In 1986, after several Tallahassee homeless people died from exposure to the freezing weather, a makeshift shelter was opened in a church basement. Today, the Shelter has its own facility where it provides a bed to over 5,000 persons a year and is the leader in Leon County in providing free meals seven days a week. Services provided include lodging, dinner, breakfast, showers, laundry service and emergency assistance to families and individuals with special needs, such as a bus ticket to reunite the homeless person with
relatives. The Shelter's cost to house one guest per night is $5.49. One day's incarceration for one person at the county jail costs taxpayers $65. During 2000, the Pepper Foundation provided funds and volunteers to support the programs and services of the Shelter.
