Manatee County takes a ‘giant leap’ in helping the homeless with a coordinated effort
Manatee County leaders are dedicating new positions and a task force toward making sure homeless people get the resources they need.
Community organizations met with the Board of County Commissioners Tuesday morning to talk about plans to tackle a homeless crisis. While challenges include a shortage of affordable housing and mental health and drug addiction resources, experts say better communication is key to helping.
The meeting was seen as a major development in making a community that offers a safety net of social services.
“It was a giant leap forward. Now we see where it goes from here to execute, but it’s an absolute jump forward,” said Chris Johnson, CEO of the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness.
“I think we knocked it out of the park as far as the homeless crisis goes because we’re beginning to take the steps needs to address this,” said Commissioner Misty Servia, who has encouraged the board to find ways to assist the homeless. “We’re 10 to 15 years behind, so we have a lot of catching up to do, but we got a great start today.”
Over the years, local homeless assistance groups haven’t always communicated about the services they offer and don’t. Commissioners want to change that by launching a new task force and a homeless outreach coordinator to make sure everyone is on the same page.
“We have no shortage of organizations in this area — the Sarasota and Manatee County area — that are focusing on the problem,” County Administrator Scott Hopes said. “What there appears to be, in my opinion, is a lack of coordination and collaboration.”
County commissioners also voted to begin researching the possibility of a Florida Housing Coalition study for Manatee County. The organization produced a similar report for Sarasota County in 2018, which has been described as a “game-changing” development for the homeless.
“That study transformed the system for Sarasota. It put everyone on the same page and that’s been missing in Manatee,” Johnson said. “We don’t know what services are out there and who’s doing what. This study will give us a game plan for how resources should be allocated and how agencies can operate within the system to give the community what it needs.”
A homeless outreach coordinator position has also been requested by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, which has one deputy, Joy Jewett, assigned to assist the homeless.. Speaking with commissioners Tuesday, Jewett pleaded with them to provide support to make her job easier.
“We have horrible partnerships. I go down to Sarasota and it breaks my heart to see how they have all these agencies to work together, and I’m begging people to come help me,” Jewett told the board. “When I see people on the street who need help, I have nowhere to send them.”
Jewett also stressed the need for a case manager to follow up with homeless people after they receive support from one of the organizations. Commissioners approved that request as well.
Amid the rising cost of housing in Manatee County, homelessness has become a top priority for county leaders. Earlier this year, the board made a commitment to spend $15 million toward redesigning the former jail building in downtown Bradenton into a full-service center for homeless veterans.
Board members expect to discuss homeless outreach programs in the coming months.
“I was very proud of the action and work that our board took today,” Servia said Tuesday. “We accomplished more than I’ve seen in one meeting ever.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 9:39 AM.
