Florida Times-Union editorial: Solutions available to vagrancy problem

[Tacachale]

As Mayor Alvin Brown pursues his quest to revitalize downtown, he must address the persistent presence of vagrants and panhandlers.

The homeless are dominating the downtown scene. That's hardly the image Jacksonville wants to project.

Homelessness is severe and growing in Jacksonville, where several nonprofits and volunteers are working diligently to address the problem, providing food, beds, rehabilitation programs and jobs counseling.

But in downtown, one category of homelessness is especially problematic: Vagrants sleeping on benches, panhandling, relieving themselves in public, bathing in library restrooms - and costing taxpayers a lot of money.

Last year, Sheriff John Rutherford spent $1.6 million to house homeless people in the jail, mostly following arrests for misdemeanors.

Jail is no deterrent for the hard core. They call it "three hots and a cot," he said.

In all, nearly 900 different offenders were arrested. Some spent one or two nights, some spent weeks or months there, all at $60 per night. Most were back on the streets in a day or two.

Maybe it is time for a different approach.

Rutherford proposes a center far from downtown, perhaps near the Baker County line.

The mayor should consider approaches in St. Petersburg and San Antonio, two cities that have substantially rid their streets of vagrants.

A city of enablers

Robert Marbut, a consultant who has studied homelessness in nearly 500 communities and who worked with St. Petersburg and San Antonio to address the homeless, says most cities perpetuate the problem, needlessly.

"We don't help the homeless by enabling them," he says.

In Jacksonville, enabling too often is the approach to the homeless population, including the many vagrants.

Enabling comes in the form of hot meals in several locations, official tolerance of sleeping on the Riverwalk, short jail stints, a shortage of rehabilitation programs and well-intended but gullible people who respond to panhandlers.

So many people and even businesses shun downtown, which is disastrous for revitalization efforts.

Marbut's approach is simple: Stop making it so easy to be a vagrant; make it more desirable for vagrants to seek help; and then redirect resources to assist them in a better calculated effort.

In both St. Petersburg and San Antonio, a facility was dedicated to the "transformational" program that Marbut advocates. Mayor Julian Castro of San Antonio said there has been a noticeable improvement, though a new homeless facility has been more expensive than expected.

In Jacksonville, there's been talk for years about the need for a day center for the homeless, including a recent recommendation from the mayor's transition committee.

A reform agenda

Other aspects of a successful transformation are more important than a building, says Marbut. His recommendations:

- Establish a culture embraced by all providers that encourages the homeless to change and integrate back into society. Services should be coordinated among agencies, and a case manager should be assigned when a homeless person enters the system to reduce gaming the system and to better help the individual.

- Establish rewards for good behavior and for making good choices, and consequences for bad behavior.

"Get to the point that the person on the street has to make choices," Marbut says. That choice is jail for longer periods if arrested again, or entering a rehab or training program to become more productive and self-sufficient. If sentences are severe enough, rehab becomes more appealing. Cut off free food to those who spurn help.

- End panhandling through rigorous law enforcement and education.

"Most panhandlers are not truly homeless but are preying on the good nature of citizens to get tax-free dollars," Marbut observes. "Don't spend your dollar for OxyContin, give it to the rescue mission."

The hundreds of homeless that used to be on the streets of St. Petersburg has dwindled to a handful, according to a recent Associated Press story.

Jacksonville has nearly 3,000 beds for homeless men, women and children spread among several agencies and facilities: the Sulzbacher Center, the Clara White Mission, City Rescue Mission and Trinity Rescue Mission, among others.

Even so, this city needs an additional 1,400 beds to serve the growing population, according to the Emergency Services & Homeless Coalition. The homeless population has grown rapidly as the recession has endured.

Despite existing good programs, in the wake of economic misfortune many more are being left homeless - jobless men and women, often along with children - and in genuine need of help.

The numbers are so striking as to compel action by the mayor and City Council.

But for that slice of homeless best described as vagrants and panhandlers, who live on downtown streets and are costly to taxpayers, the enabling needs to stop.

The mayor isn't likely to succeed with downtown revitalization until he seizes upon better solutions to the homeless problem. The change-driven programs in San Antonio and St. Petersburg offer good models that deserve close inspection.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/editorials/2011-09-18/story/solutions-available-vagrancy-problem

Some interesting points, and a lot that will surely rankle the Metrojacksonville regulars. What do y'all think?

[acme54321]

Sounds about right.

[ChriswUfGator]

I recently worked as a volunteer for the Salvation Army on the United Way-sponsored database that cross-references all the different services providers with the individual recipients. They are tracked by name, birthday, social security number, address, and generally have their  photographs taken, when they use services at any of the homeless assistance facilities.

There is no "gaming" the system, that's a complete myth perpetuated by people making assumptions who don't know any better. If you receive any service at any facility in the city, the other facilities will know about it. Double-dipping is this assumption that doesn't actually exist. It's a shame to see it perpetuated by the Times-Union.

The other points in the article are equally silly, for example incentivize good choices and disincentivize bad choices. Get real. They are already living through the worst repercussion one can imagine, living on the streets or under a bridge. Sometimes due to their own choices, many times due to factors outside of their control. Adding "punishment" on top of the reality of their day-to-day life, which is lived on park benches, hungry, cold, and tired, harrassed and arrested, is going to do absolutely nothing. They already face much worse than we could throw at them just waking up in the morning.

FWIW, I'm not talking about the problem-cases and professional panhandlers, who almost always are never actually homeless in the first place. Most of the panhandlers do it as a job, not because they are homeless. This, to me, amounts to punishing the people who do need help as a response to the actions of those who don't need help but annoy us. And that could be addressed by simply running off the panhandlers, which JSO declines to do. But creating additional hurdles or disincentives for the actual homeless will do nothing to address the behavior everyone objects to when they refer to this problem, which is generally perpetrated by a completely separate group of crazies and professional panhandlers who are even homeless.

[Bridges]

A lot of what he mentions is already in place or been studied and the results ignored. 

If you truly want to understand the homeless issue, and think that any of this man's ideas make sense.  I encourage you to read the Blueprint for the Future http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=6&sqi=2&ved=0CEEQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abilityhousing.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2010%2F03%2FBlueprint%2520final.pdf&rct=j&q=ten%20year%20plan%20to%20end%20homelessness%20jacksonville&ei=k6R3TqTHDoTg0QH7zvHpDQ&usg=AFQjCNH2oTLM2TbSqy4wnEVvHRx_MkDzfw&cad=rja

Of course, all this work was done, solutions and plans were made and then the whole things was ignored by the previous administration.

[Bridges]

- Establish a culture embraced by all providers that encourages the homeless to change and integrate back into society. Services should be coordinated among agencies, and a case manager should be assigned when a homeless person enters the system to reduce gaming the system and to better help the individual.

This is done.  Of course, when they're overloaded right now, how do you propose they deal with it?  This is one of the absolute leanest times for non-profits, and yet they're needed more than ever.  It's also a time with a volatile political environment that seems to enjoy making sure there is no support.

- Establish rewards for good behavior and for making good choices, and consequences for bad behavior.

"Get to the point that the person on the street has to make choices," Marbut says. That choice is jail for longer periods if arrested again, or entering a rehab or training program to become more productive and self-sufficient. If sentences are severe enough, rehab becomes more appealing. Cut off free food to those who spurn help.

Me thinks he doesn't understand what rewarding good behavior means.  Cause what is stated here is to punish bad behavior, what's the reward?  A lot of the shelters actually have programs that help walk people back on their feet, but again, they are overloaded and underfunded. 

[Ocklawaha]

I witnessed an interesting small solution in Colombia. Throughout the country, the 'homeless' are employed in parks, shopping centers and downtown public restrooms. They bent the rules so that a person needing help provides spotless facilities... yeah, American's might think that's beneath them but the bend in the rules allows them to sell toiletries, newspapers and magazines near the door. There are well marked signs that inform all that this restroom is maintained by XXXX and your tips make this possible. Actually like the old style barber shop, these little businesses gain a following.

Liberal rules for street vendors is another solution where small public subsidies ($100 bucks or so) sets a person up with a baseball stadium style vending outfit. You might not believe it but it works like gangbusters. If you agree to work, you get a bed and can even be in line for tiny little public housing apartments. Maybe it's just me but I wouldn't have any problem tipping someone at the library that keep the bathroom clean and vacant.

OCKLAWAHA

[north miami]

What is the System,Outlook that permits,allows 'homeless' to squat on public lands,roadway right of way,Hogans Creek,McCoys Creek shoreline?

what is the "cost"?

brings to mind the Environmental Motto:We can never do just one thing

Comprehensive Downtown Urban Waterway Restoration,Stewardship could in fact serve as  an appropriate "enabler".

( related thread-MJ forums.  Downtown/Noone Hogans,McCoys,Fishweir Creek Trifecta; see McCoys Creek Camps,imperative)