JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Council voted Tuesday to pass an ordinance that would provide more than a million dollars toward increasing homeless shelter capacity.
Florida law bans people without homes from sleeping outdoors overnight in public places.
Councilman Ron Salem introduced the ordinance to the council. It would set aside about $1.3 million to add 44 beds to the Trinity Rescue starting January 1. The City Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army would get additional beds on an as-needed basis, per the fire chief’s determination.
The bill passed with a 19 to 0 vote.
The bill would also provide alternatives to sleeping on the street such as a free bus fare back to the hometown, something the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has already begun.
Mayor Donna Deegan emphasized the importance of passing the ordinance.
“I think when you look at what is our most dire need right now, it’s making sure we create those additional shelter beds to make sure we can start getting people effectively off the streets, so we can then get them connected to services that are available to them. So getting those shelter beds is incredibly important, and a big step for us,” Deegan said.
While the city plans to add additional beds to the area’s homeless shelters, there are questions about what that will mean for people without homes who are convicted sex offenders or suffer from some type of mental illness.
On Tuesday morning a man believed to be suffering from a mental health problem was caught performing a sex act outside the St. Johns Cathedral.
The acts themselves have left some downtown residents feeling unsafe.
“It’s very concerning because I do take my dogs out for walks at night so just seeing someone doing that and of course, you really don’t know how far they will take it,” one resident told News4JAX.
Kate Morehead Carroll said because there are people simultaneously experiencing homelessness and mental health issues who are acting out, the church has beefed up its security to keep employees, members, and visitors safe.
“The acts of someone who is a paranoid schizophrenic who may be running around naked or doing really unpleasant things is scary. The main thing is that we need to try and help these people and get them housed. They really need to be medicated and then need to be given some services,” Carroll said.
The CEO of Changing Homelessness Dawn Gilman said it’s already hard to get people with mental health problems into a shelter. But it really becomes a challenge when it comes to homeless convicted sex offenders who also suffer from mental illness.
“If they have an arrest record that qualifies them or flags them as a sex offender or sexual predator, it becomes very hard for them to get into a shelter,” Gilman said. “So, once there are children in that shelter, depending on the level of violation that has happened, they cannot stay there because they’re too close to kids.”
According to this sex offender registry that was adjusted to show offenders and predators within a half-mile radius of Tuesday morning’s sex act caught on video, nine transients were identified as registered sex offenders. Three transients were identified as sexual predators. All 12 of those listed do not have an actual home address.
Gilman said getting them into stable homes with services will help them deal with their illness.
“They’re less likely to act out in a way that’s harmful to themselves and others,” Gilman said.
News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney said although a person is experiencing mental illness and performing nude sex acts in public the behavior isn’t excusable.
“It doesn’t reduce the risk of danger associated with those types of folks who have mental illness or are not on their medication. They still pose a threat because you can’t predict their behavior, and you can’t know what they’re capable of,” Hackney said.
What do you think about this bill? Let us know below.