Time ran out for the residents of the Southern Comfort mobile home park this week.

What was once a tidy neighborhood of about 500 people off U.S. 19 was practically a ghost town by Halloween. A judge had ordered it closed by Thursday, after the owner’s decade-long failure to fix a sewage system that leaked bacteria into the ground and raised questions about the park’s drinking water.

Most families moved out before the deadline. Their houses sat vacant and boarded up, windows smashed in. Stray cats roamed the empty streets like they owned the place. And the last stragglers feared they wouldn’t make it out in time.

Inside those pockets of panic, scattered around the park, the last residents spent this week scrambling to avoid being left homeless.

“We are just in freak-out mode,” said Kreshae Humphrey a 26-year-old mother of three who spent Wednesday worrying about where her family would go.

“It’s kind of just hitting me,” said her partner, Eric Soto De Jesus, 26. “We are putting all our furniture out on the street.”

• • •

Once, children had played in the park’s streets and neighbors threw Christmas block parties. Now it looked like the set of a dystopian movie, one where all the inhabitants suddenly disappeared while moving out.

The demolitions have already begun. Caution tape surrounded a flattened house, where lizards crawled through a pile of wood chips and insulation.

Nevaeh Soto De Jesus, 3, the oldest of Kreshae Humphrey and Eric Soto De Jesus’ three daughters, helps family move on Thursday, the day they had to abandon their home at the Southern Comfort mobile home park in Clearwater. [MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times]

Brown couches and black trash bags lay Wednesday by the hibiscus bush outside the home that Humphrey and Soto De Jesus had spent three years fixing up.

Inside, they were sweeping their belongings into piles and deciding what to keep and what to toss. They were preparing for the worst case scenario — moving their three young daughters into a homeless shelter, which would mean giving up most of their possessions.

“Oh, we gotta keep the mermaid,” Soto De Jesus said, holding up a glittery blanket shaped like a mermaid’s tail.

“No, we gotta throw it out,” Humphrey said, shaking her head briskly. She saw a quarter on the floor and picked it up. “Gotta keep that for the savings jar,” she said. Three-year-old Nevaeh fished the mermaid tail out of a trash pile and hugged it to her chest.

Despite their ordeal, they were relieved to leave behind the park’s drinking water, which they believe was contaminated and ravaged the skin of their two oldest daughters. They are one of two families who have sued Southern Comfort’s owner in Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court. The owner has denied the allegations.

Darla Fullmer, 76, overwhelmed by having to sift through her belongings, became upset and cried on Thursday, the day she had to abandon her home of 20 years at the Southern Comfort mobile home park in Clearwater. [MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times]

Up the hill, Darla Fullmer was also struggling. The 76-year-old had lived in her white, green-trimmed mobile home for 20 years and filled it with her collection of porcelain dolls and craft projects. She didn’t know quite how to say goodbye to her life there.

The judge and owner agreed to close the park in October 2018. But residents like Fullmer didn’t find out until April, when social services agencies met with families and told them where to look for help. Fullmer said when she called the list of numbers they gave her, she always got the same answer: No vacancy.

She wasn’t sure what to do. She lived off her social security checks and had no family. She didn’t want to abandon her two cats, Lucky and Blue Eyes.

Social service agencies returned to check on her earlier this month and realized her plight. “They told me I kind of fell through the cracks,” Fullmer said, tugging on the sides of her T-shirt and trying to keep the tears back.

Representatives for the county and social service agencies canvassed the neighborhood all week, knocking on doors and checking in with the last inhabitants to make sure they had a plan.

“Everyone has been accounted for that we know of,” said Pinellas County Director of Human Services Daisy Rodriguez on Wednesday.

• • •

Humphrey spent months searching for a new place to live. Last week, she thought she had finally found the solution to her family’s housing woes: A sky-blue house with three bedrooms, a white picket fence, and a big backyard in Tarpon Springs, across the street from a public library. The owner accepted Section 8 vouchers and on Oct. 23, the house passed inspection. The family had a week to move-in.

Then bureaucracy jeopardized everything. The landlord required $1,500 for security deposit and first month’s rent, but Humphrey wasn’t sure they could scrape the funds together. Money was tighter than ever. Soto de Jesus lost his job soon after they learned the park was closing. He has only found part-time work — and they still had paid the usual $658 in rent for their lot in October.

Humphrey was connected with the Family Services Initiative, a service funded by the Pinellas County Juvenile Welfare Board to provide emergency assistance for families. As soon as the house was inspected and approved for Section 8, a caseworker came over to gather the documents required to release the deposit money.

But the caseworker told them the agency only cuts checks on certain days of the week. Humphrey’s family would have to wait until Friday. But Southern Comfort was supposed to be closed on Thursday. Where would they go? What if there were more delays or something else went wrong? They might lose the Tarpon Springs house altogether.

To keep herself motivated, Humphrey scribbled to-do lists and math equations in dry-erase marker on her fridge. There had to be a way to make the patchwork of social service assistance add up to a future. She called family members, contemplated spending the interim in a homeless shelter and even launched a GoFundMe page to help with the deposit. It only raised $150.

The uncertainty left the family preparing for the worst. They dumped their furniture outside and swept up the girls’ toys — little teddy bears, a purple My Little Pony, and pink sparkly fairy wings — into trash bags.

A Tampa Bay Times reporter called the Juvenile Welfare Board on Wednesday to ask about Humphrey’s case. Chief Operation Officer Judith Warren said the agency could not say whether it was working with the family due to confidentiality rules. But she did discuss the program in general.

“There’s a lot of complexity in the approval process because we are a government entity,” she said. “We have to verify income, we have to verify jobs, so that we are accountable to the public.”

• • •

At Fullmer’s house, four social services workers from various agencies hovered around her, helping her pack up for the movers. They put green check marks on furniture she was taking with her, and red X’s on the things to leave behind. Her new apartment will be a lot smaller than her two-bedroom mobile home.

The agencies had been meeting every day since last Friday to coordinate help, Rodriguez said. They got Fullmer’s Section 8 funds expedited, then found an apartment complex that accepted her.

It wouldn’t be available for another week, though, so they arranged for her to stay in a hotel and put her belongings in storage. The Humane Society of Pinellas will keep her cats until she gets settled into her new home.

”They reassured me that, since I don’t have a place to go, they are going to take care of them,” Fullmer said.

By Thursday morning, Humphrey and Soto De Jesus were in high spirits.

The night before, they received an unexpected call from the Juvenile Welfare Board. They learned that their deposit would be expedited and sent to the landlord that next day. They could start moving their things into the sky-blue house in Tarpon Springs.

Kreshae Humphrey and Eric Soto De Jesus load a crib into a pickup truck they borrowed to move their family on Thursday. That was the day they had to abandon their home at the Southern Comfort mobile home park. [MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times]

Humphrey figured the couch that spent the night on the curb wasn’t worth salvaging. But she was relieved to keep the cherry-oak crib that had been in a family hand-me down that all her babies had slept in.

“It’s crazy how everything came together today,” she said. “We got a house, I can’t ask for more.”

That evening, on Humphrey’s 27th birthday, the landlord gave them the keys. Maybe, she thought, they could celebrate with her favorite meal, crabs from Pompey Seafood Market, and a trip to a free haunted house.

But after all the trips back-and-forth to move their belongings from the park, she and Soto De Jesus were exhausted. They would have to wait a day for electricity and internet. For now, they were home.

To view article by Tampa Bay Times visit: https://www.tampabay.com/news/pinellas/2019/11/01/a-mad-scramble-to-find-new-homes-as-clearwater-mobile-home-park-closes/ 

A new draft report lays out a dozen recommendations for creating a tax-funded Children’s Services Council in Leon County pending voter approval in November 2020. 

Since September 2018, the Leon County CSC Planning Committee has met monthly and pored over reams of research and heard numerous presentations leading up its 25-page report, serving as a blueprint for potential priorities, governance and funding.

The 21-member Planning Committee landed on three general priority areas: success in school and life; healthy children and families; and stable and nurturing families and communities. The report also includes a breakdown of how Leon County compares to Florida based on selected indicators of community health.  

In Leon County, more children are arrested in and out of school, are prone to hunger and twice as likely to be treated for a bacterial-based sexually transmitted disease, according to the report. 

The committee’s report shows no leanings on whether a CSC should be created, said Second Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Jonathan Sjostrom, who oversees juvenile dependency cases and chairs the committee. 

“It looks to me like a pretty accurate summary of the work the committee has done and the work that the committee has received,” Sjostrom said. “The facts are pretty straight forward, and the community has to decide. (The report) is really an effort to be fair and objective.”

The Planning Committee’s next meeting will be the public’s last opportunity to offer input before recommendations are finalized and presented to the County Commission. The committee meets at 9 a.m. Nov. 8 at the Tallahassee Community College Ghazvini Center for Healthcare Education, 1528 Surgeons Drive. The committee will sunset on Dec. 31.  

If created in Leon County, a council would decide its focus areas based on broad-brush guidelines spelled out in the statute. It could impose a property tax rate of up to half a mill or $42 per $100,000 in taxable property value per year — representing up to $8 million per year.

Supporters say a dedicated funding stream to address mounting children’s issues is long overdue while critics are dubious a CSC will make a difference. Others see a CSC launch as wasteful government spending. 

A Children’s Services Council in Leon County — a notion that failed to pass in a 1990 special election — was resurrected in March 2018 by then-County Commissioner John Dailey, now serving as Tallahassee’s mayor. 

From the private to nonprofit sectors, the idea of a local council split the community and many pushed for a 2018 ballot initiative, a move some viewed as hasty and misguided. County commissioners decided to allow a 2020 ballot initiative and the creation of an advisory Planning Committee. 

Nine Children’s Services Council exist statewide.

Launched in 1945, the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County is the oldest and The Children’s Trust of Alachua launched in November 2018, making it the newest. The Florida Children’s Council reports an average annual cost to taxpayers of $25 to $80, depending on the county.

To view article by Tallahassee Democrat visit: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/money/2019/11/01/committee-releases-report-propsed-local-childrens-services-council/4109057002/

CLICK HERE to listen to the audio of the full conversation between Juvenile Welfare Board’s new CEO Beth Houghton and St. Pete Catalyst Publisher Joe Hamilton.

When Beth Houghton took the helm of the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB) in mid-September, she was fresh off of nearly eight years at the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. The well-known community change-maker hadn’t been looking for a new role. She was happily leading the St. Petersburg Free Clinic’s years-long expansion in the community, fully-supported by a functional board, when a board member of JWB reached out and asked her to apply to be the organization’s chief executive officer.

“I’d been aware that they were looking, and to be honest it wasn’t something that had sunk in as something I might really look at,” Houghton explained. “But when I was sought out I was forced to look at it a bit more closely.

“For me, the ability to focus strictly on children was hugely appealing. I’ve always cared about making a difference for people who were behind the 8-ball and didn’t have the advantages that I’d had, but children have always been the heart of my heart. I spent 12 years at All Children’s; that time always appealed to me a great deal.”

Houghton and Hamilton talk about Houghton’s decision to leave the Free Clinic after nearly eight successful years of growth and prosperity to take on a new challenge at JWB, a governmental organization subject to Sunshine Law, overseeing a budget of $94.3 million and workforce of 62.

“Those were the two major things [children and government] I really thought about, but the budget and the focus told me it was a place I could be a part of making a huge impact for children.”

https://stpetecatalyst.com/beth-houghton-on-her-new-role-at-juvenile-welfare-board-and-why-its-focus-drew-her-in-audio/

After a unanimous vote of approval by the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, Beth A. Houghton began her tenure as the organization’s new chief executive officer on Oct. 1.

“We are thrilled to have Beth onboard as our new CEO,” said JWB Board Chair Susan Rolston who also led the board’s executive search committee efforts. “After an exhaustive national search, we were fortunate to attract an experienced Pinellas County executive who checks all the boxes.”

Rolston described Houghton as an “individual passionate about JWB’s mission, who possesses legal and fiscal expertise, a proven track record of organizational excellence and a reputation for getting things accomplished.”

Houghton came to JWB from the St. Petersburg Free Clinic, where she held the top position — first executive director then chief executive officer – for eight years. Under her leadership, the organization expanded its reach to eight food, shelter and health care programs that distribute to more than 55,000 people monthly.

Houghton graduated with highest honors from Stetson University College of Law, earned her Master of Business Administration with highest honors from Tulane University Graduate School of Business, and her Bachelor of the Arts with honors in Economics and Political Science from Newcomb College of Tulane University.

She is licensed to practice law in Florida. She served as chairman of the Board of Directors for Signature Bank in St. Petersburg. Her previous employment includes serving as chief financial officer and general counsel of John’s Hopkins All Children’s Health System.

“The Juvenile Welfare Board has always been known for shaping the future of our county’s youngest and most vulnerable citizens,” Houghton said. “I have always been passionate about improving the lives of our children, both because they are the innocent who cannot control their circumstances and because, as a society, improving children’s lives today and into the future is simply a smart investment.” In her role as CEO, Houghton will oversee an annual program and general government budget of $79.3 million and a workforce of 62, while ensuring policies set forth by the JWB Governing Board are implemented.

Established by a Special Act of the Florida Legislature in 1945, approved overwhelmingly by Pinellas County voters in 1946, and reauthorized in 1990, the Juvenile Welfare Board is an independent special taxing district that is governed by an 11-member Board. It is tasked with responsibly investing property tax dollars to give children the best opportunities to succeed.

Ms. Houghton succeeded Marcie Biddleman, who retired in September after a decade-long tenure with the organization.

To view article by Tampa Bay Newspapers visit: https://www.tbnweekly.com/pinellas_county/article_b19ce616-ef66-11e9-b9ef-eb3cc9e36d20.html

St. Petersburg College has received a grant award of $323,446 from the U.S. Department of Education for the Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools program.

The goal of CCAMPIS is to increase access to affordable childcare and support services for low-income students with children, ultimately helping them persist and complete a postsecondary education.

In a recent survey of SPC students with children, more than 61 percent indicated that access and cost of childcare has significantly impacted their ability to remain in school. The grant, renewable for up to four years, will allow SPC to develop a voucher-based childcare program for low-income (Pell grant-eligible) students.

Working with community partners, such as the Juvenile Welfare Board, Lutheran Family Services Head Start and Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County, SPC will offer vouchers for local, quality childcare on a sliding fee scale, with priority given to full-time students needing full-time childcare.

First authorized in 1998, the CCAMPIS program grant is housed under the Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education. CCAMPIS provides grant awards to colleges who aid low-income student parents with childcare. In 2018, Congress passed a spending package that increased funding for the program to $50 million.

At SPC, the program will serve an estimated 85 students per year through vouchers for local child care services, provided by outsourced contracts with licensed and accredited child care providers near SPC’s 11 learning site. The program also includes wrap-around support services, such as career and academic advising, financial literacy and life skills workshops to help students succeed.

To view article by Tampa Bay Newspapers visit: https://www.tbnweekly.com/schools/article_5f9a4978-ea00-11e9-b547-fb36664e5ef8.html

Congressman Charlie Crist visited St. Petersburg College Seminole campus Wednesday and presented a check for $323,446 on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education to increase child care access for students at the school. 

• Grant will total more than $1 million over 4 years
• Program kicks off spring semester 2020

The goal of CCAMPIS is to increase access to high-quality, affordable child care and support services for low-income students with children.  A recent survey of SPC students with children found more than 61 percent of respondents indicated that access and cost of child care has significantly impacted their ability to remain in school. 

The grant, which will total more than $1 million over four years, will allow SPC to develop a voucher-based child care program for low-income students.  SPC will work with community partners, such as the Juvenile Welfare Board, Lutheran Family Services Head Start, and Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County, to offer vouchers for local, quality child care on a sliding fee scale. 

The program kicks off Spring semester of 2020. 

Parents like Nicole Graybarz can now have peace of mind and become successful students. 

Watch the video to hear how this new program is changing the lives of students like Nicole and her husband.

To view video by Spectrum Bay News 9 visit: https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2019/10/09/grant-to-give-st–pete-college-students-access-to-quality-child-care#

The Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County approved Beth Houghton as its new CEO, effective retroactively to Oct. 1.

Houghton previously served as head of the St. Petersburg Free Clinic, a group that offers medical care, food and shelter to homeless individuals.

Houghton’s appointment was unanimous.

“We are thrilled to have Beth on board as our new CEO,” said JWB Board Chair Susan Rolston, who also led the Board’s executive search committee efforts.

“After an exhaustive national search, we were fortunate to attract an experienced Pinellas County executive who checks all the boxes: an individual passionate about JWB’s mission who possesses legal and fiscal expertise, a proven track record of organizational excellence, and a reputation for getting things accomplished.”

Houghton served as executive director at the St. Petersburg Free Clinic for eight years where she oversaw a massive expansion effort increasing the group’s reach to eight food, shelter and health care programs that is now able to provide food and services to more than 55,000 people a month, provide free healthcare to 9,000 people a year and is helping 400 homeless individuals become housing independent through the group’s shelter programs.

“The Juvenile Welfare Board has always been known for shaping the future of our county’s youngest and most vulnerable citizens,” Houghton said.

“I have always been passionate about improving the lives of our children, both because they are the innocent who cannot control their circumstances and because, as a society, improving children’s lives today and into the future is simply a smart investment. So, coming to the JWB to work with our Board, staff, and community organizations was an easy choice for me.

“I knew I could come to work every day and really make a difference in the trajectory of our community.”

In her new role, Houghton will oversee an annual budget of $79.3 million and a workforce of 62 employees. She’ll oversee policies and ensure they are effectively implemented and will work with both the JWB board of directors and its staff.

She will also establish strategic partnerships and oversee the funding of high-quality programs that benefit tens of thousands of Pinellas County children and families annually.

“Beth is someone who has dedicated her entire life to giving back,” Rolston said. “It’s important that we have a champion for children and families, like Beth, in our top leadership position.”

In addition to her work locally, Houghton has also participated in several mission trips to Honduras. She serves on the Board for the Foundation for International Missions that supports a rural health clinic.

Houghton also serves as chair of the Hospital Board of H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute. She previously served as board president for Great Explorations and the Houghton-Wagman Children’s Museum.

“Beth embodies the entire package,” Rolston said. “All of her attributes, combined with her experience developing and using impact measures and metrics, will serve us well as we prepare to sunset our current strategic plan, and adopt a new one in 2021.”

The JWB was established by a Special Act of the Florida Legislature in 1945 and approved by Pinellas County voters in 1946. It was reauthorized in 1990.

Houghton replaces Marcie Biddleman who retired in September after a decade-long tenure with the organization.

To view article by Florida Politics visit: https://floridapolitics.com/archives/307703-beth-houghton-juvenile-welfare

First responders in Pinellas County say infant sleep-related suffocation is the number one cause of preventable death for children under 18.

According to the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, a healthy baby dies from sleeping unsafely every month in the county. And, statistics suggest most of those deaths happen in St. Petersburg.

Emergency crews say these sorts of tragedies are happening far too often. And, the county is working hard to stop preventable deaths from occurring.

October is Safe Sleep Awareness Month. So, St. Petersburg first responders have partnered up with the Juvenile Welfare Board to help save infant lives. They hosted a joint event on Monday to raise awareness for safe sleeping.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue is also collecting Pack ‘n Play with bassinets to give to any family without a safe sleeping area for their baby. You can help out by dropping off a new carrier at any St. Pete fire station. Firefighters will then deliver them.

According to medical examiner records, Hillsborough County had 18 deaths as a result of unsafe sleep in 2017. Pinellas County had 10, and Polk County had nine sleep-related infant deaths. Most of those were caused by co-sleeping.

In 2016, there were 176 sleep-related deaths in Florida. More than 100 of those were caused by accidental suffocation, and 61 were the result of co-sleeping.

To view story by 10News WTSP-TV visit: https://www.wtsp.com/article/life/parenting/parenting-infant-baby-sleep-co-sleeping/67-61317e8e-dc27-43c6-947b-b2e59c87c151

The portable crib was in the front of the conference room — a symbol of salvation. “The baby needs to sleep alone, on their back, in their own crib,” said Michelle Schaefer, placing a baby doll in the playpen. “Alone means no pillows, no blankets, no toys or stuffed animals, no people. You can room share, but not bed share.”

Schaefer, who works for the Healthy Start Coalition of Pinellas, helped kick off a campaign called “Sleep Baby Safely” on Monday, partnering with the Juvenile Welfare Board and St. Petersburg’s police and fire departments. The effort is an attempt to combat the leading cause of infant death: suffocation.

“Every month a healthy baby dies in our county,” said rescue chief Ian Womack. “First responders like us encounter this way too often.” In the last decade, he said, almost 100 babies have died — many in their parents’ beds. “Picture six empty kindergarten classrooms, lost forever,” he said. “And 100 percent of these deaths could have been prevented.”

Firefighters and police officers now carry pamphlets about how to put babies to bed safely. Nurses give new mothers bags with free onesies and sleep sacks. And fire stations across the city are collecting Pack n’ Play portable cribs to give away, so that every child will have somewhere safe to sleep.

“We can eliminate these needless deaths,” Womack said. “Our goal is to get babies to their first birthdays.”

If you want to donate a new Graco Pack N’ Play portable crib, experts recommend the “On the go Playard with bassinet” model. They can be dropped off at the St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue Station at 455 8th Street S or at any fire station in the area. For more information, call 727-507-6330, or go to: SleepBabySafely.com.

To view article by Tampa Bay Times visit: https://www.tampabay.com/news/pinellas/2019/09/23/pinellas-launches-campaign-to-save-babies/