JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville is trying to find more housing and local groups are trying to help and state lawmakers are trying to find solutions too.
Three years ago in Downtown Jacksonville, dozens of people began living at Jefferson and Beaver streets. There were multiple shelters and programs to help people who were homeless not far from the site.
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Temporary housing was provided, and now the site is closed with a fence around it.
In 2024, the city is working to create and enforce new solutions to help cure homelessness. Jacksonville’s Homelessness and Affordable Housing committee has an April 1 deadline for those solutions.
The current ordinances:
ORD-MC Amend Sec 111.920 (Homelessness Initiatives Special Revenue Fund), Pt 9 (Neighborhood Development), Ch 111 (Special Revenue and Trust Accounts), Ord Code, to Prov for Funding of Homelessness Initiatives through Certain Economic Development Agrmt Incentives (Staffopoulos) (Introduced by CM J. Carlucci) (Co-Sponsors CMs Carlucci, Boylan, Arias, Amaro, Pittman, Freeman, Lahnen, Clark-Murray, Gaffney, Jr., Howland, Carrico & Peluso) 1/10/24 CO Introduced: NCSPHS, R, F 1/16/24 NCSPHS Read 2nd & Rerefer 1/16/24 R Read 2nd & Rerefer 1/17/24 F Read 2nd & Rerefer 1/23/24 CO PH Read 2nd & Rerefer 2/5/24 NCSPHS Approve 7-0 2/5/24 R Approve 7-0 2/6/24 F Approve 5-0-1 (Pittman) 2/13/24 CO Approve 16-1-1 (Diamond)(Pittman) Public Hearing Pursuant to Ch 166, F.S. & CR 3.601 - 1/23/24
ORD-MC Creating a New Ch 86 (Homelessness Initiatives Commission), Ord Code, to Create a Homelessness Initiatives Commission & to Estab the Functions, Powers & Duties of Said Commission; Prov for Severability; Prov for Codification Instructions (Staffopoulos) (Introduced by the Spec Comm on Homelessness & Affordable Housing (CMs J. Carlucci, Amaro, Arias, Miller, & Peluso)) (Co-Sponsors CMs Salem, Lahnen, Carlucci, Johnson, Boylan, White & Freeman) 2/13/24 CO Introduced: NCSPHS, R 2/20/24 NCSPHS Read 2nd & Rerefer 2/20/24 R Read 2nd & Rerefer 2/27/24 CO PH Read 2nd & Rerefer 3/4/24 NCSPHS Approve 5-1 (Diamond) 3/4/24 R Approve 7-0 Public Hearing Pursuant to Ch 166, F.S. & C.R. 3.601 - 2/27/24
“April 1 they would have seen new ordinances on the books that are creating initiatives and funding for decreasing homelessness in Jacksonville,” Joe Carlucci, chair of the Homelessness and Affordable Housing committee said.
Cindy Funkhouser is the president of Sulzbacher, the largest homeless provider in the city and county.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years here in Jacksonville. It’s really the most focused I’ve seen our city government around affordable housing,” Funkhouser said.
She added that the cure for homelessness is housing and that allows them to help someone who may have other needs.
While at the same time, the state legislature could approve House Bill 1365, it would stop people from sleeping in public places and would allow counties to designate public property for it. If the Senate approves, it could take effect in October.
From housing to daily life, homelessness is at the forefront of issues in Jacksonville and those that can are trying to fix the problem.
During the committee meeting, there was a discussion about affordable housing which also can lead to homelessness when rental rates are too expensive.
Florida has one of the highest homeless rates in the country.