DeSantis announces expansion of Hope Florida program

(The Center Square) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that he will expand Hope Florida, an initiative spearheaded by first lady Casey DeSantis.

DeSantis said that in early August, Hurricane Debby hit the Big Bend region and caused flooding throughout the Gulf Coast and southwest Florida. He said Hope Florida was involved in helping people get back on their feet.

"Hope Florida was spearheaded by the first lady several years ago and the impetus for it is just the recognition that government cannot solve all these problems that we deal with as a people," DeSantis said. "Particularly when you start talking about people that are less fortunate, they may need a hand-up."

DeSantis added that making people dependent on the government does not lead to the realization of their dreams, which is why many government bureaucracies fail to solve social issues.

"What Hope Florida sought to do, is to recognize we have all these resources throughout our communities — our churches, our charities, individual volunteers, businesses that wanna help — that we can tap into," DeSantis said. "So, rather than think government and be in that silo, let's use government as a way to connect people in need to all these great resources."

Since Hope Florida's launch, DeSantis noted that 30,000 people have either completely or partially eliminated their need for government financial assistance and are moving on a path to self-sufficiency.

"It's better for those folks and also better for the taxpayers and so based on our efforts so far, Hope Florida-related initiatives are projected to save taxpayers almost a billion dollars over the next ten years. Why? Because you have needs, those needs are being met by all these great resources we have," DeSantis said.

DeSantis said Hope Florida helps people become self-sufficient enough to stay off public assistance for the long term and is within several Florida agencies, such as the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Elder Affairs.

Veterans are also linked to resources through Hope Florida, which includes mental health resources and job placements. DeSantis noted that other states follow Florida's lead with initiatives like Hope Florida.

"We have other states that have come down here, studied what we're doing with Hope Florida and then they're implementing it in their states respectively," DeSantis said.