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For the Family

Shelter is Golden.  Let's Make it a Rule...

Unfortunately, we’re in for a lot more hurricanes than normal for the next 20 years. Only New Orleans is in more danger from hurricane storm surge than the Tampa Bay area.

If a hurricane comes, we have a responsibility to help our own. Shelter Is Golden enables caring people to safely and conveniently assist evacuees from a Category 1 or Category 2 storm. Here’s why your participation would be so valuable if you’re in a position to help:

  • Hardly any public shelters accept pets or evacuees with special circumstances (unless they require 24-hour access to medical care). In fact, the media and emergency management officials say that going to a shelter is a last resort. Even if most evacuees went to a shelter, there isn’t anywhere near enough space to go around.
  • Heading somewhere else can also be a bad idea. People fleeing Hurricane Charley found that out when the storm changed course and hit where it was supposed to be safe.
  • If traffic seems bad now, imagine the gridlock that could stop drivers in their tracks as a hurricane bears down. This actually happened in the Florida Panhandle (not exactly a metropolis) a few years ago. It’s a reason why officials say not to go far when it’s time to go.

All this explains why we invented Shelter Is Golden. Like every For The Family service, it encourages caring people to honor the Golden Rule by being their brother’s keeper.

  • We invite you to click here to see everyday people step forward in Shelter Is Golden
  • Please click here to enroll as a Host, or here if you want to learn more
  • Please click here to enroll as a Guest, or here if you want to learn more
  • Please click here to provide tax-deductible support where it will do the most good.


For the FamilyOf course, too many people who should evacuate just say no because their options seem so limited. Playing hurricane roulette can lead to disaster if your number comes up

We connect people who want to provide shelter with a compatible person or family that needs it. Every potential Host and Guest meets each other before any emergency to ensure that they can get along and weather the storm together. Their arrangement begins when a Hurricane Warning is declared and continues until people in public shelters are officially allowed to return home.

They’ve agreed on what to bring, and what the other person will furnish. We also do a criminal background check of each Host and Guest for everybody’s peace of mind. Thanks for understanding.