TAMPA - Since the beginning of the pandemic, several hotels and motels served as temporary housing for hundreds of people experiencing homelessness in Hillsborough County.

What You Need To Know

That program, called Project Safe Shelter, is coming to a close.

Michelle and Jose Sanchez are proud to take guests on a tour of their apartment. 

“It’s not furnished, but there are two bedrooms and we love it. We want to live here as long as we possibly can,” Michelle said.

Earlier this year, the couple thought they found their dream home, but they fell victim to a real estate scam at the worst possible time.

"When the pandemic hit, guess what, no one wants a tile man in their house anymore. We ended up sleeping in our car for a couple months. It was hard. A lot of nights scared. We’ve never been homeless in our life,” she said.

One Sheriff’s deputy knew their story and got them in touch with Tampa Crossroads.

Advocates helped them find a place to stay in a hotel for five months. They checked-in daily and gave them access to resources.

“You have to pitch in. You find your own place. They want to see you progress,” Michelle said.

The Sanchez family certainly aren’t the only ones.

“We’ve actually served about, a little over 500 people in those hotel rooms,” said Felicia Crosby-Rucker the Director of Hillsborough County Homeless Services.

The program was Project Safe Shelter. Hotels and motels across the county became safe havens.

Most people, like Michelle and Jose, have found a new place to live.

“What we’re doing is sunsetting this initiative which was funded by in part by FEMA through the CARES Act. We’re sunsetting those programs and then what we’re doing is transitioning to the ESG funds that are coming in from the federal and state government,” said Crosby-Rucker.

“They still send support services to check on us. They still call us once a week at least to see if we need anything. This place is really amazing,” said Michelle.

It’s a place to call home and a way to hit re-set on their future.

Many of the new housing options do not have furniture.

If you’d like to help, just go here: https://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/government/departments/homeless