Many of you already know that I love engagement and input from the residents of the City of Bradenton. One of the most common issues that I hear from folks about is our seemingly increasing population of homelessness.
The issue of how to address a community's needs in this regard is complicated and requires compassion and an objective study of over what factors municipal leaders have control.
As I have mentioned in recent Council and Joint Government meetings recently, I am excited to be a part of the Manatee County Homelessness Task Force as a representative of the City.
Recently highlighted in a Bradenton Herald article authored by Tiffany Tompkins, the Task Force was created earlier this year after the County enlisted the Florida Housing Coalition to study the issue in this area and provide a "roadmap" to addressing our homeless population's needs.
The roadmap provides tangible task checklists so that our collective work on the issue is measurable. The membership consists of service providers, elected officials, and representatives of law enforcement and education departments.
Each quarter, the Task Force creates work subgroups that tackle a task item. This quarter, the focus is on permanent supportive housing solutions ("PSH"). PSH fills the gap between emergency housing and permanent housing solutions.
Although these tougher issues take time to work through, I am hopeful as I watch community leaders band together to tackle them. To learn more about the Task Force and the work it is doing, you can visit here and select the "Ongoing data, research, and initiatives" drop-down menu.
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barbaraelliott
The city of Bradenton allows developers to build non affordable housing on our city parks and builds NO affordable housing. It's as simple as that Moore. Compassion? As just shown the COB has none. Collect some damn impact fees, quit forgiving them, use city land but not parkland. As far as loving engagement, the citizens speak but are not engaged both ways. The council just stares at and ignores citizens concerns, limits the agenda speaking time allotment last minute. The only thing the City of Bradenton is engaged with is developers filling their campaign war chests and back room deals.
Friday, September 22, 2023 Report this
san.gander
I haven't paid much attention to the homeless situation in the city of Bradenton until an article in the "SARASOTA" Herald drew my attention the goals of one Manatee County Commissioner who seems hostile to having the homeless in the 14th street corridor near downtown. Seems he wanted any build of "tiny homes" or housing for the homeless, including homeless veterans to be on county land almost 12 miles North, near Hwy 41 and Buckeye Road, far from the downtown area, where most of the services for the homeless and indigent are located. He seems to see the homeless not as human beings with serious problems, but more an unsightly "nusiance" situation hindering the re-development of a core area of the city. His solution, "Out of sight, out of mind!" When the folks say the County Commission is run by Developers, only for the benefit of developers, not the citizens... and surely not the least among us. I believe it totally!
Friday, September 22, 2023 Report this