Pinellas County assistance programs.

Assistance with expenses and bills

There are services that can help individuals and families become self-sufficient and get short term assistance for paying bills. The Pinellas Opportunity Council, Inc. (POC) is a non-profit Community Action Agency that has been in operation since 1968. They partner with state, federal, local and private charities and organizations to offer assistance programs to Clearwater and Pinellas County families. Some of what is offered are noted below. However, there are other. Contact them at 3443 1st Avenue N, St. Petersburg, FL 33713. Their phone number 327-8690.

• Emergency Services and Crisis Program
  People facing a crisis can get limited financial assistance and grants on a one-time basis that can be used to pay utility and heating bills, pay for fuel oil, rent/mortgage payments, food aid, clothing, and other emergency situations. Persons seeking more information or assistance from this program should call the office in their area to setup an appointment to apply.
   
• POC Federal Credit Union
  The organization also provides affordable financial services, such as low interest loans, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, counseling, money orders, and more for low-income members.

Find help with rent, mortgage, and energy bills

Most of the non-profits, agencies, and programs below can help with utilities, food, rent, and more. To find additional locations in St. Petersburg Florida and the region that focus on rental assistance, read more on St. Petersburg rent assistance.

• Pinellas County, Health & Human Services Department, 1100 Cleveland, Suite 1500
  Clearwater, FL 33755 phone 464-3337
  Low and moderate income families can get grants and help for paying mortgage, rent or utility bills. There are also programs for the disabled, the sick, and additional energy assistance for the elderly when funds are available. Read more on Florida foreclosure programs.
   
• St. Petersburg Free Clinic/ We Help Program, 863 3rd Avenue N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 phone: 823-3471
  Emergency financial assistance and cash grants are available for past rent or unpaid bills based on a financial assessment of the applicant. The applicant can’t be eligible for assistance elsewhere and they also need to bring necessary verification of their need and identification.

 

 

 

• Family Service Centers, Inc., 928 22nd Avenue S, St. Petersburg, FL 33705 call: 822-3961
  You may be eligible for The Family Loan Program, which is an innovative program that provides small, competitively priced interest rate loans to low-income parents who are unable to qualify for a loan elsewhere. The purpose of the financial assistance program is to help individuals and families who are striving for self-sufficiency by providing them loans to pay for unexpected expenses and bills that could interfere with their ability to remain employed or stay in school. As an example of what is offered, loans are available for the following purposes: rent assistance, car purchases and repairs, housing assistance, medical costs, job related tools and uniforms, child care, energy assistance, utility deposits, and mortgage payments. Low interest car loans from Ways to Work may be another option.
   
• Low income energy assistance and weatherization programs. St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Pinellas County County residents can get help with paying their home cooling and utility bills, as well as even the occasional winter heating bill. On the other hand, the weatherization program provides Pinellas County residents with energy saving updates to their home as well as home repairs and energy conservation measures. Contact the Pinellas County Urban League at 727.327.2081 to learn more or apply for utility bills help.

 

 

• High Point Neighborhood Family Center, which can be reached at (727) 533-0730, may be able to provide rent and housing assistance to Clearwater renters who have an eviction notice.
   
• Oldsmar Cares is a local non-profit agency which provides rent and cooling and utility bill assistance, a food pantry, and a clothes closet, possible rent help, all at no cost to those in need in the Oldsmar Florida area. Dial (813) 415-7373
   
• Pinellas County residents can turn to He Cares, a Benevolence Ministry and Thrift Store for aid. Among other services they provide food, as well as financial assistance for paying rent, electric, and water bills. Phone (727) 548-1535.
   
• Isaiah's Inn provides rental assistance to full time, employed parents. They are based in Clearwater Florida. Call the agency at (727) 449-2600.
   
• Social services and public assistance - A number of government programs provide funds to the unemployed, low income, and seniors. Social services can help pay bills and housing costs and also deal with the underlying cause of the financial hardship. So receive advice on debt management and mortgage assistance too. More.
   
• St. Vincent de Paul Society Helpline (South County) maintains a telephone help-line which is used by those individuals who are needing help with food, clothing, information on mortgage and foreclosure programs, furniture or the payment of utility bills. Dial (727) 825-0725
   
• The Homeless Prevention & Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) is run by the Pinellas County Health and Human Services Department. It provides rent help, eviction prevention, and funds for utility bills. Call the agency at (727) 464-8452
   
• Another government or non-profit agency to call is Pinellas County Community Development Department. It is based in Clearwater Florida, and help is available for housing and rent concerns. Dial (727) 464-8245.
   
• Many people in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County Florida do not know that most utility companies offer grants, weatherization, and financial assistance. Read more on energy assistance programs.

Receive free health care in Clearwater and Pinellas County

Last year, almost 8 million people received free health care from clinics last year. One option in Florida is the Clearwater Free Clinic, which offers medical services for more and more patients who otherwise would not be able to afford to pay for health insurance and medical bills. Just this year, almost 60 percent more new patients have visited the Clearwater Free Clinic. (727) 447-3041

The health care provided is top notch. There is a highly trained team of physicians, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, physical therapists, and even office clerks and staff who donate thousands of hours of their personal time to provide the best medical services each and every year. They also partner with local organizations and hospitals, such as Mease Hospitals and Morton Plant who donate goods and services to the free clinic. Find other free health care resources.

To be eligible for aid, the medical care is made available to both uninsured children and adults who live in Pinellas County and Clearwater, and who are not eligible for other government programs and if they cannot afford to pay for their own private medical care. The vast majority of the patients and people seeking help from the Clearwater Free Health Care Clinic are hard working people who are struggling with the recent economic woes and who now have with limited incomes or low paying jobs. They mostly work, yet the low income they make will exclude them from receiving state or federal government assisted programs yet the income they have is not high enough to pay for insurance or private healthcare.

Other options and community clinics in the area include

• St. Petersburg Free Clinic ((727) 327-0333)
• Clearwater based La Clinica Guadalupana which provides medical care for the low income, homeless, and indigent in the community. (727) 461-7730
• Or find a listing of clinics in Pinellas County.

Tampa Area Salvation Army

A variety of social services are offered by the Salvation Army's Tampa Area command center. 813-226-0055. They offer low income and other people in need a wide range of assistance programs that can help families and individuals overcome hardship. For example, find ways to get help with housing expenses including rent, limited funding for utility bills, and more. They can even refer people to other local agencies if in face they can’t directly aid the applicant.

Pinellas County Florida non-profits and programs that are also offered to all state residents

Most of the services noted on this page are only for Pinellas County. However locate additional assistance programs that provide help across the state of Florida.

• Florida utility bill help
• Florida Section 8 housing assistance
• Florida mortgage assistance and foreclosure programs
• Florida free legal aid
• Florida debt collection laws
• Florida free HUD foreclosure prevention
• Florida community health care clinics
• Florida food pantries and banks
• Florida rescue missions

General assistance

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) offers numerous services and resources including Head Start Child Development Center, the Child Care Food Program, P.E.P.P.I., Cash grants, Guardianship Program, Youth Shelters and Family Crisis Counseling Programs, Information on mortgage programs, Housing, Employment, Refugee and Immigration Programs. 813-676-9471.

 

 

Free legal consultations

If you are an individual with limited access to legal services, Bay Area Legal Services has as its primary objective the goal of providing and free legal support with a focus on low-income and elderly residents in both Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.

The attorneys and legal professionals at the non-profit Bay Area Legal Services provide free legal aid, counseling and representation to eligible clients for civil legal problems. Some of what they can help with includes family law, including divorce, foreclosures, custody and domestic violence;  individual rights, senior advocacy; fair housing; and consumer law and issues. Click here to read more, or call them at 813-232-1343.

Pinellas County and St. Petersburg Food Aid

RCS is an organization that runs the largest distribution network in Clearwater and Pinellas County Florida area. The agency is the largest distributor of free food and groceries to those in need of help in Pinellas County. In total, the group serves anywhere between 4,000 and 5,000 individuals monthly at RCS’s warehouse and through 62 sub-sites located throughout the county. 727-584-3528

Other organizations that distribute free food and groceries in the Clearwater and St. Petersburg area include the following: St. Petersburg Free Clinic ((727) 821-1200), Souls Harvest Fellowship (dial (727) 323-8278), People That Love Mission (phone number (727) 820-0775), and Park Place Ministries ((727) 526-3674).

There are several dozen additional food banks and distribution centers in the region. Click here for alternate locations.

Help with debt and credit counseling

If you are struggling with paying your debts and bills, the Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) of Central Florida & The Florida Gulf Coast, Inc. is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to financial wellness in the St. Petersburg and Tampa area. Through a wide variety of programs, including comprehensive professional consumer credit education, debt reduction and debt management plans, foreclosure and mortgage help, confidential counseling and help for medical bills, the organization provides qualified clients the empowerment, encouragement, and success they need to take charge of their finances and expenses throughout various stages of life. Dial 1-800-251-2227 (CCCS). Or find additional ways to get debt help.

Foreclosure Prevention in Pinellas County

Try the Tampa Bay CDC ((727) 446-6222), Catholic Charities, Housing Counseling (phone (727) 893-1313) and Gulfcoast Legal Services (dial (727) 821-0726). All of the agencies provide homeowners with free HUD approved foreclosure counseling, mortgage delinquency programs, and other forms of housing relief. Call one of these non-profits to learn how you can save your home from a foreclosure filing.

Another agency to try is Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services Inc. They promote home ownership, economic development, and repairs. (Call 727) 442-4155. They also partner with Florida HUD counseling agencies.

Or if these agencies can’t help you then you still have more options. They can range from additional non-profit counseling agencies up through law firms that offer pro-bono legal aid and advice. Every year homeowners receive loan modifications and are signed up into foreclosure prevention programs. Most of the services offered are provided at no cost to qualified homeowners. Find more Pinellas County foreclosure prevention agencies.

Help finding a job

The Pinellas County Urban League (727.327.2081) runs the Job Placement Assistance Center. The organization is committed to improving the quality of life of residents, and having steady employment is one of the keys to this. Contact them to learn more about employment services.