Sarah Combs has been leading organizations that uplift the most vulnerable in the community for decades. After spending 15 years leading community development efforts, Combs is now making a difference as CEO of , Tampa Bay鈥檚 leading nonprofit serving the homeless or those at risk of homelessness. In the past year, the nonprofit, with an annual revenue of $49.7 million for 2025, served over 2.6 million meals, provided over 157,000 nights of safe shelter, and helped over 14,000 families through their family support centers. She sat down with us to answer 10 questions on leading business for good.
1. Growing up, have you always wanted to be a community builder and advocate?
I was recently asked this question in a 最新天美传媒 interview class. They鈥檙e interviewing me and I said, 鈥淚 always knew I was meant to represent people who didn鈥檛 have a voice and to bring a voice to those underrepresented.鈥 But they kept digging deeper. As they were pulling more questions out, I realized I did all these things 鈥 built housing, built a park 鈥 because it鈥檚 exactly what my mother did for the community in Dove Creek, Colorado. And I never made that connection. I was trying to create that sense of belonging by building this social network of supports in the community, just like my mom had done. And it took a USF class to be able to show me that.
2. If you weren鈥檛 working to help the community鈥檚 most vulnerable, what would you be doing?
Advocating for farmers. I grew up in a small community. I鈥檓 a farmer鈥檚 daughter. My dad鈥檚 a dry land farmer. I understood the importance of growing food locally. I鈥檝e seen how small farms have been wiped out. We鈥檙e so reliant on these bigger conglomerate food industries. So, I always felt there needed to be a voice for the local farmer.
3. A hallmark of your work with the University Area CDC was not only transformative, building housing and parks, but also the public perception piece of it. Is there a public perception of Metropolitan Ministries you want to change?
Oftentimes, the individuals who are coming into our shelters, mostly single moms and children, are not seen for who they are. They鈥檙e seen for their circumstances. Incredibly, 97% of them don鈥檛 return to homelessness. So, it鈥檚 about understanding that they are more than their circumstances. Their situation doesn鈥檛 define them. We鈥檙e successful at what we鈥檙e doing because it鈥檚 that personcentered approach. We are meeting them where they are. It鈥檚 not a cookie-cutter approach where everyone comes in and gets the same box, right? It鈥檚 understanding holistically, how do we meet that person where they are? We provide them with the support that they need to be successful.
4. Of your accomplishments, what are you most proud?
The Harvest Home Park is the most important project that I鈥檝e done by far. It taught me the most. Oftentimes, we learn more from our failures than we do from our successes. I thought we were going to build housing. Everyone needs housing, right? We鈥檙e in an affordable housing crisis. I started talking to the community, and it made me realize how wrong I was...and the importance of understanding the lived experiences in our community. They said, 鈥淲e want a park. We want a place where our kids can meet and play. We want a place for parents to connect. We want a place where they can be safe and well.鈥 After we built the park, crime was reduced by over 60%. The park became the heartbeat of the community. Building it spurred redevelopment that was grounded in the community because they were involved in every piece of it.
It鈥檚 not about you. It鈥檚 about the greater good. It鈥檚 about what we鈥檙e trying to achieve or accomplish. If we take the focus off ourselves, take that energy and focus on the people we鈥檙e trying to serve, you can go such much further.
5. What keeps you focused?
My faith keeps me grounded and focused. God has been directing my path and I鈥檓 here at Metropolitan Ministries because I know this is where I鈥檓 supposed to be. For me, working for 15 years in a community, it鈥檚 so hard to leave that community. But when you have a clear understanding of where you鈥檙e meant to be and where you鈥檙e supposed to be, it makes it a lot easier. Every decision I make is grounded in God, faith and family.
6. What鈥檚 the best advice you鈥檝e ever received?
There鈥檚 so many little nuggets I鈥檝e received along the way. An overarching one that always comes back is, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about you.鈥 And understanding what that means. It鈥檚 about the greater good. It鈥檚 about what we鈥檙e trying to achieve or accomplish. If we take the focus off ourselves, take that energy and focus on the people we鈥檙e trying to serve, you can go such much further.
7. What advice would you give others on being an effective leader?
The most important part is listening. I haven鈥檛 mastered it. Starting in this new role as CEO, I made myself take four months of only active listening. There were no changes. So that was hard for me, because I鈥檓 like a do-it- kind-of-person. Oftentimes, we鈥檙e so busy listening to respond. We鈥檙e formulating a response already in our head instead of just listening, to hear it with no other intention other than to gain the information, insight and true understanding.
8. What do you hope to accomplish in this new role?
At the end of the day, how do we help more families? That is where I see the work that drives me. My goal is to help more children and families and to break that cycle. It鈥檚 getting them equipped with the tools, the knowledge, and the information they need to be fully self-sufficient. And then allowing their children to flourish because they have all those support systems in place.
9. What upcoming projects are you most excited about?
The opportunities for attainable housing. In order to stabilize a family, you have to stabilize their living situation. They can鈥檛 focus on anything else unless they feel safe. When they have a roof over their head and feel safe, they can start focusing on all the other different areas. We鈥檙e looking at doing more housing in the near future. And doing that in a way that meets residents where they are, by providing affordable housing, as well as those programs and services as wraparound support. That鈥檚 a space where I鈥檓 very excited about and where we鈥檒l really meet the need.
10. What is one thing that people would be surprised to know about MetroMin?
Two things. One, 97% of our families don鈥檛 return to homelessness. When I first started, I had someone factcheck that because it sounds too good to be true. That鈥檚 impressive. I think it鈥檚 because of our holistic approach to meeting families right where they are. And knowing every family is different. Every family has different strengths and weaknesses.
Another surprising thing is that we have a school that we operate here. The Patricia Sullivan Metropolitan Ministries Partnership School is across the street. About 80% of the kids who go to that school are from here. If you give our kids an opportunity to learn and flourish, and give them access, they are rising to the occasion.