Florida– The Department of Children and Families say they’re seeing positive trends in the state’s homeless problem.

The state uses the annual 24 hours counting event known as the point in time, to determine the total number of homeless people on the streets or in shelters.

The information helps determine the county’s state and federal funding levels for homeless programs.

The most recent point in time count took place at the end of January.

Volunteers with the Homeless and Hunger Coalition of Northwest Florida spend the 24 hour period canvassing areas where the homeless are known to congregate and record their information.

This year’s results show the homeless population in Bay County to be about the same as last ear, but significantly less than 2011, which was the peak of the homeless local problem.

The state numbers are very positive.

The homeless rate was down by 10,000 people this year and the overall number is down 25% since 2007.

While the findings are optimistic, the report also found too many children, families and US veterans remain homeless.

source: http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/Homelessness-in-Florida-Drops-Across-the-State-215591841.html

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=10930

In William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, Juliet is quoted as saying ” A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” to imply that names of things does not matter, only what things are. But if one were to ask most marketing, branding and public relations professionals an entity generally changes their name because of a problem and so seems to be the case with the management at the “Panama City Rescue Mission” who have recently changed the name of their operation to “Pathways Christian Recovery Ministries”. Billy Fox and the BOD of the now Pathways Christian Recovery Ministries have overplayed their hand and worn out their welcome in the downtown community. After years of thumbing their nose at those who voiced concerns or objections to how they ran their operations and its effect on downtown, they now find themselves feeling the impact of their arrogance with donations significantly down and former supporters looking at alternative organizations to fill the needs of the less fortunate in our community. It has now put them in the awkward position of trying to now be someone else. It is no longer  a good thing to carry the label of being the “Panama City Rescue Mission”.  As part of their “rebranding” effort it is noted that there was great effort into developing a new name that allowed them to retain the same abbreviation of PCRM as their banner. This move allows them to be the “Pathways Christian Recovery Ministries” when it is in their best interest to try to distance themselves from previous bad behaviors while still offering a tone of familiarity to the community when trying to appear as though they are a well established and respected entity within the community. You can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig