Barb and her husband, the late Rev. Otis C. “Preacher” Green, began their mission to end homelessness in the 1970’s at the Clearwater church, Everybody’s Tabernacle, where Otis was the pastor. A family with three children within the congregation was in need of a home, after the father got injured at work. Barb and Otis allowed the family to live in a house they owned rent free, while they got back on their feet. Word spread about the charitable acts of the church and soon, Barb and Otis were running a large shelter program, providing food and housing to those in need. In 1986, Barb and Otis founded HEP, Inc. to better meet the immediate needs of a growing number of homeless individuals and families in Pinellas County.

Today, Barb is just as committed to helping individuals break the cycle of homelessness as she was when HEP first began. Barb works in the development department of HEP, after stepping down as President and CEO in 2013. She has a superior standing in the community and has been awarded numerous accolades for her devotion to the local homeless community. Barb received Sertoma’s International Service to Mankind Award in 2016, the William E. Hale Community Spirit Award in 2014, the Pinellas County Homeless Leadership Network’s Champion of Homeless Adults and Children award in 2012, and the Pasco Homeless Coalition’s Community Champion Award in 2011. Originally from Alabama, Barb currently lives in Clearwater.

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