It was in downtown St. Petersburg at the resource center for ‘Hannah’s Homeless’ where Everyday Hero host Bill Murphy met its founder, Lisa Trunzo.

Although Trunzo has worked with the homeless for years, the center has been opened for about a year and operates on volunteer power.

All who are homeless are welcome.

At ‘Hannah’s Homeless,’ they can find soap, tooth paste and brushes and other personal hygiene items along with food and men’s and women’s clothing.

Washers and dryers are also available as well as counseling services and referrals.

It is a world Trunzo knew firsthand for years.

Homeless and addicted to drugs, it was the birth of a child that both saved her life and broke her heart.  She was, then, not capable of caring for herself let alone an infant.

“The guilt, the shame, the grief of having a child that I never got to bring home, at some point I think there was a bottom that happened, that I said, ‘I need to do something different. I’m going to die out here’,” Trunzo said.

Her daughter was placed for adoption.  Her name was Hannah.  The resource center was named in her honor.

The center also hosts make over days where some personal attention can make a world of difference.  They also hold the annual Christmas at Williams Park celebration.

Now married and a homeowner, Trunzo has two college degrees and is a registered nurse who works with veterans.

And she is at ‘Hannah’s Homeless,’ helping those who are walking a path she once traveled.

“In some ways it’s a way of giving back,” Trunzo said.  “In other ways I think that if someone whose been homeless before can stand up and represent the people that are here and be a voice of compassion and love.”