Before COVID-19 struck, the city of Fort Lauderdale had made good progress in addressing homelessness in our community.
We peacefully closed a downtown encampment, created a special community court program for the homeless and transitioned many individuals into temporary housing while providing them with needed social services.
Unfortunately, the problem has grown anew in recent months. There are more homeless on the street and we have received complaints about aggressive panhandling and obscene behavior.
COVID-19 has presented many challenges for the city in attempting to respond, but we have plans underway to tackle the homeless situation head on. The City Commission and I are determined to once again show meaningful results. Homelessness affects every metropolitan community in America, and there are no simple solutions.
The recently approved city budget for the next fiscal year gives us the tools to act.
There is money to continue the community court program, pay for the Police Department’s homeless outreach squad and the city’s homeless intervention administrator, and fund special homeless initiatives including our continued partnership with the United Way.
Here’s what we’re doing.
The city manager has told the commission that he will have the Police Department and homeless outreach team step up their presence in key areas of concern such as Southeast 17th Street, the Riverwalk, the central beach area, and the area around the main county library and Stranahan Park.
We are re-launching the community court program under COVID-19 public health protocols. The program closed this spring along with the rest of the judicial system, but we have worked with the chief judge of the judicial circuit, Jack Tuter, to create a safe plan to operate.
This will again allow us to divert homeless people arrested for minor offenses away from jail time and into social services to address underlying issues they have – whether that’s drug abuse, medical problems or a lack of job skills. This program was an integral part of our earlier success and will be again.
The city is also looking for ways to set up temporary housing for the homeless. Not only would they be off the street, but case workers will be able to assist them in getting the help they need.
We earlier paid for the extended use of two motels through federal COVID-relief money. Those funds ran out, but we were just awarded a fresh $1.6 million grant and I’ve asked the city manager to consider directing at least part of it to restarting this initiative.
Finally, I plan to personally address two fundamental issues with other elected officials in Broward.
For too long, people arrested on charges anywhere in the county are processed at the main jail in downtown Fort Lauderdale and then released on our streets – not returned to the communities where they were arrested or where they live. I plan to talk to Sheriff Gregory Tony about how we can change this.
This is not fair to Fort Lauderdale and shifts the homeless issues of the western suburbs into our business districts and our neighborhoods.
I also plan to talk to the mayors of the western suburbs about disturbing reports that city staff has received of them intentionally picking up homeless from their streets and abandoning them in Fort Lauderdale. They are shirking their own civic responsibility and exacerbating what we must deal with here.
I hope that through these actions that we can see renewed success regarding homelessness.
As I’ve said before, societies are often judged by how they deal with their less fortunate. We will continue to address homelessness compassionately while also tackling the concerns about community appearance and safety that many residents and businesses have.
Sincerely,
Dean
