Rebuild Bay County’s homeless shelter
Rebuild Bay County’s homeless shelter
The Issue
In 2018, Hurricane Michael devastated Bay County, changing our community forever. Homes, businesses, schools, and countless lives were affected. While much of Bay County has worked tirelessly to rebuild over the past several years, one vital resource has never been restored: our homeless shelter.
Today, nearly eight years later, Bay County still does not have the homeless shelter that so many people depended on before Hurricane Michael. Instead of investing in rebuilding this critical resource, our community has largely focused on tourism and development while many of our most vulnerable residents have been left with nowhere to go.
Without a homeless shelter, individuals and families experiencing homelessness are forced to sleep outside, in parks, under bridges, or anywhere they can find temporary refuge. At the same time, they are increasingly being cited or arrested for sleeping in public. We cannot expect people to follow laws that require them to stay off the streets while providing them with no safe alternative.
A homeless shelter is much more than a place to sleep. It provides safety, stability, access to food, hygiene facilities, case management, mental health resources, substance abuse treatment, job assistance, and connections to permanent housing. It gives people an opportunity to rebuild their lives with dignity.
This petition is a call to action for Bay County officials to prioritize the rebuilding of a homeless shelter. We are asking our local leaders to commit to developing a plan, securing funding, and making the restoration of this essential community resource a priority.
Compassion and accountability can exist together. Supporting those experiencing homelessness does not weaken our community—it strengthens it. Every person deserves the opportunity to get back on their feet, and every community benefits when resources exist to help make that possible.
If you believe Bay County should rebuild its homeless shelter and provide a safe place for those in need, please sign this petition and share it with others. Together, we can encourage our local leaders to invest not only in buildings and tourism, but in the people who call Bay County home.
Sign today and help us bring this much-needed resource back to our community.
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The Issue
In 2018, Hurricane Michael devastated Bay County, changing our community forever. Homes, businesses, schools, and countless lives were affected. While much of Bay County has worked tirelessly to rebuild over the past several years, one vital resource has never been restored: our homeless shelter.
Today, nearly eight years later, Bay County still does not have the homeless shelter that so many people depended on before Hurricane Michael. Instead of investing in rebuilding this critical resource, our community has largely focused on tourism and development while many of our most vulnerable residents have been left with nowhere to go.
Without a homeless shelter, individuals and families experiencing homelessness are forced to sleep outside, in parks, under bridges, or anywhere they can find temporary refuge. At the same time, they are increasingly being cited or arrested for sleeping in public. We cannot expect people to follow laws that require them to stay off the streets while providing them with no safe alternative.
A homeless shelter is much more than a place to sleep. It provides safety, stability, access to food, hygiene facilities, case management, mental health resources, substance abuse treatment, job assistance, and connections to permanent housing. It gives people an opportunity to rebuild their lives with dignity.
This petition is a call to action for Bay County officials to prioritize the rebuilding of a homeless shelter. We are asking our local leaders to commit to developing a plan, securing funding, and making the restoration of this essential community resource a priority.
Compassion and accountability can exist together. Supporting those experiencing homelessness does not weaken our community—it strengthens it. Every person deserves the opportunity to get back on their feet, and every community benefits when resources exist to help make that possible.
If you believe Bay County should rebuild its homeless shelter and provide a safe place for those in need, please sign this petition and share it with others. Together, we can encourage our local leaders to invest not only in buildings and tourism, but in the people who call Bay County home.
Sign today and help us bring this much-needed resource back to our community.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on July 27, 2026