Ring Ring Southshore
Big news, Southshore: starting May 1, there’s a new way to get help without needing to memorize 27 different phone numbers, scroll through websites made in 1998, or shout “representative!” into your phone for 20 minutes.
Introducing the South Shore Senior Hotline: 813-419-4902. One number. Real people. Actual answers.
Here’s how it works: if you’re a senior (or someone who loves a senior) living south of the Alafia River, you can now call this free hotline for just about anything that’s not an emergency. Need a ride to the doctor? They’ve got you. Need someone to change that lightbulb that’s been flickering like a horror movie prop? Done. Need the address of that place you swore you wrote down but now can’t find? Boom. They’re on it.
They’re even offering a “Chore Corps”—basically superheroes in sneakers who will help with minor household tasks like replacing smoke detector batteries, fetching mail, or even changing air filters (because let’s be honest, half of us don’t even know where those things are located).
The hotline is staffed by real, live, friendly volunteers Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No robots, no endless hold music, no “your estimated wait time is 74 minutes.” Just humans who genuinely want to help.
And if you’re thinking, “Yeah, but I’ll probably just get a recording,” fear not—if you call after hours, you can leave a message, and someone will actually call you back. It’s like 1995, but better.
This whole thing came together thanks to the South Shore Coalition for Mental Health and Aging, Seniors in Service, and the Greater SouthShore Chamber of Commerce. Honestly, they deserve a standing ovation (or at least a hearty thumbs-up from your recliner).
Bottom line: starting May 1, if you need help, call 813-419-4902.
Because in Southshore, we take care of our own—one phone call (and one heroic lightbulb change) at a time.