Neighborhood Blessings is PHP’s outreach program for people who are homeless in Hernando County.  The program grew out of the need to provide food to those individuals living in the woods, friend’s garages, or in their cars.  Many of the homeless are individuals with no jobs or ability to hold a good job.  Throughout Hernando County, we find people who have been evicted from their homes and have nowhere to go after losing work and/or unemployment benefits.  Think of the challenges of just living in one’s car or in the woods without plumbing, running water and adequate food.

Recently, we discovered a family of four living in the woods after they were evicted from their home.  They purchased a tent and found someone who allowed them to live in the tent on their property.  Within a week, an acquaintance of one of the children, an elderly gentleman, invited the family into his 2 bedroom house.  However, after several months,  both the family and the gentleman found it difficult living in close quarters, so the family agreed to move out and are now back in the tent.  For the retiree, it was hard adjusting to four additional people in his home where he was used to living alone.  For the family, it was difficult sharing a home with a near stranger and abiding by his rules.

At PHP, our mission primarily revolves around food.  We provide groceries, toiletries and basic necessities to those less fortunate.   In the Neighborhood Blessings program, PHP volunteers load a pickup truck with easy to open canned vegetables and meat along with toiletries such as soap and toothpaste.  Currently, we provide food to about three dozen individuals each week through our Neighborhood Blessings program.