Funded Partner Spotlight: Metropolitan Ministries
In 2024, the Foundation awarded Metropolitan Ministries a $250,000 programmatic operations grant to support their NeighborHOPE program in South St. Pete. Extending over the course of several years, the grant is designed to help prevent homeless by offering families both emergency assistance and more comprehensive case management as needed, including access to wrap-around services.
“It’s all about meeting people where they are, treating them with dignity, and surrounding them with the supports they need to break the cycle of poverty,” said Metropolitan Ministries President and CEO Dr. Sarah Combs, who took the helm of the organization in August.
Designed to help individuals and families overcome barriers to self-sufficiency, the NeighborHOPE program offers supports like access to employment and counseling services, education and job training programs to boost earning potential, financial literacy programs to help families manage resources, help navigating available resources, and more. The program also offers emergency financial assistance needed to the many families who find themselves a paycheck or two away from financial insecurity.
“Our goal is prevention so that families don’t wind up in homelessness. Many of our clients face stagnant wages while the cost of living has steadily increased,” said Grant Management Specialist Ayasha White. “If you’re working a job where you’re barely making ends meet, a car repair or hospital bill can put you over the edge.”
Through NeighborHOPE, individuals and families also gain access to Metropolitan Ministries’ Virtual Uplift U Program, which offers individualized learning plans and courses in areas like health and wellness, life skills, conflict resolution, relationship building, and more.
Outside the scope of their grant with the Foundation, Metropolitan Ministries recently cut the ribbon on their first residential shelter in Pinellas County providing stable housing for families experiencing homelessness, launched through a partnership with the St. Petersburg Free Clinic.
“The number of homeless children in our communities is alarming, so we’re grateful to be able to open up a shelter where we allow children and families to be stabilized,” Combs said. “A lot of our families have been through incredible situations. I’m in awe that they’re still surviving. To get at the root causes of barriers to self-sufficiency, you must build trust to ultimately see what lies at the base. When you’re able to see it, you can address it, educate, build, and heal.”
To learn more about Metropolitan Ministries and their work, visit their website at https://www.metromin.org/.