tampa – Virtual Options

The Phoenix is now live-streaming classes (Crossfit/Yoga/Meditation) throughout the day via Zoom. As always, classes are designed for all levels from beginners onward. – LINK

The Outreach Clinic, Brandon

The Clinic phone lines will be open and answered Monday – Thursday 10:00am – 4:00pm. Please allow 24 hours for a return phone call (except Friday – Sunday, those calls will be returned on Monday). All medical needs and issues will be triaged and addressed on an urgent need only.
The Clinic will continue to distribute medication refills to existing patients, monitor all labs and medical tests and will handle new referrals by phone on a case by case method. – LINK

Crisis Text Line

Text HOME to 741741 to reach a Crisis Counselor
Crisis Text Line serves anyone, in any type of crisis, providing access to free, 24/7 support via text. – LINK

Food Resources

ECHO (Emergency Care Help Organization)

ECHO will be distributing food to the community through pre-made bags of groceries at both the Riverview and Brandon service centers. ECHO will also be putting the 6-month policy on hold in order to serve any neighbors in crisis in the community. Families can now come up to once a week.
Brandon Campus – 507 N. Parson Ave. Brandon, FL 33510
- Wednesday & Fridays from 9:00am – 1:00pm
Riverview Campus – 7807 Capitano St. Riverview, FL 33578
- Wednesday & Fridays from 9:00am – 1:00pm
For more information, visit their website or call (813) 685-0935

Summer BreakSpot

Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) activated their Summer BreakSpot website, where families can find free meals for children under 18 during the current coronavirus school closures.
Locations can be found on their website by clicking HERE

New Hope UMC

Drive-up service for their Food Co-Op on the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesday of each month, 10:00 am – 10:45 am.
213 N. Knights Ave, Brandon
Call (813) 689-4161 to pre-register
Cost $5 per unit/Up to 2 units per family

Real Hope Ministries at Bell Shoals Baptist Church

Drive-up service on Wednesdays from 12:00pm – 2:00pm.
Located on the NW corner of Bell Shoals Road and Overhill Drive

United Food Bank of Plant city

Open and distributing food every day, Monday through Friday. – LINK

Feeding Tampa Bay – Mobile Food Pantry

Drive-thru services – Please check the schedule daily to ensure operations are running as planned.
April Calendar – LINK

St. Stephen’s Food Pantry

Open on Fridays from 10:30am – 12:30pm (Closed on Good Friday)
Drive through service at 10118 Saint Stephen Circle Riverview, FL

Black Rock Restaurant

Free food (one bag per car – 2 sandwiches and a bag of chips) to anyone who drives through
Monday – Friday from 11:00am-2:00pm and 5:00pm-7:00pm
804 Providence Rd., Brandon, FL 33511; (813) 445-4511

Metropolitan Ministries

Drive-up service 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Monday, Wednesday & Friday (while resources last) handing out pre-made, nonperishable food boxes and hygiene kits. Website
- Tampa Campus: 2301 N. Tampa Street, Tampa, FL 33602
- Holiday (Pasco) Campus: 3214 US HWY 19 N, Holiday, FL 34691

Transportation

HART – Free Rides for Youth 18 and Under

Beginning Monday, March 23, HART will offer free rides to students with a school ID or HART Youth ID on regular routes service Hillsborough County Schools. – LINK

HART – Changes to Schedule

Due to closures along routes, reduced demand for service, and support of the Hillsborough County ‘Safer-at-Home’ order due to COVID-19, effective on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, HART will change its weekday and Saturday service operational hours to a modified Sunday schedule, with the operation of all express and limited express routes and Route 31 (Monday -Friday). There will be no HARTFlex services. On Sundays, HART will continue to operate on the Sunday schedule.

Rent / Mortgage / TECO Assistance

Federal Eviction Moratoriums

The CARES Act provides a temporary moratorium on evictions for most residents of federally subsidized apartments, including those supported by HUD, USDA or Treasury (Low Income Housing Tax Credit developments) as well a moratorium on filings for evictions for renters in homes covered by federally-backed (FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac) mortgages for 120 days after enactment.
Check to see if you are covered by city or zip code – LINK

City of Tampa – Relief Now, Rise Together Fund

The City will remit payment, up to the amounts indicated below, directly to landlords, mortgagors, or to TECO on behalf of qualified relief recipients. This relief is a grant and does not need to be repaid. It is intended to be a vital financial bridge for those most in need until other state and federal support funds arrive. LINK
Individuals/Families: Up to $1,000 for rent or mortgage; up to $250 for utilities. (To qualify you must currently reside in the City of Tampa)

Hillsborough County Social Services

Continues to provide services to customers needing assistance with utilities and rent. Families can call the Customer Call Center through any of the numbers below to be screened and scheduled for a telephonic appointment.
- Lee Davis – (813) 272-5220
- Plant City – (813) 757-3871
- SouthShore – (813) 671-7647
- University – (813) 975-2153
- West Tampa – (813) 272-5074

Metropolitan Ministries

Coronavirus Disease Response Initiative – LINK
Reducing direct service to “essential services”.
Financial Assistance – Please call (813) 209-1000

Hillsborough County Evictions

Public Information – LINK
Evictions: NOTICE TO ALL LANDLORDS – If you are a landlord planning to file an eviction notice with our office, please note that the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office will NOT serve any eviction notices before April 20, 2020. Please DO NOT go to any Hillsborough Clerk’s Office or courthouse unless it is an urgent legal matter.

Suspending Disconnects Effective Immediately

Payment Assistance – LINK
No customer’s service will be disconnected for non-payment, at least through the end of March. Are you having trouble paying your bill? If circumstances make it impossible to pay your bill by the date due, we will discuss the possibility of granting a payment extension. Certain guidelines apply. To request a payment arrangement, please log in to tecoaccount.com and click on Your Account, followed by Payment Options to complete our Payment Arrangement request form. Please be aware that it could take up to two business days to process your request. If you need to make your arrangement sooner, call us at 877 TECO PGS (877-832-6747). – LINK

2-1-1

Connects you with trained and supportive professionals who can provide assistance and more information about public and private health and human services. – LINK

Employment

Companies Hiring

Publix – LINK
Thorntons – LINK
Instacart – LINK
Walmart – LINK
Amazon – LINK
CVS – LINK
Walgreens – LINK
Dollar General – LINK
Dollar Tree – LINK
Pizza Hut – LINK
Papa John’s – LINK
Domino’s – LINK
Aldi – LINK
Lowe’s – LINK
Big Lots – LINK
These companies are hiring workers in Tampa Bay – LINK

Work from Home Opportunities

Liveops – LINK
Teleperformance – LINK
Workings Solutions – LINK

Free Learning

5 ways to learn new career skills for free during COVID-19 – LINK

Unemployment (aka Remployment)

Florida residents whose employment has been affected by COVID-19 can apply for Reemployment Assistance benefits. Florida Reemployment Assistance Program can help you get monetary compensation while unemployed. – LINK
Paper Application – LINK
- If you are having trouble accessing the online application, please download a Florida Reemployment Assistance Application and mail to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
- Printed Unemployment Forms Available at 2 Hillsborough Libraries – LINK
  - Locations: 3910 S. Manhattan Ave. & 2902 W. Bearss Ave

Department of Children and Families (DCF)

The DCF COVID-19 site is updated as new developments roll out each day. Call center number is 866-762-2237 or 850-300-4DCF.
- Mon-Fri 7:00am – 6:00pm
- Sat. 8:00am – 12:00pm
- Sun. 1:00pm – 5:00pm

The fastest way to make changes or check on the status of your benefits is by using the Self-Service Portal. You can apply or reapply for benefits, report changes including your mailing address, upload documents to your account, check the status of your application and benefits all by using the Self-Service Portal.
Returning Documents: If you need to return a document, you may drop off the document in the secured drop box located outside this facility. This drop box will be checked each day Monday-Friday. Documents dropped off after 5 p.m. will be dated received the following day. You may also fax documents to 1-866-886-4342 or mail them to the following address: ACCESS Central Mail Center P.O. Box 1770 Ocala, FL 34478-1770
Applying for Assistance, Checking your Case Status, or Reporting Changes: Please call our customer service center at 850-300-4323 for telephonic service (TTY 1-800-955-8771) or visit the website for assistance with the SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid programs. Paper applications are located outside of this facility for your convenience and can be returned as described above.
Completing your Interview: Customers are required to complete an interview to receive benefits. Complete your interview by telephone at 850-300-4323.
Ordering an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Card: Customers can order an EBT card, get information about EBT transactions, or report an EBT card as lost or stolen here, or by calling 1-888-356-3281.
For information regarding DCF program areas and how COVID-19 may impact the services being provided, please visit our website.

Last Updated: May 21, 2020

Finally, we leave you with God’s word –

“God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.” – Psalm 46:1

News

Women’s Resource Center Unveils New Brand Identity: Hope for…

February 19, 2019March 9, 2020

When your story depends on helping women overcome unimaginable life circumstances — like homelessness, domestic violence, unemployment and substance abuse — every word and every action matters. After 16 years supporting women and children throughout Hillsborough County, the Women’s Resource Center of Tampa found our community’s needs and increasing requests for help outpacing our resources. Additionally, with a brand identity that did not reflect the experience guests have with our mission, we lacked a clear and compelling story that would inspire new audiences to get involved.

With the support of our brand and communications strategy partner Round Square, we embarked on a transformational journey to revitalize our brand, clarify our story and more deeply connect with our audiences. This process wasn’t about prettier designs and poetic words (although we’re excited to have that, too); it was about effectively delivering our mission so we can help more women in need and impact the world for Christ. We conducted interviews with key stakeholders, including women we support, community partners, donors, board members, volunteers and staff, to identify our organizational strengths and opportunities from which to build. Along with strategic assessments of our current communications, external environment and sub-sector, we took a highly intentional and thoughtful approach to this vital work.

Grounded in our research insights, we are pleased to introduce our refreshed brand Hope for Her.

With a new name, logo, brand strategy, messaging and website that better articulate our work, we’ve literally put the women we serve at the heart of our mission.

With a refreshed and more intentional brand, a new facility to support women and families, a focused strategic plan, and the generosity of selfless supporters, we intend to increase the women we serve from 100 to 400 monthly and eventually expand beyond Hillsborough County.

Allow Us to Reintroduce Ourselves

At Hope for Her, our mission is to provide a safe place where women experiencing crisis or trauma find the strength, skills and support they need to rebuild their best lives.

We do that by:

Restoring confidence and self-worth
Removing barriers to safety and survival
Rebuilding critical life skills to thrive

Together, we’re working to ensure every woman is living God’s purpose for her life.

An Intentional Strategy

Just as intentional as God is with the plans He has for our lives, the meaning behind our new name and logo carries strategic significance and sincere intention.

Hope for Her literally conveys our mission — to provide hope and help to women in need. It also signifies the faith we have in what’s possible for every woman who enters our doors.

The use of the word “her” in our name distinguishes our focus on women and centers them in our mission.

Hope and believing in oneself is the #1 thing women who’ve gone through our program say helped transform their journey from one of brokenness to one of possibility.

The house and woman inside our new logo suggest that we provide a safe place for women experiencing crisis and trauma. The lines reflect a warm embrace that appears heart-shaped, portraying our loving and compassionate approach where guests are never a number and where there are no time limits on the support and assistance we provide. However, the lines never close or fully connect, indicating that every woman can break free from her current circumstances. The house itself is also an arrow pointing upward, indicating both our belief in what’s possible for a better life and our faith-based foundation pointing above toward God.

The changing colors of the icon from light to dark purple reflect the transformation that happens when we work through the process together with the women we serve. Women often come to us feeling hopeless and broken and leave restored, renewed and ready to rebuild a better life they can sustain for years to come.

The letters forming the words “Hope” and “Her” are uppercase to symbolize strength and grounding but use a thin, delicate font to showcase femininity. The cursive “for” introduces a warm and personal feel, suggesting that Hope for Her is a place where we are for you, no matter what is going on in your life.

Stay Connected

We invite you to explore our new website, including more about our founding story, how we support women in need and how you can get involved. We also encourage you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn for news and stories about what we’re doing to restore lives together and to join the conversation

Uncategorized

Important Updates – 07/01/20

July 1, 2020July 1, 2020

Eviction Moratorium Extended

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis extended the state’s moratorium on evictions and mortgage foreclosures until Aug. 1 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to an executive order issued Tuesday night, the moratorium will now be extended to 12:01 a.m. on August 1, 2020. – LINK

Gulf Coast Legal Services has created a guide on tenants rights which can be found here – LINK.

TECO

To continue to help customers during the coronavirus pandemic, Tampa
Electric and TECO Peoples Gas have extended their suspension of disconnections for non-payment through the end of July.

In March, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas voluntarily and temporarily suspended disconnecting service to all customers for non-payment. The companies’ decision to extend the suspension through the end of next month provides customers several more weeks to apply for assistance or to make special and flexible, interest-free payment extensions before disconnections resume in August.

TECO representatives are ready to assist customers at 888-223-0800 weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The company continues to update the COVID-19 response pages at tampaelectric.com/updates and peoplesgas.com/updates with helpful information, including links to community partners like the 2-1-1 Crisis Center Network that has trained and supportive professionals who can refer customers to
agencies for help with utility bill payment, food, housing and other assistance. – LINK

FL Dept. of Children & Families

Please continue to check DCF’s COVID-19 page for important information and updates – LINK.

There have been recent updates on DCF’s plan to provide Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) – LINK.

Children’s Home Society of Florida

Free 24-7 counseling line for those feeling overwhelmed. Details can be found here – LINK.

News

Resources for Children & Students

March 24, 2020April 9, 2020

Resources for Children & Students

Spectrum – Free Wi-Fi

Charter will offer free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription and at any service level up to 100 Mbps. Installation fees will be waived for new student households. – LINK
To enroll call 1-844-488-8395.

Positive Parenting Partnership (P3)

P3’s parenting & relationships workshops are now Virtual and still Free for parents an caregivers in Hillsborough, Pasco and surrounding counties. Flyers below. – LINK

Hillsborough County Public Schools – Virtual Libraries

Virtual library collection for elementary, middle school, high school, career & technical education, and educators. Each collection is unique to support the needs of the user. – LINK

Hillsborough County Public Library

Visit the library from home – LINK

Audible – Free Stories

Audible is hosting a free selection of stories for kids of all ages as long as schools are out. No sign up or commitment required. – LINK

Scholastic – Learn at Home

Day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing – LINK

Mystery Science – Free Remote Learning

Popular science lessons are being offered for anyone to use for free. No account or login is needed. – LINK

WEDU At-Home Learning

Curriculum-Related Programming Schedule for the week of March 23-27, 2020 – LINK

Crash Course

Crash Course offers engaging educational videos suitable for high school students, featuring a wide range of subjects, from anatomy to world history. – LINK

Food / Transportation / Medical

See ‘Food Resources’ and ‘Transportation’ in our list of Community Resources during COVID-19 HERE
Free meals for children under 18 when school is out:
- For more info, families can text the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at FLKIDSMEALS to 211-211 to find their closest participating Summer BreakSpot location, and can also call 2-1-1 to speak with a live operator 24 hours a day for additional locations. Families can also use the Summer BreakSpot children’s meal locator website.
Florida KidCare:
- Includes free, subsidized, and full-pay options for health and dental insurance for Florida children ages 0-18. There are four KidCare programs: Medicaid, MediKids, Children’s Medical Services, and Florida HealthyKids. For more information on these programs, please visit the FloridaKidCare website.

Additional Resources

Educational Resources – Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions due to School Closings – LINK
Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource – LINK
Step Up for Students – Links and Resources – LINK
Free Printable Coloring Pages from Crayola – LINK
Learning At Home 2020: Our New Normal – LINK
U.S. Department of Education Resources – LINK
Virtual National Park Tours – LINK
Virtual Field Trips – LINK
PBS Learning Media – LINK

Last Updated: Thur. April 09, 2020

Stories

Hope for Katherine: Finding Her Way Back to Life

February 12, 2020February 13, 2020

What began as a beautiful love story turned into an abusive marriage defined by insults and isolation. Katherine, whose name we’ve changed to protect her identity, was living life in the shadows. Her husband spent years degrading and destroying her very existence. As things progressively got worse, she knew she had to leave to protect her daughter and herself. Katherine packed up her car with as many belongings as she could and fled with her young daughter.

“I had no idea where I was going, I just knew we had to leave. I had no job. I was lost. I didn’t know what to do.”

Scared, uncertain, but searching for a better life, Katherine put her trust in God. He led her to the door of Hope for Her.

I called and made an appointment. I met with one of their volunteers. That was several years ago, and they’be been walking me through my new life ever since. Hope for Her provided my daughter and me with temporary housing when we had nowhere else to turn. They’ve helped me get a job and become more self-sufficient. They paid for counseling sessions, helped me with food and gave me hope. It if was not for Hope for Her, I would have gone back to my abusive situation.

At Hope for Her, Katherine discovered that she was not the only woman going through serious life challenges. Her world changed from despair to endless opportunities.

Katherine’s story is only beginning. She returned to school, secured her own home, continued to go to counseling and learned to trust in God for her needs. She has a community of devoted disciples who not only believe in the God of love but believe in her and her future. As Katherine works to understand and live God’s purpose for her life, Hope for Her continues to hold her hand whenever and wherever she needs us.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
ROMANS 15:13

Volunteers

Is Volunteering at Hope for Her Right for You?

January 15, 2019March 9, 2020

By: Kelly Miller

Have you ever felt God nudge you to pursue something and then let your head talk your heart out of doing it? I’ve done a fair amount of ignoring God’s call to step out of my comfort zone and help women and children in need. Every time I opened my church newsletter or Sunday bulletin, I read about how Hope for Her was looking for volunteers. But as is often the case, I started rationalizing why I was ignoring God’s prompting. As a stay-at-home mom, what skills did I have to share? How could I help women re-enter the workforce when I’d been out of it myself for 12 years?

But as you may know, God whispers to us. And when we ignore His whispers, he shouts.

Tired of trying to ignore His shouts, I decided to spend the morning at Hope for Her to learn more about the organization and its needs. I learned that Hope for Her provides a safe place where women experiencing crisis and trauma and their families find help to restore their lives. Hope for Her doesn’t offer handouts — they offer hope and help. They look at the entire picture of a woman’s life and work together to create practical short- and long-term plans to help them live God’s purpose for their lives. Whether it’s teaching women to manage their income, helping with legal issues or learning employment skills, Hope for Her works one-on-one with women to restore their confidence and self-worth, remove barriers to safety and survival and rebuild critical life skills to thrive. They don’t offer a quick fix. That’s how the organization is different. Instead, they meet for several hours at a time, for as long as they’re needed, working with each guest to set goals and work together to achieve them.

Hope for Her depends on volunteers to help women in need. I’d spent so much time inventing reasons why I wouldn’t be a good volunteer. Finally, I allowed Executive Director Cheryl Hickman to bust those myths and accept my divine calling to serve.

Myth #1: I have no useful skills to share.

If you believe you don’t have any relevant skills to share with others, just spend some time with Kathy. Kathy meets one-on-one with all interested Hope for Her volunteers, simply talking to them about their life experiences. During this in-depth conversation, a volunteer’s potential skills inevitably come to the surface. The women at Hope for Her know that God sends them the people they need just at the right time. Volunteer Pat was a member of Bay Life Church when the blurb in the church bulletin tugged at her heart. She’d never volunteered before and found it scary stepping out of her comfort zone. But the more time she spent talking with Kathy, the more she realized her life experience was something she could draw on to help others. When Pat’s husband went on disability, she had to quickly learn how to navigate the system to get him the services he needed. By talking with Kathy, Pat realized this was a very useful but specialized skill. It’s now one Pat uses to help others in the same situation.

Myth #2: I’ll say the wrong thing.

I’m not a preacher. What if someone’s looking for counsel and I say the wrong thing? Or worse yet, what if I don’t have an answer? Every volunteer at Hope for Her goes through an extensive one-on-one training, followed by a period of job shadowing alongside experienced volunteers. And just because volunteers work with guests individually doesn’t mean they’re on their own. If a guest needs spiritual counseling for example, a quick phone call to someone in pastoral care at a partner church will get her what she needs. To volunteer at Hope for Her, it only takes a patient heart that cares about people and is open to the Holy Spirit.

Myth #3: I don’t have the time to volunteer.

Hope for Her isn’t looking for volunteers to donate 20 hours a week. They only need people who are willing to regularly and consistently give of their time weekly. For example, volunteer Carolyn gives two hours every week to teach a computer excel spreadsheet class. Many women need to hone their computer skills when reentering the workforce. If you have one to three hours you can give each week, that’s enough.

Are you a patient listener? Do you have several hours to spare to help in our community? To find out how you can change lives by volunteering at Hope for Her, contact Cheryl Hickman at 813-309-3357 or info@hopeforherfl.org.