Housing Assistance & Information

Housing Programs and Resources

•  Tampa Housing Authority: Provides information and applications for Section 8, public housing, 
subsidized apartments and resources for housing search. Please visit Welcome to the Tampa Housing 
Authority (thafl.com).

•  Housing Finance Authority of Hillsborough County: The Home Sweet Home Hillsborough Program 
offers a 30 Year Deferred, 0.00% second mortgage, up to $25,000 to be used for down payments and closing costs.
For more information about the program please visit Hillsborough County (myfirstfloridahome.com).

•  Owner Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program: Provides assistance with home repairs for 
eligible Hillsborough County low and moderate income homeowners to allow families to continue 
living safely in their own homes. This program is provided through different agencies depending on 
need, to obtain more information on the agencies and their programs visit Hillsborough County - Get 
Financial Assistance with Home Repairs.

•  Florida Housing Search: To search for available rentals in Hillsborough County, search here: 
FloridaHousingSearch.org | Rental Housing Search: Hillsborough, FL (socialserve.com). Always beware 
of potential scams, even with social distancing, NEVER wire or send money using an app. Do NOT call 
spelled-out phone numbers ("seven-oh-four," etc.). Only pay after you have met the landlord and 
verified they have a right to rent the unit! For more tips on how to detect housing scams, please 
visit FloridaHousingSearch.org (socialserve.com).

•  Catholic Charities: Catholic Charities Family Housing provides quality, income- based affordable 
housing for individuals, single parents, and families. For a list of properties, please visit 
Affordable Housing | Providing help. Creating hope. (ccdosp.org).

Homeless Assistance Programs

Assistance for homeless or those at-risk of becoming homeless is provided through a number of 
agencies. A few resources are listed below:

•  Hillsborough County Homeless Services Department: Provides resources to individuals and families 
experiencing homelessness leading them to self-sufficiency. Please call 813.274.6834 for more information.

•  Metropolitan Ministries Provides many services such as emergency shelter, case management, food 
assistance, financial assistance and mobile outreach services. Contact Metropolitan Ministries at 
813.209.1000 for more information or apply for assistance at https://www.metromin.org/get-help/.

•  The Salvation Army: Provides Emergency Financial Services, Emergency Shelter and The 
Recuperative Care Program provides short- term shelter and case management to homeless people who 
are recovering from an acute illness or injury, whose conditions would be exacerbated by living on 
the street. For more information on how to qualify to receive shelter and other programs and 
services, contact Tampa, 813.549.0641 or S. Hillsborough, 813.450.1110.

•  Agency for Community Treatment Services (ACTS): Provides emergency and bridge housing focused on 
homeless persons with mental health, substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders. Housing is 
provided in both a limited mental health assisted living facility and community-based apartments. 
Contact ACTS at 813.246.4899 or at https://www.actsfl.org/housing.html for more information.

•  Mary and Martha House: Services are designed for women and children who are temporarily homeless 
due to a crisis situation such as domestic violence, eviction, sudden reduction in income, or job 
loss. Mary and Martha House has 3 shelters that are designed to be as much like home as possible, 
with each family having their own space, as well as safe havens for victims to escape abuse and 
begin recovery. An intake form can be completed here Intake Form - Mary and Martha House 
(marymarthahouse.org).

•  Dawning Family Services: Dawning Family Services provides low-barrier, emergency bridge housing 
for families with at least one minor child and women who are currently pregnant. For emergency 
shelter inquiries, please email shelter@dawningfs.org with the best contact information, name and 
date of birth of all household members in your family, a brief description of where you are 
currently staying, and a photo ID.

•  Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative (THHI): Collaborates with agencies in order to develop 
and provide innovative solutions to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring in Hillsborough 
County. A list of a wide variety of resources, including shelter, can be found on their website 
here: Home (myresourcedirectory.com).

Social Service Needs

•  Hillsborough County Social Services: Provides assistance with services such as emergency rental 
assistance, financial services, veterans, senior services, special needs, education, homeless prevention,
transportation, job search and more. Hillsborough County residents can seek help with social needs at
the County's five Neighborhood Service Centers. To contact any of these locations please call 813.272.5220.
The Plant City Community Resource Center is located at 307 N. Michigan Ave. Plant City, FL 33566.

• Crisis Center of Tampa Bay: Intervention Specialists provide immediate and confidential short-term crisis
intervention, and information & referral to over 3,000 human services available in Hillsborough County,
including resources for: basic needs for food, rent, clothing, shelter and utilities, relationship counseling,
senior services, health and substance abuse issues, depression and suicide, teenage issues, parenting help,
disaster assistance, legal affairs and financial support. Can be reached by phone by dialing 211 or online
at www.211atyourfingertips.org.

Fair Housing
The Fair Housing Act prohibits certain types of discrimination in selling, renting or financing a home. Residents
who believe they have been discriminated against based up their race, color, gender, age, national origin,
religion, disability, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression, can file a
discrimination or Fair Housing complaint with the Equal Opportunity Administrator's Office (EOA). When you file
a complaint, the Equal Opportunity Administrator (EOA) office will investigate. If they find you were discriminated
against, they will issue a cease and desist order. The EOA can be reached at 813.272.6554.

• Complaints can be filed online at Equal Opportunity Intake Questionnaire (New) -Formstack or the form can
be downloaded here: Hillsborough County’s Equal Opportunity Administrator’s Office and sent via mail to:

Hillsborough County Equal Opportunity Administrator Office
700 E. Twiggs Street, Suite 830 Tampa, FL 33602

• Complaints can also be filed with Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Information about how to file a
complaint with HUD can be found here File a Complaint – Main Page | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) .

• For information about Fair Housing Awareness, go to: Hillsborough County -Fair Housing Awareness .