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BCC Minutes 01/28/1992 WNaples, Florida, January 28, 1992 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Board of County Commissioners in and for the County of Colller, and also acting as the Board of Zoning Appeals and as the governing board(s) of such special distr~cts as have been created according to law and having conducted business herein, met on this date at 12:00 P.M. ~n WORKSHOP SESSION in Building ~]~% ~ "F" of the Government Complex, East Naples, Florida, with the following members present: CHAIRMAN: Michael J. Volpe VICE-CHAIRMAN: Richard S. Shanahan ABSENT: Patricta A. Goodnight Max A. Hasse, Jr. Burr L. Saunders ALSO PRESENT: Kathy Meyers, Deputy Clerk: Nell Dorrill, County Manager; Jennifer Pike and Tom Olliff, Assistants to the County Manager: Kenneth Cuyler, County Attorney; and Deputy Byron Tomltnson, Sheriff's Office. Page January 28, lgg2 HOM~LEBB PLAN FOR COLLIER COUNTY PREPARED AND PRESENTED BY THE HOMELESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE - ACCEPTED AND FURTHER INFOI%MATION TO BE PROVIDED Legal notice having been published in the Naples Daily News on January 27, 1992 as evidenced by Affidavit of Publication filed with the Clerk, a workshop was held regarding the homeless. Carl Kuehner, an appointed member of the Homeless Advisory Committee, explained that the Committee was created by the Board of County Commissioners on March 28, 1989 with the intent that they would prepare a Plan for the homeless. This report was presented to the Board on August 27, 1991 and this workshop was scheduled to further discuss the contents. He stated that Collier County is one of the fastest growing and wealthiest counties in the state of Florida, but these attributes generate high housing costs and low wages for the service sector. He said these factors are primary contributors to expanding the home- less population in the county, as well as the effects of the national recession. Mr. Kuehner pointed our that Collier County has had two distinct geographic centers for the homeless - East Naples and Immokalee, due to employment and health care facilities being located there. He further noted that there are only three approved facilities providing shelter to the homeless - St. Matthew's House (20 men), Shelter For Abused Women (20 women and children), and the Immokalee Friendship House (40). At the meeting on August 27, 1991, he stated that the Board iden- tified the following areas for future inquiry: the role of Collier County in working with the homeless and the cost, and the number of homeless. The Board summarized that the. Committee's function is to coordinate and implement the decisions made by the Board of County Commissioners. David Enttng, member of the Ho~eless Advisory Committee, in an attempt to calculate the number of homeless, quoted the following sta- Page 2 January 28, 1992 ttstics which are annualized figures involving only adults: St. Matthew's housed 693 adults, Immoka]ee Fr/endship House - 1,233 adults, Collier County Shelter For Abused Women - 162 adults, South Florida Welfare Association - 65 adults, and the Salvation Army - 306 adults. In answer to Commissioner Volpe, Mr. Ending could not confirm whether these are the same people staying at different locations. He gave a rounded-off figure of 2700 homeless adults, because according to national statistics only 50% of the homeless come forward and ask for shelter. Regarding children he estimated there are 500 homeless. John Wttchger, Committee Chairman, listed the objectives outlined In the Plan: coordination of services, housing, health care, employment and transportation. Regarding coordination of services, Bill Torrance, Case Management Supervisor for the David Lawrence Center, stated that there are 25-30 agencies currently offering assistance to the homeless. He said he feels that a case management system is needed to monitor, link and coordinate these agencies and services, as well as a need to identify ~{.·· ~ and locate various grants, donations and other funding for housing assistance. In response to Commissioner Volpe, Mr. Torrance could not verify the dollar amount being spent by these agencies for the homeless, nor what portion of the David Lawrence Center's budget is allocated to helping the homeless. Regarding housing, the Reverend John Ltndell reported that last year St. Matthew's House assisted 133 families (354 total) and spent $13,552 for assistance to the families who could not be housed there. He stated there is a lack of affordable housing and transitional housing. He pointed out that 31.1% of the population of Collier County has an annual household income of $~5,000 or less. RegardinG Housing Po]icy 2.a of the report, which would allow churches and campsites to be used as temporary shelters, Reverend Lindell asked for Collier County's cooperation on zoning. Page 3 January 28, 1992 In response to Commissioner Volpe, Rev. Lindell could not give an exact number on how many permanent Collier County residents were served by St. Matthew's House. Regarding health care, John Witchger distributed a copy of a letter from Dr. Larry Farmer, which addressed a need to provide ongoing health care, as many of these health problems are recurrent and sometimes of a long duration. Regarding employment, Vic Britton, representative of Independent Life Center (Catholic Charities), reported that 45% of their budget is used toward employing the homeless. He distributed a handout which was a contract provided to each individual that is assisted. This contract, Mr. Britton pointed out, shows their method of assisting individuals in gaining employment. He said he feels that Collier County, because of its affluence and rapid growth, attracts the unemployed to the area, expecting to find jobs. In response to Commissioner Volpe, Mr. Britton stated that, according to his records, approximately 88~ of their clients are still employed in the position that Independent Life Center had helped them to acquire. In response to Commissioner Volpe, Mr. Brftton could not provide an average length of employment of those that he had helped. He said he does not have this information because it Js a fairly new program. Regarding transportation, John Lawson, Executive Director of Tech, Inc., stated that there is no transportation system in existence anywhere in Collier County. He stated that a lack of affordable transportation prevents the home]e~s from accessing employment, seeking social services, getting needed medical attention, and even accessing shelter. He noted that there ts no data currently being collected on transporting the homeless, and that specific types of data are needed to address the needs of the home]ess (i.e. what times are rides needed, to where, how often). Earl Marlin, President of East Naples Civic Association, said that the agencies are doing an adequate job and the local government should Page 4 January 28, 3992 refrain from further involvement. Frances Barsh commented that Collier County's budget allocated the following: Public Services - $1,554,600; Public Health Service - ~.. $1,054,200; Mental Health Service - $670,300; Contract Agencies - $177,900; St. Matthew's House - $16,000. She questioned where this money is going and stated it should be accounted for. George Keller, President of Collier County Civic Federation, spoke against Collier County's Involvement beyond its obligations as listed in the Florida Statutes. Cliff Green, a homeless person, recommended more affordable housing and employment opportunities. Gunnar Pederson, Chairman of the Board for Immokalee Friendship House, noted that there are many people who are homeless (i.e. alcoho- lics, drug abusers, mentally t11) that cannot be helped because there are no services to handle them. He also said that families call and ask for shelter and then do not show up, sometimes because it is against their culture. He said these issues should be considered when trying to calculate the number of homeless. Commissioner Shanahan said that the homeless problem is not going to go away, and it affects the entire community. Commissioner Hasse expressed that this problem will not be solved 'i.",' by simply providing funds. Commissioner Volpe expressed a need to coordinate the services, as well as a need for an analysis of funding by the agencies, a break- down of urban vs. rural homeless, defining the profile of a homeless person, and defining HRS' role. ~u%d carried unanimously, to accept the Plan presented by the Homeless Committee and direct staff to obtain further information in areas where the Commissioners voiced their concerns. There being no further business for the Good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by Order of the Chair - Time: 1:30 P.M. 05 Page 5