Fort Myers announces plan to fix gaps in homeless services
Fort Myers announces plan to fix gaps in homeless services
The city of Fort Myers is working to right a wrong when it comes major gaps in providing services to the homeless.
BROUGHT TO BY THE PERSONALINJURY ATTORNEYS AT FARAH &FARAH"FOX 4 HAS PROMISED TO HOLD YOURLEADERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR FINDINGREAL SOLUTIONS AS WE ALL DEALWITH UNEXPECTED ECONOMICCOLLAPSE.
IT’S PART OF OUR"REBOUND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA"COMMITMENT.
ROCHELLE ALLEYNE HASTRACKED THE NEED FOR BETTERSUPPORT FOR PEOPLE STRUGGLINGWITH HOMELESSNESS FOR MONTHS.THIS MORNING - SHE SHARES A NEWPLAN FROM THE CITY OF FORTMYERS.:51-:571:42-1:48(put date on)(april)"Their solution is go to thewoods.
What woods?"SINCE APRIL...(put date on)(april)"We have no place to go, no oneis helping us, no one isoffering any guidance."WE’VE BEEN FOLLOWING HOMELESS INLEE COUNTY...(put date on)(May)"The library every month or sowe get booted out."AND WE’VE LEARNED THAT THEPANDEMIC IS SHINING A LIGHT ONGAPS IN SERVICES...THAT HAVEEXISTED FOR SOME TIME.(put date on)(July"I’m not gonna go back out thereand stay in the street."TODAY AT A TRAVEL LODGE IN FORTMYERS...WE HEAR MORE OF THESAME..."I don’t have any othershelter."THIS WOMAN SAYS SHE WAS RECENTLYRELEASED FROM A STATEHOSPITAL...AND HAS BEEN USINGHER SAVINGS TO STAY HERE EVERSINCE...BUT TODAY THE MONEY RANOUT...SHE SAYS SHE CALLED LOCALHOMELESS SERVICES AND THEY TOLDHER SHE DIDN’T QUALIFY FORCERTAIN SERVICES...BECAUSE SHEWASN’T ON THE STREET YET."These are things we have toeradicate and stop kicking thecan down the road."MONDAY...THE FORT MYERS CITYCOUNCIL ADDRESSED THE ISSUEAGAIN...((Terolyn Watson//Fort MyersCity Council))"We failed our homelesspopulation, we failed themcompletely."THE CITY MANAGER SAYS HE HAS APLAN TO RIGHT THAT WRONG...HE SAYS HE WANTS TO TAKE A NOTEFROM A PROGRAM USED IN TAMPA,BROWARD AND SARASOTACOUNTIES...IT’S CALLED"HOT"...HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAMS.THE TEAMS WILL MAKE CONTACT WITHPEOPLE IN THE STREETS....FINDAND CONNECT THEM WITHTRANSITIONAL HOUSING AND OTHERSERVICES....AND ULTIMATELY GETTHEM INTO PERMANENT HOUSING.((Saeed Kazemi//Fort Myers CityManager))"We need to get more partners toget involved..."HE’S LOOKING TO GET LOCALPOLICE, THE HOMELESS COALITION,THE COUNTY AND THE ST.
MATTHEWSHOUSE NON-PROFIT ON BOARD...ANDIN THE MEANTIME SAYS THE CITYNEEDS TO WORKING TO CREATE ABETTER WAY TO SHELTER PEOPLEDURING THE PANDEMIC.((Saeed Kazemi//Fort Myers CityManager))"I wish we had an answer thattomorrow we are going to solvethis, but we have to have aplan."THE WOMAN WE SPOKE TO TODAY SAYSSHE THE GROUP SHE INITIALLYCALLED WAS COMMUNITY ASSISTEDAND SUPPORTED LIVING OR "CASL"(CASTLE)...I HAVE REACHED OUT TO
