St. Pete non-profit, local churches create housing for foster youth aging out of system

Churches, organization build transitional housing

FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis reports. 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - For many young people in the foster care system, their 18th birthday isn't a celebration, it’s a deadline. 

Without a permanent family, aging out of the system often leads directly to the streets. But now, a new initiative in St. Petersburg is turning empty church parking lots into a lifeline for those at risk.

Big picture view:

Dr. Christopher Warren, the director of the non-profit Spring Zone St. Pete, looks at the empty plot of land behind the Rock of Jesus Missionary Baptist Church and sees more than just grass and gravel. He sees a future.

Under a plan currently navigating the permitting process, Warren’s team intends to install ten shipping-container-sized homes on the property. 

Courtesy: Spring Zone St. Pete

A second site at Mount Zion Primitive Baptist Church is also in the works. 

Together, these "tiny home" communities will provide a stable roof for 40 young adults who have spent their lives searching for one.

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"If you have the opportunity to work with these kids on a daily basis, the way that I do, you know how badly they want this. How badly, they're willing to work for it," said Warren.

He also knows the risks to young people living on the streets if they don’t have stable housing.

Courtesy: Spring Zone St. Pete

"This is something we can't afford to wait around and hope something happens," Warren said. "We know what will happen. They become prey to the street and fuel for the criminal justice system. They are just kids who are starving, who do not have a place to sleep, and desperately need family."

Why you should care:

The urgency behind the project is fueled by the memory of Walter Scott III. 

Last December, Scott, a bright young man who had aged out of the foster care system, took his own life after struggling with homelessness.

"Turning 18 and losing everything and just walking the streets late at night, begging for money, trying to get a job. I remember when I was 18, I couldn't have handled that," Warren said.

For Dr. Warren, the goal is to ensure that kind of tragedy never happens again. 

By providing housing early, starting at age 17, the program aims to "triage" the crisis before these young adults lose their state benefits at age 24.

The backstory:

The project is made possible by "YIGBY" legislation, a concept championed locally by St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch. 

RELATED: Church-owned land could become affordable housing under new St. Pete ordinance

The law allows houses of worship to develop portions of their property for affordable housing, bypassing traditional multi-million dollar development hurdles.

Pastor Frank Peterman Jr. at Rock of Jesus Missionary Baptist Church said he was already praying for a way to utilize the church’s land when Dr. Warren called.

"We want them to know that they can be loved, that they can be cared for," Peterman said. "There’s so much they can do. They have so much talent and ability. It’s just giving them an opportunity to go out and actually do it."

Warren said the program goes beyond housing. It utilizes a "three-pillar" approach: 

• Stable Housing: providing a safe, furnished "home base.
• Workforce development: training to ensure long-term independence.
• Wraparound Services: Support for mental health, financial literacy, and basic needs like obtaining a driver's license.

What's next:

If final permits are cleared, he hopes to be handing out keys to fully furnished units by Christmas.

"Watching them walk into a unit and say, 'This is my house', it's a dream," Warren said.

While the project starts with two churches, Warren says five other local houses of worship have already reached out to join the movement. He hopes this model will eventually serve as a blueprint for the entire state of Florida.