What will happen to Manatee County’s homeless under new FL law? Officials make plans
Manatee County officials are developing new plans to get more people off the streets and into homeless shelters in response to a new Florida law.
The law, which went into effect Oct. 1, bans people from camping on sidewalks, parks and other public places. It requires cities and counties to move people into homeless shelters or camps. The new law also allows the police to arrest people for camping outdoors.
But in interviews with the Bradenton Herald, local law enforcement officials said they would prefer to connect homeless populations with social services instead of putting them behind bars.
Manatee County’s plan would create more homeless shelters for women, men and families. Local officials say the shelters would offer addiction treatment, job training and family reunification services.
County officials’ plans include transforming an old sheriff’s office building into a women’s shelter. The shelter, called Under One Roof, is set to open next summer at 407 57th Ave. E., Bradenton.
County officials also plan to build a new men’s shelter near the county jail. The shelter, called Fresh Start, is set to open in two years at 31st Terrace and Buckeye Road in Palmetto.
Currently, the Salvation Army operates the only homeless shelter in the county at 1204 14th St. W. in Bradenton. It serves children and families and has a capacity of around 150 people.
County officials plan to fund improvements to the Salvation Army shelter as part of their effort to expand services for homeless people.
Maj. Thomas Richmond, the corps officer for the Salvation Army of Manatee County, said he was happy to offer children, parents and grandparents a safe place to stay.
“It makes a world of difference in the lives of those children — not just today, but in the years ahead,” Richmond said.
Will homeless people be arrested under new Florida law?
Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said deputies would not arrest people if homeless shelters run out of room.
“If all the beds are full, and they want to go somewhere, and we can’t find a bed for them, then we can’t arrest them, and we won’t,” Wells said.
Meredith Censullo, a spokeswoman for the Bradenton Police Department, said the police would continue to enforce the city’s anti-camping law and offer people a ride to a homeless shelter or a bus ticket to a place where they have family.
Richmond said he hopes to see the community come together to help get more people back on their feet.
“I don’t think it should be a crime to be homeless, but I think it would be a crime if we as a community didn’t do something to help people in their time of need,” Richmond said.
