JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A bill will be introduced at Tuesday’s Jacksonville City Council meeting to allocate $1.3 million to expand bed capacity at three of the city’s shelters for those experiencing homelessness.
The additional beds are meant to help the city comply with a new Florida law banning overnight sleeping or camping in public places without a permit.
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The law took effect in October, but Jacksonville police initially issued written and verbal warnings to violators. Now that a month has passed, officers have started making arrests.
According to JSO, there have been 16 physical arrests and 9 NTAs (notices to appear) issued since Nov. 1.
If Florida cities are not fully in compliance by Jan. 1, 2025, citizens and business owners would be greenlit to start filing lawsuits.
The bill to address the shelter capacity involves over $1.3 million from the Homelessness Initiatives Special Revenue Fund. If passed as is, the bill would provide over $600,000 to Trinity Rescue Mission, just under $300,000 to the City Rescue Mission and around $400,000 to the Salvation Army.
If approved, the funding is projected to produce 110 additional beds:
- 44 at Trinity Rescue Mission
- 26 at City Rescue Mission
- 40 at Salvation Army
Jacksonville Fire Rescue is in the process of arranging a full-time task force whose members will eventually make contact with people sleeping on public property and encourage them to move to a facility. The funding from the bill would ensure the shelters have the space to accommodate.
Councilman Ron Salem said this bill will not only help Jacksonville comply, but it will help individuals experiencing homelessness get back on their feet.
“I believe this shows the desire of the council to implement this bill in a compassionate way,” Salem said. “We don’t want to just arrest people that are on public property.”
Salem said the initiative is to also give people alternatives to sleeping on the street.
“One alternative is to identify if they want to go back to their hometown, and we will pay bus fare to transport them back to their hometown,” Salem explained. “But if Jacksonville is their home, or they don‘t want to leave Jacksonville, we can then put them in a facility, let them receive some wraparound services, hopefully eventually job training, and get them on their way.”
Paul Stasi is the executive director of City Rescue Mission. The Mission is capable of serving 240 people a night, and bed capacity is regularly full.
Stasi said bringing in the extra 26 beds would require some minor remodeling and moving people in one dormitory to the other campus. Overall, he said he believes this is a good move.
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“We can help more people and be able to have those immediate beds available whenever someone is needing,” Stasi said.
To receive their portion of the money, the shelters would be required to provide intake support and 24/7 coordination, have storage available for peoples’ personal belongings, able to give bed capacity updates in real-time, etc. Stasi said that in these discussions, compassion is key.
″We‘re going into this time of year with Thanksgiving where we always look at, ’what are we thankful for'?“ Stasi said. “Think about those on the street who don’t have that roof over their head, or that family. And if we can then offer that roof over their head and a family atmosphere, and they can feel God’s love and then be able to move on into a successful, sustainable life.”
Salem said the bill is being introduced as a one-cycle emergency, ensuring the process of getting it passed is expedited. His hope is for the council to vote on it Nov. 26.