[Florida] Poverty plan gets approval

from The Independent Florida Alligator

By STACEY GREENE
Alligator Contributing Writer

A 10-year plan to end homelessness in Alachua County is under way after an approval from a county committee in February.

The GRACE for the Homeless plan, an acronym for Gainesville Region/Alachua County Empowerment, will provide housing and other services for about 1,000 unsheltered people in Alachua County.

GRACE features a series of goals that plan to gradually transition the homeless from living on the streets to a more permanent living situation.

The plan calls for the creation of medical service centers, the establishment of an Office on Homelessness and the expansion of emergency or transitional housing for the homeless.

"We need to address the homeless population in the community and provide them with better service than we are today," said Alachua County Commissioner Rodney J. Long.

According to the GRACE plan, Alachua County has fewer than 350 shelter beds, leaving 650 people without refuge each night. Children under 18 make up 27 percent of the county's homeless population.

It costs $8,700 to provide one year of housing and supportive services to a homeless individual in an emergency facility, while it costs $3,600 to provide a family of four with a $300 monthly housing subsidy, according to the GRACE plan.

The county has $400,000 total from the city of Gainesville, Alachua County and a private donation to implement the plan.

However, lobbyists are requesting $4 million from both the state and federal government, totaling $8 million in additional funds, Long said.

"I think the success of the plan depends on the resources we get and the commitment of the people involved," Long said.

The plan also calls for better planning when people are released from jails, foster care and hospitals, said John Skelly, director of the Alachua County Poverty Reduction Program.