On May 23rd, the Leon County Commission will hold a workshop focused on homelessness. During the workshop, the Commission will be provided a report related to the issue along with a number of proposed actions.
Staff is asking the Commission for an additional $500,021 in Federal Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Funding to expand emergency homeless shelters. Additionally, staff is asking for the joint agreement between Leon County, City of Tallahassee and Big Bend Continuum of Care (COC) to be extended for an additional year to utilize the $625,000 of the American Rescue Plan Act funds to continue programs for the homeless.
Additional staff recommendations include:
*Continue to support the Sheriff’s HOST Deputies with County ARPA funding previously allocated to the Sheriff’s Office for the positions.
*Direct staff to develop a countywide ordinance to make it unlawful to hold a sign or display advertisement in the median of a road for any reason.
*Adopt a community campaign to reduce panhandling that includes the establishment of signs developed in partnership with the City of Tallahassee and Big Bend Continuum of Care, to be placed at medians on select County roads.
*Direct staff to bring back an agenda item to explore options for long-term and dedicated line-item funding for emergency homeless shelters for FY 2025.
*Direct staff to develop a draft policy to require affordable rental developments seeking County funding or bond authorization to set aside a portion of the units for individuals or families exiting homelessness.
The Number of Homeless Increase in 2023
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2022 saw the highest number of homeless in the recorded history of data collection. The COC has been recognized by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the State of Florida as the regional planning and oversight organization for homelessness in Leon County. The COC Governing Board includes a City Commissioner, a County Commissioner, representatives from FAMU, FSU, TCC and homeless service providers.
Each year during the last week of January, the COC conducts a Point-In-Time count of the homeless (PIT). The PIT allows the COC to evaluate the top priorities to develop recommendations that address the highest need of our community’s homelessness crisis. The PIT count consists of COC leaders physically counting each individual who is experiencing homelessness.
The 2023 PIT count indicates that the community experienced a 22% increase (801 vs. 659 in 2022) in the overall homeless population after three consecutive years of reductions. The PIT count covers an 8-county region which includes Gadsden, Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Liberty, Franklin, Madison and Taylor counties.
Leon County to Hold Homelessness Workshop added by Tristyn Leigh on
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IMO, it is a job market dysfunctionality/friction problem. Employers cry “I just can’t find **qualified** people (with flexible ethics & willing to work for below-market compensation)! Boo hoo hoo.” They need to — and need to expect to have to — invest more in new-hire and retained employee training & relocation.
I had a relative who considered taking an advertised VP position at the U here, but when he looked into it, found he would have to take a big cut in pay, housing, etc. to come here, and instead stayed in exurban Reds-subjugated Chicagoland for a better position at the juco.
But the U, the court people, some of the state gov people, some of the STEM (science, tech, engineering, math) hiring managers I’ve talked with are expecting too much, too much for what they actually need in the way of talent/skills, won’t look at able & willing applicants unless they have just the right credentials from just the right places. Many are looking for people to engage in/facilitate the company’s or agency’s unethical activities, apps, etc. (e.g. privacy violations, sketchy scams). So then they ramp up the gigging & bringing in more foreign labor, or shipping the work off-shore… driving down USA citizen compensation & prosperity down.
People without ready cash reserves cannot buy more training, cannot self-relocate, etc. so they get stuck and eventually become homeless.
Then again, many companies in TLH & elsewhere are also always scrabbling to get by, “hanging by a thread” as we had Rod Tidwell / Cuba Gooding remark about Jerry Maguire/ Tom Cruise. Love those econ/finance stories about the people who had ONLY $5K, or recently ONLY $500M to invest in their start-up magazine, tech-tabloid publishing, food brand, OEM vehicle parts… business. But our parents/grand-parents were able to buy a home on a half-acre or more for egg money, far less than what they are demanding for those electric toy cars these days.
David T. Hawkins, I read and questioned the PIT count as well. Throwing more taxpayer dollars into “prevention programs” is not working as tolerance for drug use just lets the users stay high and not care about their circumstances. Police and Sheriffs need to enforce ordinances and laws, let the Churches and nonprofits help those that reach out to them. All this “government coddling” is creating more homelessness.
Blue city solution. Throw money and feelz good. No actual results needed. Failure blamed on “them”.
Look at what the City of Coronado, CA did to tackle their homeless problem. You either get help and the city will help you connect with the proper services you need, get arrested or get out. Homeless problem solved, full stop.
LCSO and TPD have no business conducting homeless outreach. That’s not their job. They are here to provide public safety and enforce the laws of the state and local government(s). City and County ordinances need to be in place to stop the insanity of streetside and median panhandling and basic trespassing and public decency laws must be enforced.
No extra money is needed to be thrown at this homeless problem. The only thing needed is sanity and basic common sense.
You can sum this story by saying, more taxpayer money will be thrown at a problem local government has no idea how to solve.
“The PIT count covers an 8-county region which includes Gadsden, Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Liberty, Franklin, Madison and Taylor counties.”
So, Just to clarify, you’re saying that there are a total of 801 Homeless in all 8 Counties combined?