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Neglect of homeless no gain for county

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 21, 2009

It will be easy for Hillsborough County commissioners today to turn their back on the homeless.

Residents in East Lake Park subdivision fiercely oppose a proposal to build a tent village on 12 acres off Hillsborough Avenue, not far from the Florida State Fairgrounds.

County staff is opposed, and a land-use hearing officer has recommended against the zoning change needed to make the Catholic Charities' project possible. The officer found the county's standards do not currently address such a semi-campground, which would house about 250 residents in tents and casitas (6-by-8 sheds).

So when commissioners review the zoning request this morning, they will have plenty of bureaucratic cover and lots of political motivation to send Catholic Charities officials packing.

But before they do, they should consider what will happen if the county continues to let the homeless population grow. Hillsborough has 10,000 homeless, the most in the state. On any given night, only about 1,500 of the homeless will be able to find safe shelter.

Men, women and even children are left to fend for themselves in woods, on benches, in cars. No neighborhood is exempt. The homeless can be found outside downtown skyscrapers and near tony subdivisions. The situation is degrading to these individuals and damaging to the county's image.

Hillsborough Hope offers a way to meet the homeless' immediate needs.

The bureaucratic issues are resolvable.

East Lake Park residents understandably worry about increasing crime and decreasing property values. Any neighborhood would be. But between the facility and the neighborhood would be a commercial strip, a four-lane highway and another commercial strip. The tents won't be adjacent to any homes.

The property, owned by the Diocese of St. Petersburg, is centrally located and near bus routes, a key consideration.

Hillsborough Hope would be fenced. The gate would be staffed 24 hours a day. Off-duty deputies would provide security at night.

Social workers would screen potential candidates and do background checks.

Only someone with a good chance of becoming self-sufficient would be allowed to stay there. This won't be a shantytown for vagrants, as opponents claim.

The goal here will be to get people back to work and in places of their own. And commissioners should consider the success of Pinellas Hope, a Catholic Charities homeless facility on 10 acres in Pinellas Park, where there have been few problems.

Even if commissioners should approve the zoning change, Hillsborough Hope has a long way to go before becoming a reality.

Catholic Charities' Frank Murphy says based on Pinellas Hope's numbers, Hillsborough Hope probably would need $2.5 million a year. The diocese would raise the bulk of it, but about $700,000 in public funds would be needed. This could give commissioners another reason to turn away.

But if they do, they should know that Hillsborough's acute homelessness - and its costs to society - is not going away. The down-and-out will continue to seek refuge in our woods, parks and backstreets.

Left unattended, homelessness will indeed result in the crime and lower property values that worry East Lake Park residents.

Catholic Charities is offering a partial solution. If commissioners reject it, they should say what their alternative is.

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