Nonprofits want daytime homeless shelter

[Charles Hunter]

What influx??  A proposed (but not approved, by anybody) day care center for the homeless at a yet to be named site (that lakelander and I have both proposed sites for)?  I bet they didn't plan for the spaceport the three-headed aliens from Alpha Centauri are going to establish in Maxville, either.

[CS Foltz]

Well Mr Charles...........would you agree there is a homeless problem downtown? If so then where will they go when the new Transportation Center is built? I don't think they will continue to stay where they are since they are usually either mobile or anchored in somewhere! I am sure that the new center will welcome them with open arms right?  Hay, how about we round them up and throw them into a box car or 6 smf just send them down to somewhere else? You do realize I am yanking your chain right? Gonna have to do something soon or downtown won't ever come to life! Just out of curiosity..........where were the proposed sites?

[Charles Hunter]

I suggested using the Sulzbacher center during the days (most are kicked out at 5am), thelakelander suggested the Dennis Street area, just west of downtown and the JTC.  I agree, something needs to be done - the questions are What? How much will it cost? and Who will pay for it?  oh yeah, Where? is important, too.

[fatcat]

as long as it's not locate near my hood, I am all for it. Anyone wants to volunteer their own hood?

[Overstreet]

Day shelter for superbowl....$70,000  for 14 days or $5,000 per day.

Day shelter for everyday........ $5,000 x 365 = $1,825,000.


I guess that is why they havn't done it already.

One question I have is will it have shopping cart parking? If everything they have is in "their" shopping cart and the shelter won't let shopping carts in they won't go there.

[CS Foltz]

Overstreet..........I agree! Whatever is set up will cost something for sure! I look at the Bank of Jacksonville shelling out $34.3 Million Dollars plus a $5 Million Dollar Grant to Vesco and have to ask why? If just one tenth of the handed out monies were directed into something that most of us agree on and about, we might be able to do something that would help downtown and all of our neighborhoods but with the current Administration more concerned about them and theirs.......won't happen anytime soon! This is something that City Hall should take the forefront on rather than ignoring the problem!

[tufsu1]

CS...everything costs something...but what $34 million did the City give to Vestcor...you mean the loan?  

btw, I'm pretty sure that most people on this site think that 11E and Carling have been good for downtown.

[zoo]

New facilites should be built in a centralized, but isolated location...

Agreed.

Imho, Jacksonville should stop using the word "entice" in any discussion/story about the homeless. Nationwide, the homeless already know there is much to entice them here.

Imho, the center shouldn't be so pleasant a place in which to shower, use the internet, watch TV that it will attract down-on-their-lucks from out of town, or that patrons decide they don't need to get a job b/c hanging around there is just fine enough.

[TPC]

I thought the library was the daytime homeless shelter.

[fsu813]

"Imho, the center shouldn't be so pleasant a place in which to shower, use the internet, watch TV that it will attract down-on-their-lucks from out of town, or that patrons decide they don't need to get a job b/c hanging around there is just fine enough."

- it's a fine line.

It would be very helpful to examine how other cities have had success.

[Overstreet]

I thought the library was the daytime homeless shelter.

......the bus station used to fall into this category.

[CS Foltz]

tufsu........I know everything costs something! Vescor got $17.8 Million Dollars  @ 1.5% and $16.5 Million @1.4% plus a $5 Million dollar grant.........totals up to $39.3 Million!  I would like to get that kind of money for that kind of cost...........my point is there was enough money to address the homeless situation and nothing has come from City Hall about it! The non-profits are thinking about this and not City Hall...........something is wrong with this picture don't you think?

[tufsu1]

tufsu........I know everything costs something! Vescor got $17.8 Million Dollars  @ 1.5% and $16.5 Million @1.4% plus a $5 Million dollar grant.........totals up to $39.3 Million!  

so, you mean the $34 million was a loan?  I'm sure the City would be willing to consider providing you a low interest loan as well, depending on the project you proposed and your development resume.

And maybe a daytime homeless shelter (run by a reputable group) could get that too!

[CS Foltz]

Yes tufsu....$34.3 was a low interest loan but $5 Million was a grant! A Grant mind you...........free, here is some money enjoy and that does bother me when you look at the overall picture.............do I need to remind you that we are discussing $29.4 Million that was not used for anything? Developement fee of $1.3 Million and $3.6 Million used for upgrades so what happened to the remaining $29.4 Million Dollars?? I am diverted........my point is that the $5 Million Dollar GRANT could have been applied to just this situation! Why was it not? So I am back to square one..........non-profits taking the lead and the City is busy acting like a bank  because Vescor are buddy's with Johnny............it is a matter of prioritizing and I can see just what matters to the City!

[cline]

my point is that the $5 Million Dollar GRANT could have been applied to just this situation! Why was it not? So I am back to square one..........non-profits taking the lead and the City is busy acting like a bank  because Vescor are buddy's with Johnny............it is a matter of prioritizing and I can see just what matters to the City!

I like what Vestcor did with the buildings so I think it was money well spent.  And quite frankly, I'd rather have money spent on rehabbing a building then on a daytime homeless shelter.  But maybe I'm just crass.