Tampa Bay Homeless Resource:About

The Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County, the lead agency in training, education, and advocacy on behalf of the homeless population, joined forces with Julia Gorzka (Julia Gorzka, Inc.) and Jimmy Wales (Founder of Wikipedia) to launch the Tampa Bay Homeless Resource wiki - a collaborative website for advocates, service providers, government and citizens to share and find information on services, resources, news and volunteer opportunities to help end homelessness in Tampa Bay.

Hillsborough County is home to the largest homeless population in the state of Florida with almost 10,000 homeless citizens on the street every day. The wiki provides an innovative solution to an old problem: the need for a central location where comprehensive, current and accurate information on homeless services can be easily found. The wiki format provides us with a dynamic resource where any citizen can contribute to or access information regarding homelessness.

“I kept hearing about the need for a ‘one-stop shop’, a central location where citizens in need could go and get direction on how to get help. With huge obstacles like funding, making it impossible to realize a physical central location, we got the idea to create a virtual community resource.” - Julia Gorzka
“The great thing about a wiki is that it provides a tool for quality organization without central planning or top down control. Anyone in the community who wants to help out, can help out. Every service provider can check and update their own entry to make sure the information is timely and accurate. Ordinary community members who are Internet savvy can help improve the wiki as a way to get involved.” – Jimmy Wales, Founder Wikipedia

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this new resource to the community, specifically for our homeless neighbors and those working to improve the quality of their lives. This wiki will provide up to date information that printed publications cannot.” - Rayme L. Nuckles, Chief Executive Office, Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County.