Pensacola Expands Homeless Housing Programs | City News

The City of Pensacola expanded three homeless assistance programs since 2023, connecting hundreds of residents to shelter, housing and support services through partnerships with local nonprofits and grant funding.

The Pensacola Police Department's Community Response Specialists program logged 1,685 interactions with homeless residents from 2023 through April 2026. Specialist Brittany Harris and her team placed 93 people in shelter or housing and referred 242 others to services. Another 279 people declined assistance.

Harris coordinates with Opening Doors, Family Promise, REAP, 90 Works, EComfort, Catholic Charities, Waterfront Rescue Mission and other organizations. In the first quarter of 2026, she arranged placement for someone relocating to family, transportation for a domestic violence survivor and her child to shelter, and RV repairs for a mother and child living in a vehicle.

The city invested $100,000 in the Children's Home Society's Hand Up for Youth program, launched in December 2024. The program provides up to $1,000 monthly in rental assistance for six months to homeless youth ages 18-23. Twenty-one young people have received assistance, many caring for siblings or their own children. The program has spent $60,000 of the grant, with the remainder expected to be used by Nov. 1.

The city and Re-Entry Alliance Pensacola expanded a pallet shelter initiative from 14 units to 27 using American Rescue Plan Act funding.

Residents interested in the Hand Up for Youth program can contact Kaitlynn Cannon at [email protected].