In danger right now
Emergency source [3]
Phone: call 911
Suicide or any crisis source [1]
Phone: call or text 988
Note: Free, 24/7.
Veterans in crisis source [2]
Domestic violence , The Spring of Tampa Bay source [4]
Phone: call or text (813) 247-7233, 24/7
Phone: TTY for deaf or hard of hearing callers (813) 248-1050
Phone: Florida domestic violence hotline (800) 500-1119
Runaway or homeless teens source [5]
Phone: 1-800-RUNAWAY, (800) 786-2929, 24/7
Not sure where to start
211 source [6]
Phone: dial 211 or (813) 964-1964
Note: Free, private, 24/7. You don't have to live here to call.
County help line source [7]
Phone: (813) 272-5220 for rent, food, health and the nearest county resource center
Homeless outreach that comes to you , Metropolitan Ministries BrigAIDe source [8]
Help with ID, food stamps, Medicaid, Social Security.
Phone: (813) 209-1044
Questions about the system , Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative source [9]
Phone: (813) 223-6115
Get on the housing list (Coordinated Entry)
Single adults, by last name source [10]
- A to G: Catholic Charities, (813) 631-4370 ext 5505 or 2221
- H to M and U to Z: Metropolitan Ministries, (813) 209-1240
- N to T: St. Vincent de Paul CARES, (813) 999-8973
Families with kids under 18 source [10]
- A to E: Catholic Charities, (813) 631-4370 ext 5505 or 2221
- F to K and V to Z: Dawning Family Services, (813) 245-9154
- L to P: Metropolitan Ministries, (813) 209-1240
- Q to U: St. Vincent de Paul CARES, (813) 999-8973
Ages 16 to 24 source [10]
EPIC youth hub
Phone: (813) 651-2850
No ID? Call anyway. The brochure says they can help you get documents. Being assessed is not a promise of housing.
Emergency Shelters, Call First
Salvation Army source [11, 3]
single men and women.
Where: 1514 N. Florida Ave, Tampa
Phone: (813) 549-0641
Note: First come, first served. Bring a photo ID.
Tampa Hope , Catholic Charities source [12]
Three meals a day, showers and laundry for residents.
Where: 3704 E. 3rd Ave, Tampa
Phone: Outreach Mon to Fri 9 to 4: (813) 394-2881
Community Housing Solutions Center , Ibis Healthcare source [11, 13]
single men and women, about 4 months, three meals a day.
Where: 3630 N. 50th St, Tampa
Phone: (813) 621-8781
New Beginnings of Tampa source [3, 14]
men and women, first come, first served.
Where: 8535 N. Nebraska Ave, Tampa
Phone: (813) 971-6961
Metropolitan Ministries source [8, 11]
families with kids and single women.
Where: 2301 N. Tampa St, Tampa
Phone: Intake (813) 209-1222, or apply online at metromin.org
ACTS source [11]
for people with mental health or substance use needs.
Where: 4403 W. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Tampa
Phone: (813) 237-4907
Mary & Martha House source [11]
single women and children.
Phone: (813) 645-7874
Note: Address kept private.
Family Promise of Hillsborough County source [15]
families with children.
Where: Day center 201 E. Morgan St, Brandon
Hours: Mon to Fri 8 to 5
Phone: (813) 681-6170
Homeless veterans source [16]
Phone: Veterans Affairs (VA) call center (877) 424-3838, 24/7
Beds fill fast. Call first if you can.
Free meals
Trinity Cafe source [17]
free hot sit-down meal or meal to go, no need to call.
Where: 2801 N. Nebraska Ave, Tampa
Hours: Mon to Fri 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, Sat and Sun 9 to 10 am.
The Bistro at Causeway Center , Trinity Cafe source [17]
Where: 3624 Causeway Blvd, Tampa
Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri 11 am to 4 pm. Tue and Thu 3 to 6 pm.
Metropolitan Ministries hot meals source [8]
breakfast, lunch and dinner at partner sites.
Phone: Map at metromin.org/get-help, or call (813) 209-1044
Showers and laundry
Homeless Helping Homeless source [18]
free showers, short-term storage, Wi-Fi and phone, open to non-residents too.
Phone: (813) 415-3586
Note: Call for address and times.
ShowerUp mobile showers source [19]
free, towel and toiletries provided.
Phone: Call or text (888) 210-0777 for the Tampa Bay schedule.
The Coffee Shop drop-in , The Drop source [3, 20]
showers, laundry, computers, internet, phones.
Where: 6220 N. Nebraska Ave, Tampa
Hours: 8 am to 1 pm.
Phone: (813) 272-2311
Note: City says Mon to Fri; the Initiative's guide says Tue and Thu. Call first.
Free Wi-Fi and computers: public libraries
Every full-service library source [21, 22]
free Wi-Fi (network name HCPLC), free computers and printing.
Computers: up to 3 hours a day with a library card. No card? Ask for a one-day Guest Pass (ages 17 and up).
Wi-Fi from the parking lot source [23]
Hours: 7 am to 11 pm at most branches.
Main library source [24]
John F. Germany
Where: 900 N. Ashley Dr, Tampa
Hours: Mon to Thu 10 am to 9 pm, Fri and Sat 10 am to 6 pm.
Phone: Questions: (813) 273-3652
Library card source [25]
free for Hillsborough County residents.
ID and mail
Free Florida ID card source [26, 47]
Hillsborough County Tax Collector.
No fee if you are homeless: bring your original documents plus a homeless letter from a shelter or halfway house dated within 90 days.
Also free: a Unity Card or Metropolitan Ministries ID.
hillstaxfl.gov.
Mail with no address (General Delivery) source [27]
Ybor City Post Office
Where: 2000 E. 12th Ave, Tampa
Hours: Mon to Fri 8:30 am to 5 pm, Sat 8:30 am to noon.
Phone: (813) 247-2416
Note: Ask at the counter how to address your mail.
Other help
Free civil legal help source [28]
Bay Area Legal Services
Hours: Mon to Fri 9 am to 4:30 pm.
Phone: (813) 232-1343
Getting around: HART buses and passes
HART bus fares source [29, 32]
$2 per trip. Pay on the bus with the Flamingo app or card, a contactless card or a phone wallet. On Flamingo, contactless or a wallet, you stop paying at $4 a day.
Cash needs exact change, because drivers carry none.
Route 1 was free until Jan 5, 2026. It now costs $2 like the rest.
Hours: HARTinfo Mon to Fri 5 am to 9 pm, Sat and Sun 6 am to 8 pm.
Phone: HARTinfo (813) 254-4278
HART reduced fare source [30, 31]
$1 per trip for seniors 65 and older, people with disabilities and Medicare cardholders. It is not based on income.
Get a Discount Flamingo Card for $3 and bring proof you qualify. Seniors bring a State of Florida ID.
Where: Marion Transit Center, 1211 N. Marion St, Tampa
Hours: Mon to Fri 6 am to 6 pm, Sat 8 am to 5 pm.
Sunshine Line free bus pass , Hillsborough County source [33]
Free daily or monthly HART pass. You must live within 3/4 mile of a HART route, have low income and have no other way to get around.
Ask at least 5 days ahead. Daily passes come by mail. Monthly passes load onto your Flamingo card.
Hours: Phone Mon to Fri 8 am to 5 pm.
Phone: (813) 272-7272
Note: We found no pass program just for people who are homeless, so this is the county route. No fixed address? Ask when you call.
TECO Line Streetcar source [29]
free to ride.
Food pantries: free groceries
Feeding Tampa Bay pantry finder source [34]
Find free groceries near you at ftb.org/findfood. Pick Hillsborough County or enter your ZIP. Most sites need no paperwork, but government food sites have a form. Walk-ups are welcome at drive-thru sites.
Hours: Hours differ by site. Call the site first.
Phone: (813) 254-1190. Text FTBFYI to 833-530-3663 for schedule changes.
Feeding Tampa Bay Market , free, by appointment source [35]
Open to everyone. No income, address or citizenship test. One visit every 30 days. Book online at feedingtampabay.org/market. Slots fill fast.
Where: 3624 Causeway Blvd, Tampa
Hours: Tue to Thu 1 to 7 pm, Fri 10 am to 2:30 pm.
Phone: (813) 254-1190
Salvation Army Tampa Area Command source [36]
the office, not the shelter. The shelter is at 1514 N. Florida Ave.
Where: 1603 N. Florida Ave, Tampa
Hours: Office Mon to Fri 8:30 am to 4 pm.
Phone: (813) 549-0641
Note: No pantry schedule is published. Call first.
Mobile pantry at University Area Community Center source [37]
No ID, papers or pre-screening needed.
Where: Front Park, 14013 N. 22nd St, Tampa
Hours: 3rd Wednesday of each month, 4:30 to 6 pm.
Phone: (813) 558-5212
Note: Call to confirm the schedule.
Saint Luke AME Church pantry source [38]
Where: 2709 N. 25th St, Tampa
Hours: Mondays 8 to 11 am. Holiday hours may change.
Phone: (813) 248-6753
Note: Call first to ask what to bring.
Community Resource Centers , Hillsborough County, once called Neighborhood Service Centers source [39]
Not a daily pantry. Call the county line to find the nearest center and ask about food events.
Hours: Mon to Fri 8 am to 5 pm.
Phone: (813) 272-5220
Hours change. Call first.
Free and low-cost clinics
The Drop , free medical and dental clinic source [40]
Opened Sept 2026. For people who are homeless and for uninsured or underinsured adults. Volunteer providers. Dental is by appointment.
Where: 6220 N. Nebraska Ave, Tampa
Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri 9 am to 1 pm.
Note: Call first.
Judeo Christian Health Clinic source [41]
Free care and some free adult dental. By appointment, not walk-in. Stop in to pick up an application and book a visit.
Where: 4118 N. MacDill Ave, Tampa
Hours: Mon to Fri 9 am to 5 pm.
Phone: (813) 870-0395
Note: Call first to ask what to bring.
Red Crescent Clinic source [42]
free for people who are uninsured or underinsured. All volunteer. Appointments required.
Where: 7328 E. Sligh Ave, Tampa
Hours: Tue to Sat 9:30 am to 2 pm.
Phone: (813) 246-5006
San Jose Mission Clinic , BayCare source [43]
free if you have no insurance and your income is below 200% of the poverty level. Some specialties and dental are limited.
Where: 13571 San Juan Diego Way, Dover
Hours: Mondays after 4:30 pm.
Phone: (813) 707-7376
Note: Call to confirm.
Ibis Healthcare , formerly Gracepoint source [44]
Primary care, mental health and recovery care. No one is turned away for inability to pay. The fee is on a sliding scale.
Where: 5707 N. 22nd St, Tampa
Hours: Mon to Fri 8 am to 5 pm.
Phone: (813) 272-2244
Suncoast Community Health Center source [45]
Sliding fee, $25 to $120 by income. Walk-ins welcome if there is space. Medical, kids' dental, behavioral health and pharmacy. New patients bring a photo ID, and proof of income if uninsured.
Where: 313 S. Lakewood Dr, Brandon
Hours: Mon to Fri 7:30 am to 5 pm.
Phone: (813) 653-6100
Tampa Family Health Centers source [46]
Sliding fee by income. Services are not free. Uninsured people are welcome. Bring proof of income.
Where: Causeway site, 7608 Causeway Blvd, Tampa
Hours: Mon to Fri 7:30 am to 8 pm.
Phone: (813) 397-5300
Note: Other sites have different hours. Call first.
Hillsborough County Health Care Plan source [47]
Free coverage for eligible county residents with low income (at or below 175% of the poverty level) and no Medicaid or Medicare. You must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident and show two proofs of residency. A Unity Card or Metropolitan Ministries ID counts as one, and it is free if you are homeless.
Phone: (813) 272-5040
Note: Call first for office hours.
Checked Oct 25, 2026, on official sources. Hours change, so call first.
Every listing was checked on its official source Oct 15, updated Oct 25, 2026. Programs change. If a number doesn't work, call 211.