Hope! Florida Aids Thousands Of People, Casey DeSantis, The First Lady, Says

DEBARYLIFE – With assistance from the Hope Florida program, the governor’s office projects that Florida may ultimately save close to a billion dollars.

Started by Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis, Hope Florida aims to strengthen ties between individuals and provide non-governmental assistance. It has been in existence for three years.

To demonstrate how the initiative operates, she helped bag groceries on Thursday.

“I always say you can have the best resources, you can have the best programs, but if you don’t know that they’re there, what good are they?” In a one-on-one conversation, DeSantis told us.

Hope Florida was piloted in certain strategic locations around the state before the first lady formally launched it in 2021. Originally, it was intended to be a more effective means of facilitating connections between the underprivileged and the corporate, charitable, and religious sectors.

Serving as a middleman, Hope Florida makes sure relief supplies reach the most remote areas. The advocates claim that it lessens the strain on Florida’s social services.

“It’s assisting individuals in discovering a more fulfilling life,” stated DeSantis. “Helping them live up to their God-given potential, helping them on a pathway to economic self-sufficiency.”

As of 2020, Hope Florida claims to have assisted over 87,000 Floridians since it began as a trial program. For food or cash, more than 25,000 of them have reduced or stopped using public assistance. Florida will save around $795,000,000 in savings in ten years, according to the state.

Kirsten Lovett and other Hope Navigators are the heart and soul of Hope Florida.

“We are someone that actually gives people hope,” she explained.

Lovett responds to inquiries by assisting in determining a person’s or family’s needs, just like a social worker would. Everything she enters is on the CarePortal website.

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Afterward, Hope Florida-enrolled organizations and churches receive an alert. They express their willingness to assist if they believe they can provide food, furnishings, or other necessities. After then, coordinators such as Lovett navigate.

“A lot of times families hear no — that denial kind of discourages them,” she continued. We accomplish that by placing those calls on their behalf. They just hear “yes” when we call them back.

The answer was yes on Thursday at City Church in Tallahassee. Moreover, Hope Florida is assisting Pastor Dean Inserra’s church in saying much more, according to him.

“It’s real easy to know that there are needs in the big picture, generically,” said Inserra. However, it sometimes gets so enormous that you think that by moving forward, you won’t be able to change it. We can state, “These are real individuals, with genuine difficulties, right next door,” and have a clear next step thanks to CarePortal.”

At Quincy, one family we met received the necessary care right next door or even down the street. Hope Florida is somewhat responsible for that, as well as a little more hope.

“If you are looking for hope, Hope Florida is a place to start, and it’s 850-300-HOPE,” DeSantis said.