CCG– Fort Myers, Florida: Legislators in Florida have devised a strategy to combat homelessness and outlaw sleeping in public. The House and Senate enacted a law, though not without debate, requiring localities to provide a place to house the homeless.
For those who are homeless like Gwendolyn Hannish, the public seats outside the downtown Fort Myers Public Library are common places to sleep.
Hannah said, “I’ve been dealing with homelessness for about a year and a half.” She is a member of Southwest Florida’s expanding homeless population.
“It seems like an epidemic that I am always forced to sleep on the streets. It’s disgusting stuff,” Hannah said.
A new bill that’s on the governor’s desk forbids her and others from sleeping in public, pushing them into private property or out of sight into wooded regions, where some are afraid.
“They trespass people, and I just don’t have anywhere to go anymore. There are so many trespasses,” Hannish remarked.
Mayor Kevin Anderson of Fort Myers, who has addressed homelessness during his term in office, emphasized that the issue cannot be concealed in local communities.
“Hiding it won’t make it go away or get addressed,” Anderson said.
According to the measure, towns would have to set up homeless camps such as the one that appeared in Lions Park in 2020 at the height of COVID-19, when many lost their jobs and ultimately their houses. Even though the city eventually placed a large number of homeless persons in transitional homes, the issue still exists.
“I comprehend the intent behind the bill and the circumstances that required the bill,” Anderson said. Cities would have to find a location with showers and facilities, and they would have to staff the homeless camps with security.
“I hope that financing for mental health issues will someday be available. That will assist us in addressing the issue of homelessness,” Anderson stated.
Additionally, the bill states that homeless camps cannot devalue real estate. According to Realtor Matt O’Berski, “Nobody wants it in their backyard.” According to him, hiding those who are homeless from view is not a solution.
“I don’t believe anything is being addressed. We’re not trying to fix the problem, in my opinion. It’s merely being moved,” O’Berski remarked.
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Chris Blauvelt, the owner of The Standard Restaurant, said he sees fresh faces on the street every week in downtown Fort Myers and is urging the state to take more action in response to the rising number of homeless people.
“If the state is going to push this through and mandate it, then the state needs to be responsible for the facilities to house these people,” said Blauvelt. The governor will sign the bill into law, as he has stated.
DeSantis declared recently, “We’re going to keep our community safe and our streets clean.”
When asked where she may sleep next, Hannish responded that there aren’t many options left for her and others when neighborhoods are cleansed of the homeless.
She said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
