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Escambia County Program That Provides Bus Or Plane Tickets To Get Homeless Out Reaches Milestone
December 12, 2024
An Escambia County program that offers transportation assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness who are seeking to reunite with their family, friends, or other support networks has reached a milestone.
The voluntary “Real Change Project Reconnect” has now assisted 100 individuals since it was launched in February with a goal of reducing homelessness in Escambia County and offering resources to those wanting to travel to locations where they have a better support system to help them get back on their feet.
Joseph “J.J.” Johns, Jr. was the 100th person to receive assistance through Project Reconnect, using the program to get a bus ticket to San Antonio, Texas in hopes of a fresh start. Johns said he has experienced homelessness the entire year he’s been in Pensacola, and he is looking forward to new opportunities in Texas.
“I’m just hoping for employment and somewhere I can basically start over and get a secure place to live,” said Johns, who has a shelter waiting for him in San Antonio. “The goal is to find employment opportunities where I can work a job and save money and find a place to live, and hopefully a career.”
Without the Project Reconnect program, Johns said there is no way he’d be able to afford the bus ticket to San Antonio.
“Without this, I’d be out there in the rain,” Johns said. “This would not be anything I could do on my own.”
Real Change Project Reconnect is funded by Escambia County and facilitated by Ministry Village at Olive, Inc. Through the program, eligible individuals and families are provided with a bus or plane ticket to their chosen destination, provided they can demonstrate that family, a job, or support network is in place for them.
Kathleen Schuster, who manages applications for Project Reconnect as the Director of Tender Hearts Caring Hands at Ministry Village, said she’s excited about the number of people who have been helped through the program.
I think it’s fantastic, especially giving them the opportunity to go home,” Schuster said. “Because they’re just stuck. Most of them are stuck. If they have the money to buy a bus ticket, they probably need that money more just to survive on the streets. So this gives them the opportunity to get where they need to go.”
Ministry Village at Olive also provides participants a meal, hot shower, and a snack bag to take with them on their trip.
Schuster emphasized that the goal of the program isn’t to remove people who are experiencing homelessness in the area, but to help them connect with opportunities and resources.
“We’re trying to get them back to a place where they can have a fresh start,” Schuster said. “We know where they’re going, they’ve been contacted, so all of these people aren’t just being sent somewhere to be in the same situation they’re in now. It’s a step up.”
Drayton Smith, Executive Director of Ministry Village at Olive, added that some individuals end up stuck in an area they don’t want to be through no fault of their own, often due to empty promises for jobs or housing.
“The people that are coming want to do better for themselves,” Smith said. “They’re looking for a helping hand — not a hand out, but a hand up.”
Currently, approximately $17,382 of the $30,000 allocated for the program has been spent for the 100 individuals who have received assistance so far. Escambia County Governmental Liaison Liz Kissel, who manages the program for the county, said there are plans to continue funding the program due to its success.
The following individuals and families may be eligible for Real Change Project Reconnect:
- Individuals and families seeking family reunification and housing with their family or other support system.
- Individuals and families who have identified employment and need only short-term social service support to facilitate their transition to the arrival community.
- Individuals and families who have affordable permanent housing or other shelter options awaiting them in a community where they have family or social supports.
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