The largest shelter for homeless families in Pinellas County is closing its doors for good. Grace House blames the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County for cutting off some of their funding, but the board said the shelter wasn’t being run efficiently, so instead, they said they gave the money to a shelter that was.

Grace House on S. Myrtle Avenue in Clearwater has been housing homeless families for more than three decades. This month, they stopped accepting new occupants and announced they’ll be closing for good by October 1. 

“That’s very sad. We’re not happy about that,” Hope Villages of America President Kirk Ray Smith said.

Their individual apartments allow families to stay together and not have to separate like at some other shelters. Of the 130 beds available for homeless families in Pinellas County, 80 of them are at Grace House.

“That’s a large inventory subtraction, and we know that,” Smith said. “And so it will have a ripple effect. I mean, we’re not naive. We understand that there is going to be some direct and ancillary issues and problems as a result of this.”

Smith said Hope Villages of America, which runs Grace House, had no choice but to close when the Juvenile Welfare Fund voted in December 2020 to terminate its $400,000 in annual funding to the shelter. It cited concerns over its management and financial handlings.

“This is taxpayer money. And so we expect it to be spent appropriately and well,” Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County CEO Beth Houghton said. “And we were spending it on a program that we kept having concerns about. It was a little bit of Whac-A-Mole. You know, we fix one problem and another one would come up, and we fix one problem and another one would come up.”

Houghton said complaints about how the staff treated participants was the final straw. Meanwhile, Smith said they understood the issues being presented and feel they were properly corrected.

“I don’t know if it was a rush, but I don’t think it was well thought out. And I don’t think the implications and I don’t think there was nothing even what they documented rises to the level of closure,” Smith said.

Instead, the JWB handed over the $400,000 in taxpayer funds to the St. Vincent de Paul Shelter. They’ve been doing so since February 2021. Hopes Villages of America will maintain ownership of Grace House and plans to turn the existing apartments into affordable housing.

“The bottom line is, is we know what affordable housing, that’s the number one way to combat homelessness, that we can operate in affordable housing, at the very least, neutral and not being in a deficit,” Smith said.

Read the article at https://www.fox13news.com/news/largest-pinellas-county-shelter-for-homeless-families-closes-after-funding-was-cut

Grace House, the largest shelter for homeless families in Pinellas County, will stop accepting new occupants this month and convert to an affordable housing complex by October, the head of the facility confirmed this week.

The Clearwater-based shelter had 80 beds in 14 apartments, accounting for more than half of permanent shelter units that accepted families with children in Pinellas, said Kirk Ray Smith, CEO of Hope Villages of America, the nonprofit that runs Grace House.

The loss is expected to strain the county’s homeless network, which already has a waiting list of about 90 families, according to Amy Foster, CEO of the Homeless Leadership Alliance.

“We were already in crisis,” Foster said.

The current occupants, who normally stay up to three months while getting financial literacy training and counseling, will be phased out by attrition.

The Juvenile Welfare Board, which awards property tax revenues to social service programs, voted unanimously in December 2020 to terminate its $400,000 annual funding of Grace House over concerns about the nonprofit’s finances and management.

Grace House initially was able to attract private donations to cover operations. But Smith said the loss of the Juvenile Welfare Board funding left him no choice but to close the shelter, even though he had resolved the issues that led to the board’s scrutiny.

“JWB put us in this situation, let there be no question about it,” Smith said.

However, Juvenile Welfare Board CEO Beth Houghton said problems at Grace House, from financial to treatment of residents, were serious enough to revoke funding. It also allowed for the dollars to be reallocated to a “rapid rehousing” program that she described as more effective than a shelter.

The funds went to St. Vincent de Paul CARES’ Family Bridge Housing, a model that places families in apartments and hotel rooms for short periods before transitioning them to permanent housing.

“We’re very mindful that every penny we spend is taxpayer money, and we absolutely have to be, and are very responsible with the funds,” Houghton said.

The board placed Hope Villages on a corrective action plan in August 2019 after a review found the nonprofit did not have background screenings filed for all staff and volunteers, according to a 2020 memo. The review also found high staff turnover, a lack of sound financial practices and two deaths of occupants from suspected overdoses.

By May 2020, the initial deficiencies had been resolved, but the corrective action plan remained due to financial concerns, according to the memo.

Hope Village’s fiscal year 2019 audit, reviewed in August 2020, noted a series of material weaknesses, including grants and cash accounts not being reconciled, and revenues and expenses not recorded in the general ledger.

Smith said those issues were more the result of growing pains than grounds to lose critical funding. Houghton confirmed the last two financial audits submitted to the Welfare Board after it ended the Grace House funding showed no deficiencies.

When he took over the nonprofit in 2016, then called Religious Community Services, he said it was in a $1 million deficit and “three months from insolvency.” By 2020, it had grown to a $13 million operating budget and a $100,000 deficit.

Founded in 1967, Hope Villages serves 150,000 people between its food bank, a center for women at risk of domestic abuse, and Grace House, where 90 percent of residents graduated to permanent housing before the closure.

The Welfare Board is continuing to fund $452,250 a year for Hope Villages’ domestic violence shelter, The Haven.

Houghton said the board continues to fund the domestic violence program because persistent problems were specific to management of the Grace House shelter. In September 2020, three current and one former Hope Villages staff members told the Welfare Board about Grace House management treating participants and employees poorly. In one example, shampoo was not supplied to participants, Houghton said.

Smith said Grace House maintains a 91 percent approval rating from participants.

He said Hope Villages will continue its intensive services for the homeless, like counseling and financial literacy, but it is looking to the future with its affordable housing at Grace House.

Read the article at https://www.tampabay.com/news/pinellas/2022/07/12/pinellas-largest-homeless-shelter-for-families-closes-amid-funding-loss/

Book lovers, be on the lookout for a big, rainbow, retro bus on the streets of Pinellas. The Summer Book Bus will be making 45 stops from Tarpon Springs to South St. Pete before July 11.

The books (which are all new) are free, thanks to the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB). Each child can take home two books.

“Of course, the kids just love it,” said Jennifer Dodd, Associate Manager of Communications with JWB.

Since launching in 2017, the campaign behind the Summer Book Bus, JWB’s Early Readers, Future Leaders Grade-Level Reading Campaign, has given more than 10,000 books to more than 5,000 children in Pinellas.

This year, you still have time to catch the bus.

Here’s an online list of where the Summer Book Bus will stop through July 11.

Read the article on The Gabber.com: https://thegabber.com/summer-book-bus-brings-free-books-to-pinellas/

Climb aboard the Book Bus for a summer full of reading fun. The Juvenile Welfare Board’s Book Bus is traveling throughout Pinellas County neighborhoods, giving away books to curtail summer reading loss. 

To date, the Book Bus has given away more than 5,000 books. 

Upcoming stops include:

• NFC: Clearwater 900 N MLK Ave. Clearwater, July 11 at 10 a.m.
• Ross Norton Recreation Center (Camp AWESOME) 1426 S MLK Jr. Ave, Clearwater, July 11 at 9 a.m.
• NFC: HOC, 612 Franklin St, Clearwater, July 12 at noon.
• NFC: CAP Center, 401 E Martin Luther King Jr Drive, Tarpon Springs, July 12 at 9 a.m.
• TS: Cops & Kids, 555 E Harrison St., Tarpon Springs, July 12 at 9:45 a.m.
• TS: YMCA Elementary School, YMCA 555 E Pine St., Tarpon Springs, July 12 at 10:30 a.m.
• Rclub: East Lemon, 1019 E. Lemon St., Tarpon Springs, July 12 at 11:15 a.m.
• TS: Boys and Girls Club, 111 W. Lime St., Tarpon Springs, July 12 at 1 p.m. 
• Dunedin Public Library, 223 Douglas Avenue, Dunedin, July 13 at 11 a.m. 
• YMCA Suncoast – Dunedin Bridge, 900 Union St., Dunedin, FL 34698 7/13/2022 12:00
• YMCA Suncoast – Curlew Creek Bridge, 3030 Curlew Road, Palm Harbor, July 14 at 11:45 a.m.
• Tarpon Springs Public Library, 138 E Lemon St., Tarpon Springs, July 13 at 12:30 p.m. 
• YMCA – Lake St George Bridge, 2855 County Road 95, Palm Harbor, July 14 at 12:45 p.m.
• Largo Public Library, 120 Central Park Drive, Largo, July 12 at 10 a.m. 
• Coral Heights, 3718 139th Ave. Largo, July 13 at 1 p.m.
• YMCA Fuguitt Elementary & Starkey, 13010 101st St. SE, Largo, July 12 at 9 a.m.
• NFC: GRAYDI, 13420 Adams Circle, Largo, July 13 at 10 a.m. 
• B&GC: Ridgecrest, 13420 Adams Circle, Largo, July 13 at 10 a.m.
• YMCA: Ridgecrest/Tuskegee YMCA, 1801 119th St. N, Largo, July 13 at 9 a.m. 
• Barbara Ponce Library, 7770 52nd St. N, Pinellas Park, July 11 at noon. 
• Broderick Recreation Center, 6101 66th Ave. N, Pinellas Park, July 13 at 9 a.m. 
• Forbes Recreation Center, 6401 94th Ave. N, Pinellas Park, July 14 at 10 a.m. 
• B&GC: Pinellas Park, 7790 61st St. N, Pinellas Park, July 14 at 9 a.m. 
• Johnson Community Library, 1059 18th Ave. S, St. Petersburg, July 11 at noon. 7/11/2022 12:00
• Pinellas PAL – Landings, 6835 54th Ave. N, Building F, St. Petersburg, July 11 at 10 a.m.
• Police Athletic League of St. Petersburg 1450 16th St. N., St. Petersburg, July 13 at 11 a.m. 
• NFC: Sanderlin, 2335 22nd Ave. S, St. Petersburg, July 13 at 1 p.m. 
  Magnolia Day School, 2701 54th Ave. S, St. Petersburg, July 14 at 10 a.m.

Click here for more information. 

Read the article on Patch.com: https://patch.com/florida/clearwater/calendar/event/20220711/1894551/book-bus-travels-pinellas-county

A school bus filled with books is rolling through the Bay Area giving away thousands of publications to children. 

The buses are part of the Summer Book Bus, a partnership between Pinellas County Schools and the Juvenile Welfare Board. The goal is to encourage summer reading by giving away thousands of books. 

“Just over half of our kids are reading on grade level by third grade, and that number really needs to change,” Hintz said. 

Over three weeks, the buses will visit 70 sites, servicing 5,000 kids and giving away more than 10,000 books. The sites vary from libraries and child-care centers to schools and community centers. 

“If you start early enough, and we start with really little children and get them to want to be read to or to read, then it becomes part of who they are and what they are doing each day,” stated Juvenile Welfare Board community collaborations manager Danielle Hintz.

The new books also help combat what teachers call “summer learning loss.” 

“Some don’t have books in their homes, or maybe they can go to the library to borrow books, but to be able to pick out a brand-new book to take it home and start to build their own library is just wonderful,” Hintz said. 

LINK: Click here for more information and to see where the Summer Book Bus schedule. 

Read the article and watch the video here: https://www.fox13news.com/news/childrens-library-on-wheels-cruises-through-bay-area-giving-out-10000-books

Drownings in Florida reached a somber record in 2021 with 98 children across the state. In 2022, 21 children have already drowned in Florida and we haven’t even reached the peak summer months. Now, local and state leaders are on a mission to combat the growing numbers and make swim safety more accessible to kids.

At the North Greenwood Recreation Center in Clearwater Tuesday, 6-year-old Aliyah Bonilla Turcios slowly dipped herself into the pool. The kindergarten student, like many of her classmates, is a little timid around water. Yet, within just a few seconds, her smile widened as she clutched onto a kickboard and slammed the top of her feet and calves across the water’s smooth surface.

Turcios is one of 350 Clearwater students from Belleair Elementary School who traded their physical education classes for two weeks of swim safety.

“Swimming lessons are fun,” she said.

Clearwater Parks and Recreation leaders have spent at least five years helping students get acclimated to the water during the late spring months leading up to summer break, but they skipped the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the kindergarten through fourth graders are getting their first experience in a pool.

Belleair Elementary School PE teacher Luis Ramos said he loves watching his students enjoy the experience.

“Just after one or two weeks of lessons, the confidence you see in so many of them makes it all worth it,” he said.

The lessons may not be long enough to truly teach the kids to swim, but lifeguards are able to focus on teaching the kids what to do if they fall into a pool, how to help a friend or sibling in trouble and how to use safety equipment like life vests.

Thomas Heine, the Aquatic Coordinator at North Greenwood Recreation Center, said those are critical lessons.

“If you think about Pinellas County, we are a peninsula on a peninsula surrounded by water, and drowning statistics here in Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area are really frightening,” he said.

ABC Action News dug through DCF reports of the 98 drownings in Florida in 2021. Of those, 24 were in the Tampa Bay region. Many of the reports indicated a pattern: kids “wandering away from home,” ”Getting out of the home undetected” and sadly, many “left unattended,” according to paperwork filed with the state.

The Red Cross said adult supervision is the most important factor, but swim lessons can reduce the risk of a child drowning by 88%.

Shaun Beasley said that’s what makes their partnerships with the Juvenile Welfare Board, Clearwater for Youth, Stingray and ION Physical Therapy Network, to provide the swim lessons during the school day so important.

“This is something that literally gives me goosebumps when I watch it,” Beasley said. “We will potentially never know the impact we are having but if we can teach a kid who falls into the pool to get to the side without panicking then we are doing our jobs in these classes.”

Clearwater, like many cities, offers extremely affordable swim lessons. Just $10 total will provide kids with between six and eight classes. They also hope to expand the classes during the school day to every rec center.

State leaders are also stepping up to prevent drownings.

The “Every Child a Swimmer Law” takes effect for the 2022-2023 school year and requires public schools to ask parents if their kids have taken swim lessons. If the answer is no, schools must provide swim safety education materials.

The YMCA is also offering a long list of summer swim courses.

Watch the newscast and read the full article at https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pinellas/98-children-drowned-in-fl-in-2021-tampa-bay-leaders-are-on-a-mission-to-save-childrens-lives

Living in Clearwater, a city surrounded by the Gulf and containing numerous lakes and thousands of swimming pools, knowing how to swim and the basics of water safety is essential.

As part of National Swim Month in May, 172 Belleair Elementary School students are trading their gym clothes for swimsuits and spending their physical education classes at the North Greenwood Recreation Center, 900 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

The students are learning how to swim, tread water and be safe in and around the pool as part of a city partnership with Pinellas County Schools, the Juvenile Welfare Board, Clearwater for Youth, Stingray and ION Physical Therapy Network.

“This program recently took place for the first time at the Long Center. It was amazing to see so many children learn how to swim,” said recreation division manager Sandy Clayton.

She noted this is especially critical in Florida where children are around the water so often. More children under the age of 4 drown in Florida than anywhere else in the nation. She said data shows formal swim lessons cut the risk of drowning by 88 percent.

During the two-week program, children hop on a bus during their regularly scheduled PE time and ride to the North Greenwood Recreation Center for their swim lessons, then return to school for their other courses.

Starting Monday, each Belleair Elementary student in grades first through third will participate in two weeks of swim lessons with a certified swim instructor and receive a pair of goggles, a swim cap and a T-shirt from Stingray and ION Physical Therapy Network.

The local agencies’ goal is to add a new school to their list each year.

The partners held a pilot program from April 25 to 29 for Skycrest Elementary School who spent their physical education period at the pool at the Long Center, 1501 N. Belcher Road.

“Providing and including water safety classes as part of elementary education curriculum has always been a goal for the Clearwater Parks & Recreation Department,” said recreation manager Shaun Beasley. “The challenge for years has been finding a way to transport children from school to the recreation center pools.”

Clearwater for Youth, a local nonprofit organization that provides resources to ensure children can participate in athletic and recreation programs, stepped in and provided the needed funding for the transportation.

“Drowning is fast, silent and can happen to anyone,” said Long Center aquatic coordinator Jill Sparks. “We want to give these kids the tools they need to be safe in the pool this summer and for the rest of their lives.”

Read the full article at https://patch.com/florida/clearwater/clearwater-students-trade-gym-clothes-swimsuits-during-school-day

Since he arrived in Florida 40 years ago, Loc Nguyen has watched the Vietnamese community grow from a handful to a population of more than 10,000 in the Lealman area.

“The population of the Asian community I think is exploding now,” the 66-year-old said. “We like to support the Asian communities.”

Nguyen fled to Florida from his native country in 1982, after the Vietnam war broke out. He escaped in a small boat that he described as overfilled.

“The first thing, when I see the people on the boat, I was panicked,” said Nguyen. “Such a small boat with 60 people, we barely have enough food and water.”

Nguyen said on the first day, a big storm hit he was certain they would all die. Miraculously, they survived and were rescued on their third day at sea by an oil research ship from Japan.

Nguyen said the ordeal made him believe in God for the first time.

“No human can survive such a situation. Must have something else. At that time, I don’t believe in God at all,” he said. “Eventually, I think, yes, there’s a creature, a power of supernatural. He helped us.”​

Nguyen was sent to Florida because he had a cousin living in Pinellas County. His girlfriend was sent to live with relatives in Minnesota. Nguyen said he brought his girlfriend to Largo and they were married.

Florida’s weather reminds them both of Saigon, he said.

Nguyen said he was one of the first volunteers at the Lealman Asian Neighborhood Family Center. It offers services in multiple languages, for job applications, citizenship and after school programs for children.

“We try to serve not only the Asian people, the Asian children, but also the people around here,” he said. “The local people too.” 

Nguyen has since become a board member and taught a smart phone class before the pandemic began.

“At that time, I don’t have smart phone yet,” he said. “I learned it by using it. When I’m using it and (there’s) something I don’t understand, I have to Google it to do research.”​

Recently, Nguyen helped organize the installation of a monument that honors all the American and South Vietnamese service members who were killed in the war. He wants younger generations to remember their roots.

“They see the monument, they will recall why we’re here, why we’re in the states,” he said. “That’s the reason why we’re here.”​

The permanent monument sits on the corner of Little Saigon Plaza in Clearwater. Victor Pham, 36, owns the Tea Lounge in the plaza. Pham said the plaza owners bought it three years ago.

“They decided to open up Little Saigon Plaza just to have the community come here,” he said. “Now we are very happy to have a place that we can call the center of the Asian community.” 

Nguyen said it’s important to support the businesses in Little Saigon Plaza.

“We know when the Asian community opens a business they struggle at first,” he said. “We have to support them so they can survive.”

​Nguyen’s story is part of Spectrum Bay News 9’s continuing coverage of Asian American Pacific Islander Month, which runs through May 31.​

Read the full article at https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2022/04/21/vietnamese-lealman-asian-month