Helping the Homeless

Cities across the state rally to support at-risk population

by Kelli Gemmer, Florida League of Cities

While homelessness is not a new issue, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the matter. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), homelessness grew 2% last year, and Florida makes up 5% of the nation’s overall homelessness.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) creates a historic opportunity for cities to connect resources with best practices. The stimulus bill specifically targets homelessness, with nearly $5 billion dedicated to grants to states and local governments to help those presently or soon-to-be experiencing homelessness. (For more information on ARPA, see p. 34.)

Successful programs implemented by Florida cities over the past few years can be a source for new ideas. They include establishing outreach teams, implementing rapid rehousing programs and providing rental assistance.

GAINESVILLE’S HOMELESS TO HOUSING PROJECT

The City of Gainesville partnered with GRACE Marketplace, the City’s largest homeless shelter and service provider, to fight chronic homelessness by providing stable housing. The project targeted individuals living in Dignity Village, a makeshift encampment on city-owned land. With nearly 350 people in the encampment and three or four daily calls to Gainesville Fire Rescue, the City Commission approved a transition plan developed by the partners to close Dignity Village by matching occupants with a specialist to place them into housing.

GRACE Marketplace is Gainesville’s primary shelter located on city property and financially supported by the city.

Photo courtesy of GRACE Marketplace

Gainesville Assistant City Manager Deborah Bowie said, “The emergency of the pandemic gave us an opportunity to fast-track our commitment to housing first as the most effective policy toward ending homelessness.”

The City and its partners helped those at Dignity Village relocate to a managed, temporary campground area at GRACE. Outreach included a full-time outreach/transition liaison and a police team. With the City’s assistance, GRACE’s outreach teams reduced the Dignity Village population by 86% in one year. The calls to Fire Rescue decreased to less than one per day, and the weekly calls to the Police Department decreased by more than 75%. The camp closed in November 2020.

“What we’ve learned over the years is that the only way to solve homelessness is to shore up resources and partnerships to secure permanent supportive housing,” said Bowie.

Digital news outlet American City & County presented Gainesville’s project with a Crown Communities Award recognizing local governments whose projects offer value to their communities.

GRACE Marketplace is Gainesville’s primary shelter located on city property and financially supported by the city.

Photo courtesy of GRACE Marketplace

ST. PETERSBURG COMMITS FUNDING TO INITIATIVES

The City of St. Petersburg budgets over $2 million to address homelessness. Additional funding is provided through the City’s Housing and Community Development Department to support nonprofit organizations that provide services to individuals experiencing homelessness. The City also collaborates with Pinellas County to fund a rapid rehousing program.

One project is the Power of Change Homeless Initiative. The City used repurposed parking meters as donation stations, allowing the public to donate spare change to homeless programs instead of panhandlers. The initiative has collected more than $6,000 since 2014. All funds are used by the City’s Homeless Street Outreach Team to assist with emergency housing, diapers, food, family reunification and other emergency services. Learn how the donation stations make change count at bit.ly/3hW6uPY.

Last year, the City funded Family Works, a program that assists families in finding permanent housing when a local school identifies a child as homeless, housing unstable or residing in an emergency shelter or transitional housing. The program is operated by Directions for Living as a subcontractor to the Homeless Leadership Alliance and has served 87 families, including 218 children, since July 2021. Thirty-six of those families, including 95 children, have been placed in permanent housing.

Recycled parking meters in St. Petersburg encourage donations supporting the City’s homeless programs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF ST. PETERSBURG

The City also partners with the county and other organizations. Funding goes toward Pinellas Safe Harbor, an emergency homeless shelter and a jail-diversion program operated by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. The shelter opened through partnerships with the City, Pinellas County and homeless service providers.

ORLANDO UNVEILS LAUNDRY SERVICE TRAILER

The City of Orlando partnered with Service and Love Together (SALT) and Simply Healthcare to provide free laundry services to the homeless through a mobile trailer. The trailer is operated by SALT four days each week.

Constructed with six commercial washers and dryers, the trailer can complete an estimated 240 loads of laundry per week. In addition, SALT provides daytime services including a portable shower trailer, a clothing trailer, haircuts, storage services, hygiene products and food.

Orlando’s laundry trailer operated by SALT four days each week.

Photo courtesy of City of Orlando

“One of our community’s greatest strengths is our ability to forge partnerships to serve our neighbors in need with kindness and compassion,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “This spirit of collaboration and care is evidenced by the partnership with the City, SALT and Simply Healthcare to ensure that the basic needs of hygiene, food and clothing are provided to our most vulnerable neighbors.”

UNIFIED EFFORTS IN SARASOTA YIELD DECLINE

The City of Sarasota created a homeless response program in 2014 that has become a model across the nation. The program was in response to siloed social service efforts in the community. This new unified regional effort focused on a “housing first” mission has resulted in a more than 60% decline in Sarasota’s homeless population since 2014.

One of the main components contributing to Sarasota’s success was establishing Homeless Outreach Teams to help coordinate and deploy existing social services into the field. The City also launched the first dedicated court focused solely on homelessness in Florida, Community Care Court. This collaborative partnership between several organizations lets specialized professionals identify an individual’s root cause for remaining homeless and provide case management to prevent future criminal violations.

Sarasota’s Homeless Outreach Team case members in the field.

Photo courtesy of City of Sarasota

“Sarasota’s homelessness response is full of forward movement and, consequently, individuals experiencing homelessness have recently found their destination to be – a home,” said the City’s Homelessness Response Coordinator Kevin Stiff.

WEST PALM BEACH DESIGNATES STAFF AND TECH

The City of West Palm Beach is committed to providing opportunities for all. Following the 2019 closure of a large behavioral health center, the City’s Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) teamed up with local agencies to provide critical resources, such as on-street engagement and interventions, for individuals.

Last year, West Palm Beach implemented the Homeless Activity Reporter through the HCD. This tool at wpb.org/har allows the public to report when nonemergency city assistance or community resources are needed for someone experiencing homelessness.

Mayor Keith James (center) and representatives from the City of West Palm Beach, Southeast Behavioral Health Network and Community Partners of South Florida at The Village’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Photo courtesy of City of West Palm Beach

The Homeless Activity Reporter is one of many tactics the City has implemented to address the issue of homelessness. This technology will help city staff better connect the homeless with much-needed programs and services while, at the same time, giving residents a voice in addressing neighborhood concerns.

This summer, the City celebrated the opening of the first phase of their collaborative project, The Village. This 20-unit supportive housing complex provides independent, affordable housing, behavioral health services and other services. The second phase should be completed this fall and includes a renovated multipurpose center that will house services such as a peer support program.

FORT MYERS PARTNERS WITH COUNTY

The City of Fort Myers works closely with Lee County and other partners by providing support services including:

▸ Rapid Transition Collaborative. Eighty permanent housing units are used to provide short-term rental assistance and other services. The rates of returns to homelessness within six and 12 months of exiting the program are under 5%.

▸ Housing Outreach and Treatment Teams. Led by the Fort Myers Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, teams connect individuals to services including clinical services, behavioral health providers, human services and housing opportunities.

▸ 100 x 100 Housing Campaign. The Lee County Continuum of Care, a local homeless assistance planning network and HUD funding source, aimed to house 100 households in 100 days. This community collaboration in response to the pandemic successfully housed 121 households (193 individuals and 60 children) as of March 2021.

▸ Rent, Mortgage and Utilities Assistance programs. City and county programs provide emergency funds for rent/ mortgage, rehousing costs, unpaid utilities and more.

▸ Homeless Resource Center. The Salvation Army’s Homeless Resource Center provides basic needs, mental and medical services and job skills training.

“The level of collaboration between local government agencies and our nonprofit partners was tremendous in getting individuals experiencing homelessness the services needed in this time of public health crisis,” said Teresa Watkins Brown, City of Fort Myers Ward 1 Councilmember and President of the Florida Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials. “Our elected officials voted to allocate funds to cover short-term hotel room stays while individuals were in the approval waiting period for rapid rehousing, increasing stability in an otherwise uncertain process.”

Fort Myers’ Housing Outreach and Treatment Team in the field.

Photo courtesy of City of Fort Myers

LARGO POLICE EXPAND OUTREACH

Last year, the City of Largo Police Department launched a homeless outreach team that positions a designated officer who works directly with a social service professional to connect individuals to housing and services. Services include temporary and transitional housing, substance use and addiction support and medical care.

The Police Department designated one of its existing sworn officers as a homeless outreach officer. Largo Police Officer Matthew Steiner is paired with a street outreach caseworker from Directions for Living, a nonprofit organization serving vulnerable adults and children. Together, they help establish rapport with those experiencing street homelessness and link them to the Countywide Homeless Coordinated Entry System that prioritizes the most vulnerable individuals for shelter and housing.

A multi-department advisory committee includes Largo’s police, parks, library, housing, administration, fire rescue, public works and community standards departments. This interdepartmental approach streamlines service referrals, develops strategies to address needs through other channels than emergency response and aligns city efforts with partner organizations. These organizations include the Homeless Leadership Alliance, whose mission is to “prevent, divert, and end homelessness” through a coordinated regional approach across the county.

ST. AUGUSTINE POLICE PROVIDE BASIC NEEDS

In 2018, the City of St. Augustine set an objective in its strategic plan to provide resources that would help homeless individuals receive the basic necessities of life. As part of this long-term commitment to compassion and support, the St. Augustine Police Department (SAPD) implemented a Community Outreach Unit.

Dedicated officers build positive connections by reaching out to residents, discovering their needs and offering related resources. These resources include admission to the Department’s Family Reunification Program, roadside counseling, rehabilitation through the Habitual Off Program and rides for appointments.

St. Augustine Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit in the field.

Photo courtesy of City of St. Augustine

These officers provide services with Flagler Health Plus’ Care Connect program, which connects homeless individuals with a caseworker. The officers also refer individuals to St. Francis House, which has several beds funded by the SAPD.

Since implementing the Community Outreach Unit, the City has seen a significant improvement in managing homelessness. As of 2020, SAPD has helped 146 people get into a family support environment through its family reunification program, brought 223 people to beds at St. Francis House and brought 20 people into a rehabilitation facility through on-street counseling and working with judges.

JACKSONVILLE MAYOR’S TASKFORCE ALIGNS COMMUNITY EFFORTS

In 2017, Mayor Lenny Curry launched the Downtown Homelessness Taskforce to align the collective efforts of the public, private and philanthropic sectors that are focused on ending homelessness. This taskforce has played a critical role in the City of Jacksonville, protecting this at-risk population during the pandemic. The COVID-19 Shelter Taskforce, a subset of the Mayor’s Downtown Homelessness Taskforce, collaborated to create the shelter protocols that ensured coordination with area hospitals and the provision of non-congregate shelter, meals, testing and vaccinations.

In addition, the COVID-19 Shelter Taskforce launched the Pathway to Home Program, which provides individuals in unsheltered areas with a local extended-stay hotel room and food assistance for 30 days. This rapid rehousing program was created through a partnership with the City of Jacksonville, Sulzbacher, Mental Health Resource Center, Changing Homelessness, Downtown Vision, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and others.

“The impact of the pandemic presented unique challenges for our homeless providers, challenges that required significant changes to the way they operate,” said Curry. “I am proud of and grateful for the taskforce members’ dedication to meeting the needs of one of the City’s most vulnerable populations.”

Although the pandemic has strained these systems, ARPA offers an opportunity for local governments to work toward preventing and managing homelessness. With strong leadership and purposeful, strategic decision-making, municipal officials can make a significant difference.

Kelli Gemmer is the Assistant Editor for the Florida League of Cities.