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Escambia County Program That Provides Bus Or Plane Tickets To Get Homeless Out Reaches Milestone
November 5, 2025
Escambia County’s Real Change Project Reconnect Program is celebrating a milestone of helping more than 300 individuals, including 13 children, reunite with their family, friends, or other support networks through free transportation assistance.
Real Change Project Reconnect was launched in February 2024, with a goal of reducing homelessness in Escambia County. The program offers resources and assistance for individuals travel to locations where they have a better support system to help them get back on their feet.
The program is funded by Escambia County and facilitated by Ministry Village at Olive, Inc. Through Project Reconnect, eligible individuals and families are provided with a bus or plane ticket to their chosen destination, provided they can demonstrate that family, a job, or support network is in place for them.
Due to the success of the program, the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners approved another increase in funding for the program from $53,527 to $89,706, providing even more opportunities to help individuals seeking assistance. Approximately $54,569 of the funding allocated for the program has been spent for the 307 individuals who have received assistance so far.
Escambia County Governmental Liaison Liz Kissel, who manages the program for the county, said she’s excited about using the additional funding to continue helping individuals who are looking for an opportunity to improve their circumstances.
“This milestone is another testament to the success of the Real Change Project Reconnect program, which is truly changing lives for the better and giving these individuals hope for a brighter future,” Kissel said. “I appreciate Ministry Village for their continued partnership and dedication to helping those in need in our community – this wouldn’t be possible without their support. I look forward to hearing even more heartwarming stories of people being reunited with their families and getting a chance at a fresh start through this program.”
The following individuals and families may be eligible for Real Change Project Reconnect:
- Individuals and families seeking family reunification and housing with their family or other support system.
- Individuals and families who have identified employment and need only short-term social service support to facilitate their transition to the arrival community.
- Individuals and families who have affordable permanent housing or other shelter options awaiting them in a community where they have family or social supports.
This program is just one part of Escambia County’s ongoing efforts to reduce homelessness in the community, and the county is continuing to work with community partners to strategize additional solutions for those experiencing homelessness.
For more information about Project Reconnect and other Escambia County Real Change programs and resources, visit MyEscambia.com/realchange or email homelessness@myescambia.com.
Comments
9 Responses to “Escambia County Program That Provides Bus Or Plane Tickets To Get Homeless Out Reaches Milestone”
So we’re basically getting rid of them by pushing them off to their out of state family members vs actually helping them get clean ,get recourses and remain off the streets to become independent ? How is this solving any problems ?? You’re just throwing the cheapest option out there to get rid of them . Fl is not kind to homelessness so don’t portray as if this is some kind of blessing . It doesn’t offer housing,food,dental -vision or medical care . Your “program” screams loud and clear “we don’t want to deal with this”. How is that godly ? You’re not pulling the wool over my eyes here .
Melissa: You are so right!
Bright Bridge Ministries in Pensacola has a food kitchen serving hot meals daily, Monday thru Friday, free culinary classes, a homeless emergency shelter, AND a mens sober living transition program.
Goodwill has a CNA program and a forklift program, as well as Google certifications.
There are programs out there, but they need support to grow!
sounds to me like all that is being done is the community pushing the ones that they are ashamed of right out of the state. I am curious though to know what happens to those not on drugs not drinking but have a very unhealthy family that don’t care about those who are homeless the ones that don’t have any living family. also what about the ones that got kicked out by family before adult hood and can’t get ahead at any time. there is always good on in everyone why not give all that fair chance
okay so what about the individuals who are homeless who have been turned away by their families not because of drug addiction or alcohol or anything of that matter just because they were abused and had trauma as a child and their family has turned them away and no longer wants to speak to them what do you do for people like that who turns to people and maybe get caught in a situation where they can’t get out of it and criminal activity may happen or they may be in the wrong place at the wrong time or accused of something that they did not do just because they look like somebody that fits the description of a person who did the crime now they are stuck with the criminal record what about those people you need to think about more than just trying to get rid of the people in the community that are homeless because that’s no fair either you’re trying to push the people who are homeless out of the community because you’re ashamed of them is that what it really is because I am confused
They’ll be back.
No matter what happens, God is to be God. He makes the increase. It is up to the individual to be or not to be clean. Thank you Jesus. I pray for them to seek the Lord in all they do. Lord I pray for you to look upon their situation and give them a desire for you and not the world. In Jesus name AMEN.
Thank you Jesus for the program and the funds to support this.
I’m praying for more laborers. In Jesus name AMEN
The Lord gave me another opportunity to be here and I pray for everyone to get the same opportunity. The will, the way, the power, the glory.
He’s worthy of it all. Thank you Jesus
What about those homeless that are addicted to drugs or alcohol? Those who have no family or support systems? Those with criminal records who can’t find decent employment?
There should be some type of program to help those people as well.
if I’m reading this correctly, success of the program is based upon how many people have been assisted to leave the community to reconnect with family and to restart elsewhere.
Are statistics being kept that show how many people have restarted successfully, and how many have gone back into homelessness and have separated again from family or assisting parties?
Success of this program cannot simply be determined by the number of individuals who have received funds. I’d like to see more information published on this.
This is the second article I have read about this program and I continue to be impressed with the results. Kudos to the county for seeing the benefit of sponsoring it and to the folks at Ministry Village at Olive for their making it happen.