Heart for Winter Haven Requesting Less Than $25,000 from City for ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) to Help Combat Homelessness
by James Coulter
Heart for Winter Haven (H4WH) is a local non-profit organization with a bold vision to completely eradicate homelessness for local children by 2030. However, to aid in their mission, they have requested the city provide them with the same budget awarded to them last year.
At the Winter Haven City Commission meeting on Monday evening, H4WH representatives offered a presentation of their Grant Partnership Report. The report included a request for public funding to help them fulfill their mission of alleviating local homelessness and poverty, especially among young students.
Their request was two-fold: first, they requested that the same budget (less than $25,000) be awarded to them this fiscal year as was awarded last year. This budgeted amount will go towards funding accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which, according to the presentation, “will continue to efficiently address the needs of our community and deliver positive outcomes.”
Second, they requested approval for a Community Housing Stability Initiative (CHSI), which, according to the presentation, “will help bridge the gap between household income and local rental costs by offering a rental voucher in alignment with HUDs Small Area Fair Market Rates to qualifying families.”
“Through this initiative,” the presentation further elucidated, “we project 15 families will move from housing unstable to fully self-sustaining through the use of a rental voucher up to $500/month for one year. The voucher program will include intense case management and transformational programs offered by Heart for Winter Haven.”
Heart for Winter Haven (H4WH) is a local non-profit organization dedicated to combating homelessness and poverty within the Winter Haven community, especially among local students.
They seek to accomplish their mission through their C.A.R.E. method, which involves:
• Connecting all sectors of the city, both private and public.
• Alleviating poverty
• Restoring relationships, and
• Elevating the entire community.
“We believe poverty has been misdiagnosed; it’s rooted in broken relationships. We bring people together through collaborations that restore relationships, build resources, and grow community,” their website states. “By December 31, 2030, we will ensure there isn’t a single homeless child in Winter Haven.”
Mayor Nathanial Birdsong mentioned that he appreciated how the program served as a “hand-up” rather than a “hand-out.” As such, rather than simply providing their clients with financial assistance, they provided them with the social and financial skills necessary to make themselves economically stable.
“Today, I have been up here for four and a half years, and from what I have seen, we have come a long way,” he said. “What amazes me and what blesses me is to be able to sit here and to know that we have that awareness and concern about those who are less fortunate in our community and we are trying to do something about it. So, I think it speaks well to where we are, and we are headed in the right direction. We hope and pray that we never give up and bring everyone to where they have a place to live. Let’s keep up the good work in this area.”
Brad Beatty, H4WH Executive Director, boasted about theprogress Winter Haven has made. While the community had expected a 20 percent increase in student homelessness, those numbers had instead experienced a flat effect by the end of last year.
“What we have set out to do we have accomplished,” he said. “The data supports this voucher program and it is the best practice in the state of Florida for housing finance. We are modeling it on good practice. I fully anticipate that we could stand here and celebrate that we are now at functional zero with student homelessness.”
City Manager Brad T. Dantzler mentioned how providing funding for the program would inspire local business owners and other philanthropists to make similar donations to such causes.
“It [may] also open up an avenue for other philanthropic efforts in the community who want to impact this issue and make a contribution,” he said. “$6,000 on its own doesn’t do a whole lot, but if you put it toward a program like this and you have a handful of businesses and community leaders who want to do something like that, you can move the needle pretty quickly.”
