Homeless to Hopeful—Understanding Homelessness

Katina Lowrey spoke from the heart and from personal experience at “Homeless to Hopefull,” a seminar at United for Human Rights Florida’s Center in downtown Clearwater.

According to the 2017 Homeless Count in Hillsborough County, some 1,500 men, women and children are people who are sleeping on the streets, behind buildings, in encampments, in cars, emergency shelters and transitional housing in Tampa-Hillsborough County. Pinellas had an estimated 1,984 homeless family members during the 2015-16 fiscal year, according to the latest count available from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development—most of them with children.

Katina’s parents left her and her young sister on the streets to fend for themselves when she was 14. She turned her life around and by 18 was off the streets in a home of her own.

Top reach out to others and raise awareness of the issue, Lowrey founded the Tampa-based nonprofit H.O.P.E.F.U.L. Inc. that focuses on helping the homeless community with food, clothing, hygiene supplies and education—the key to helping them get back on their feet.

“Our mission is to generate hope and solutions for the issues confronting individuals, children, families, and the community as they face homelessness, or are at risk of becoming homeless,” said Lowrey. “We want to be the hope we want to see, support those who are in need, get connected, and stay H.O.P.E.F.U.L.”

Ms. Lowrey, uses the educational materials of the United for Human Rights (UHR) program at H.O.P.E.F.U.L and stresses homelessness violation of article 25 of United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Food and shelter for all.

For more information about United for Human Rights Florida and the seminars held at the UHR Center in downtown Clearwater at 29 N. Fort Harrison Ave., please call 727-467-6960.

ABOUT UNITED FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

United for Human Rights (UHR) is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to implementing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its membership is comprised of individuals, educators and groups throughout the world who are active in human rights.

The Church of Scientology supports United for Human Rights and its youth education program, Youth for Human Rights.

Author, humanitarian and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “Very few governments have implemented any part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These governments have not grasped that their very survival depends utterly upon adopting such reforms and thus giving their peoples a cause, a civilization worth supporting, worth their patriotism.”