Video of Julia Tuttle

Officers cut up the tents of those who lived under the Julia Tuttle Causeway.

Local High School Pairs with Grace Way Village

Grace Way Village, the new non-profit organization in Fort Pierce, has already begun a few of it's outreaches, and with it is local high school John Carroll. The school started clothing drives as recently as April 12th, and looks to collect the clothing for Hope's Closet - the clothing store offering clothing for children from birth to age 17. The clients are given a voucher for 3 full outfits, useable every four months. While the shop is set up nicely for now, clothes for this age group are scarce in St. Lucie County so donations are necessary.

Another ministry launched this last weekend was Matthew's Café, also a part of the non-profit Grace Way. Matthew's Café looks to feed the underprivileged in the community every Sunday evening, and started this past weekend. This ministry is in need of volunteers, so if you live in the area and would like to help, a volunteer form can be found on the website.

Homeless Families have to Pay for Shelters?

While listening to NPR the other day, I heard a piece about homeless families in New York shelters who would be forced to pay up to $900 a month on a sliding scale to live in a shelter there. The commentator's opinion, which would echo mine, was why? Why indeed charge them for a place to live that in other instances is free of charge? Why take the money that many of these families are saving for downpayments on cars, houses, apartments, etc, when it will not even begin to touch the enormous cost of housing all of these families. The subsidies on rent for homeless families have even increased. The opinion of others in the blogging world is that when the government takes money, they are effectively keeping in the ones who are actually trying to get out. While the Coalition for the Homeless takes the side of those in need, who else will?

Miami's Camillus House Looks to Solve Chronic Homelessness

The Camillus House has provided aid to Miami's homeless for over 40 years, and doesn't look like it's stopping. After a legal battle, and the worsening of the economy, the Camillus House finally is making progress on getting their new home.

Like downtown Fort Lauderdale, the Camillus House has been plagued with the comments of many downtown visitors and residents who feel the shelter/kitchen offers little more than to attract the city's homeless thereby detracting from the overall appearance and commerce occurring in the Downtown Miami area. They are now ready to move their operation to a bigger and better home, a project costing $81 million.

The project seeks to put an end to chronic homelessness and will provide 340 new beds for the homeless as well as counseling services, a soup kitchen, and even a kennel for the homeless with pets according to the Sun-Sentinel. The project will provide over 100 permanent jobs for Miami residents, as well as construction jobs in the initial phases. The Camillus House hopes to get and keep the homeless off the streets.

Homeless Sex Offenders Get Housed... for Now

The colony of sex offenders living under Miami's Julia Tuttle Causeway are being moved after local, state and national attention has been brought repeatedly to their plight for the last 3 years. The "Jessica" laws in the state of Florida prohibit sex offenders from living anywhere within 1000 feet of a place that "children might congregate." In Miami, this demographic has faced an even larger problem because local laws enforce the measure within 2,500 feet of any school, park or bus stop. As a result, even law enforcement officers have been forced to drop sex offenders under the bridge. Though they had created a makeshift group of houses, boxes, tents and other structures, the public still was outraged on a variety of levels. While some wanted to see them in permanent housing, others were simply irritated they were permitted to live anywhere at all.

For now, their "homes" have been torn down, the the Miami Herald reports that the causeway residents will be moved to trailers and apartment complexes with up to six months rent being paid. Homeless from other areas, even those who aren't sex offenders, have flocked to the area hoping to get some free housing. Over 100 people lived under the bridge, and a few are even still arriving.

Yet skepticism still exists among such noble action, and rightly so. This is only another temporary solution to a very permanent problem. Not only are these people poor and homeless, their sexual offender status presents them with a whole other set of challenges that other homeless people do not face. Not only is housing tough to find in an area 1,000 feet away from a place that children might congregate, but so is employment. And without employment, in six months where will the Julia Tuttle community be? With high unemployment rates, a group of offenders, and the lack of affordable housing that suits their requirements, the group will be out on the street in no time

Events Help Homeless get IDs

With the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles recently passing laws requiring more documents to receive identification, the homeless have found themselves at an extreme disadvantage. The problems facing them are as simple as lacking the money for an id, to a lack of personal records or permanent address. Identification is necessary for most of the homeless, however, as many organizations require some form of official identification before providing aid like food, clothing and shelter.

An organization called IDignity is helping the homeless in Florida get their identities back. The group specializes in retrieving records like social security cards or birth certificates, as well as providing aid in applying for and receiving Florida identification cards and driver's licenses. They held their first event in DeLand and helped about 70 people gather a number of documents from all over the country.

Child Killer Still in Public

The homeless sex offender, Gary Kerpan, was arrested on charges that occurred when he failed to correctly report his address on his registration as a sex offender. He was arrested also in 2007 for failing to report himself as a sex offender. While he began the process of reporting again in Fort Lauderdale, he did not complete the process and report himself as a transient. Since Kerpan is a former Marine, the judge elected to have him transferred to a VA hospital in Miami.

While his official results were not released, a prior case against him revealed he suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and paranoid schizophrenia. Kerpan was then released from the VA, and after notifying the judge of his release, he was returned to the streets of Fort Lauderdale. He now wears an ankle bracelet to keep track of his whereabouts. The Police gave him a free ride back to the city of Fort Lauderdale and enrolled him in an institution so he could get help. Kerpan has an April 13th trial for failing to register as a sex offender.

And while much of the Fort Lauderdale community is up in arms about this man living among them, keep in mind, where will he go? This man with no money, no local family, a severe criminal record and debilitating mental health problems is someone obviously ignored and unwanted by all. Hopefully the town can offer a solution.

Florida Boy Walks for Homeless Children

Zach Bonner, a budding philanthropist from just outside of Tampa, has elected to spend the next half a year on a journey across America. He'll walk nearly 2,500 miles from Florida to Los Angeles in order to raise awareness for the estimated 1.5 million homeless children in America. The Orlando Sentinel quoted Bonner as saying "If it only helps one child, it will be completely worth it". His Mother will be following him around the nation in a donated RV, and he hopes to cover around 15 miles per day.

If you'd like to learn more about Zach, or see where he's going, you can follow him on his twitter, or ZachTracker.com. You can also visit the website for his charity, The Little Red Wagon Foundation.

New Law to make Homeless Beatings a Hate Crime

Officials in Tallahassee have passed a new law that will include the homeless as a group that will be included under pre-existing hate-crime laws. According to the Miami New Times Blog laws already in place "cover race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, advanced age and mental and physical disabilities. The new legislation means that attacks on the homeless will bear more severe consequences.

The legislation centers around a 2006 attack on the homeless by three men with baseball bats, resulting in the death of one individual. The attacks were caught on tape and happened in Fort Lauderdale, outside the FAU campus. Most are in support of the bill, titled HB11, yet there was some dissent. For most, however, this is another step in protecting the homeless.

Child Killer Lives in Stranahan Park

I previously mentioned Brittany Wallman and her Broward Politics Blog for the Sun-Sentinel. As she has been interviewing and investigating the homeless in Stranahan Park, she came across what turned out to be a particularly controversial issue. Gary Kerpan, a 60 year old who frequents stranahan Park confessed to having killed a 12-year-old girl in Illinois in the 70's.



The publication of the interview launched a massive police search for Kerpan, and issued him an order to appear in court. He had failed to report himself as a sex offender living in Broward County.

Miami Sex Offenders forced into Homelessness

This issue has raised national attention. Sex Offenders in Miami have been forced into homelessness by Laws that require them to live 2500 feet from any area where children might congregate. As a result, many of these individuals have no choice legally but to live under the Julia Tuttle causeway in Miami.

Profile of a Fort Pierce Homeless Man

I have arranged an interview with a man who was previously homeless that I have had a personal interaction with for several years now. He was for some time chronically homeless and would be someone I could always find downtown or under the bridge in Fort Pierce. When we first met, he had dreadlocked hair, called himself Tony Dreads, and was always around Friday Fest or some downtown restaurant. He was entertaining, always had an interesting story and was known by many of the downtown patrons. He was a little less frightening than some of the other people you'd meet on the street and was actually generally liked by most people that gave him any chance.

Around the time my friends and I took an interest in helping the homeless, we came across Tony again, only now he introduced himself as Pineapple. His names corresponded with his current hairstyle, as his now afroed hair gave his head the appearance of said fruit. (His dreadlocks were later discovered in a bag in my friend's car.) Pineapple now worked detailing cars for a used car dealer and in exchange was allowed to live in a boat on a trailer on the man's lot. We would get him blankets, socks and McDonald's, and would always listen to the stories he had to tell us of being in college, a famous musician and a number of other experiences. After a while he lived under South Bridge, and helped us distribute blankets, food, socks, clothes and even orchestrate a homeless bible study in a park near the bridge. Pineapple was our homeless connection, as he was well known and liked by all those who shared his circumstance. We continued this for a while until our lives became busy, and Pineapple disappeared.

There was much speculation as to what had become of him, some said he was arrested for vagrancy, others reported he had found a place to live. One of my friends said the last time he had seen him, they had dropped him off at a rehabilitation clinic and there was even a rumor that he had been killed. His addictions to various substances left none of this exempt from being a possibility and we continued on.

Then, not a month ago, while I was on assignment for my photojournalism course, I came across Pineapple, now simply Tony, working at the Fort Pierce Farmers Market. I looked at him for a moment, not sure if he was who I thought he was and he did the same. After an awkward moment he shouted "Awwwww I knew it was you!" I won't ruin his whole story, as I feel he'll probably know the details a little better than me, but Tony is no longer homeless and like before, has a story to go with it.

Fort Lauderdale Blog on the Homeless

I've recently become a fan of what Brittany Wallman has done with her Broward Politics Blog for the Sun Sentinel. Amidst the turmoil surrounding the feeding center issues, she has taken it upon herself to go out and interview Fort Lauderdale's homeless and has discovered some... interesting characters. She has videoed along the way for your viewing pleasure.

I hope to do the same in Fort Pierce and give locals and readers a sense of what problems we have so that we might reach a potential solution.

A New Place for Help in Fort Pierce

I recently did the website and corporate identity for an up and coming non-profit in Fort Pierce called Grace Way Village. Grace Way Village looks to allow "every Treasure Coast family to be able to live in total physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health." While they just started in January of 2010, I expect great things.

Currently they will offer tutoring and mentoring for children who might be struggling scholastically for a number of reasons, they have a much needed children's clothing closet, they have offered to soon begin feeding those who need a meal on Sunday nights (the only night of the week there is no such food kitchen in Fort Pierce), and will also have a referral service to point others towards help that Grace Way cannot yet provide.

The non-profit hopes to expand later by adding recovery programs, and housing for those who wish to be rehabilitated from homelessness and the problems that are associated with it. They are an example of what I think we need, which is an institution that is willing to take the time to treat the whole problem of homelessness, rather than filling up the same empty stomach every week.

A Few More Facts about Fort Pierce

Though I''ve already listed a lot of facts about Fort Pierce, I'd like to add a few more that came to my attention

• In July of 2008 the population of Fort Pierce was estimated at 40,885
• A study by the Common Ground Church said there are as many as 1,205 unsheltered in Fort Pierce
• Another poll put the total number of homeless for St. Lucie and the surrounding counties at around 1,700 with 200 chronically homeless and nearly 700 of those being families with children

With one out of every 40 people in the city unsheltered, we need to take a hard look at the problems around us which I have previously mentioned. There is no single solution, but an effort needs to be made to help these people get off the streets.

Tent Villages Pop Up in North Florida

While you might not technically be able to call them "homeless" there is a new population for which I have great concern. It is the growing number of Floridians moving into tent villages all over the state. Each member seems to be able to attribute it to the economy, and it's only getting worse.

Normal attitudes towards these homeless have changed because many of them are like you and I. They do not suffer from mental disability, addiction, they are not lazy or uneducated, they simply could not pay the bills. Many of them have valuable skillsets and college degrees, but due to layoffs and the like could not keep a place to live.

A tent village in Port Salerno was discovered by officials in a helicopter and shut down because it was against code. With shelters overflowing, and the number of homeless increasing each day because of the economy, my question is this... where will people go?

Fort Lauderdale looks to Move Homeless Feedings

"We need to take the parks back for the families" seems to be the resounding quote in Sun-Sentinel and even an L.A. Times article dealing with the issue of feeding the Fort Lauderdale homeless. Brittany Wallman has been writing in her blog and column that the people of Fort Lauderdale have had enough. One of the main areas of focus is one I see every day.

I cannot help but notice the homeless every day camped out in Stranahan Park, just a block away from where I take classes at Florida Atlantic University. I see homeless camped out in the grass, asking for money, using trees as urinals, and even eating plants. On Tuesday afternoons, I see a line of people waiting for handouts of food and clothing from a local group. Visitors and business owners in the downtown area say they've had enough and that the feedings are what attracts the homeless. The plan is to move them to another area and make it illegal to feed the homeless in the parks.

There are estimated to be 800 homeless living outdoors in Broward County, and many more homeless taking up residence with friends. I don't see simply feeding the homeless as solving the problem, however. In a city like Fort Lauderdale, it will be hard to move the homeless and not have everyday citizens in some area be affected by it. While there is a huge range of problems that cause these individuals situation, I don't think it will move the homeless away at all. This Band-Aid fix may even further what many believe is Fort Lauderdale's infection.

Homeless Woman Dies from Cold in Fort Pierce

The last post dealt with the cold, and so will this one. On January 11th, a homeless woman was found dead in a dirt lot outside of a home in Fort Pierce. The record setting lows were speculated to have played a part in the woman's passing in the various news outlets. While I suggested the city of Fort Pierce address the issue of a cold night shelter in the last post, I propose something a little different in this one.

Patrice Warren, 41 of Fort Pierce died in a neighborhood near Avenue D, and according to officers who spoke with TC Palm reporters, was not prepared for the elements. It was speculated at the time that the cold was the reason for her death, and this was later confirmed by her autopsy. Unlike a man found dead from similar circumstances in nearby Okeechobee on the same day, Warren had a place to go.

While the need for a cold night shelter in Fort Pierce is definite, this story is evidence of a greater need. The articles say that Warren had AIDS, was probably an alcoholic and had many familial issues. If we truly want to see these types of stories disappear from the headlines we need to understand and try to treat the causes of homelessness rather than the symptoms. Until we can do this, the homeless will remain in Fort Pierce, cold weather or not.

Shelter from the Cold for Fort Pierce Homeless

Though the winter started out warm in late 2009, It has arrived late and in full force for much of the country, and has not spared Florida from the chill. Record lows last month gave many little more than a little extra laundry, but for the homeless, cold weather presents a severe problem.

Fort Pierce has a substantial homeless population, and while many are in shelters already, those who find themselves outdoors on these cool nights sometimes find themselves with nowhere to go. TC Palm writer Anthony Westbury commented recently on a group of volunteers and staff at Mustard Seed Ministries who have opened a cold night shelter in the Saint Andrews Episcopal Church in downtown Fort Pierce. He mentions in both his blog and his column on the subject that the city is falling behind and relying on an institution with a "shoestring budget" to attend to this problem annually. With lows nearing the mid 30's this week, Mustard Seed will be at it again.

I cannot help but to agree with Westbury on this topic. I myself have walked around the downtown area on cold and windy winter nights distributing blankets to those without shelter. Some of the nights, the city chose not to open a cold night shelter because of costs or other reasons when temperatures neared, but did not quite reach freezing. I also know the struggles Mustard Seed has in coming up with food and basic necessities for all of these people. They support people year-round and really don't have the budget for extra expenses.

Where is the city of Fort Pierce in this? I mean we build the Fenn Center, spend thousands of dollars on medians in U.S. 1 that make driving impossible, spend more money to take said medians back out and put in a bike lane 10 miles west of town that no one uses, but we can't warm the cold? Every year an impromptu shelter is thrown together, and every year there is a substantial attendance of homeless. The city seems to do little more than throw in a few cots. As for the "if you build it they will come mentality", the problem is simply not going to go away. I've handed out blankets for at least 3 years, and have always exhausted my supply. Unfortunately I've even had a lot of repeat customers. I think it's time that the city reaches out to help the less fortunate shake off the cold.

Civil War Veteran

While much of the discussion thus far has been serious, I was reminded of one of my favorite and most humorous interactions with a homeless individual while fishing under the bridge in Fort Pierce one night. I was not unfamiliar with being approached by the homeless asking for money, and prepared myself as I saw a man walking along the bridge striking up conversations with strangers who became immediately disinterested. As he walked up, I could tell he had been drinking pretty heavily and assumed he would ask me for some change.

I usually am not willing to give up money to the homeless, (I will buy them food or socks or blankets) but do enjoy hearing some of the stories they use to try and win my affections. The man asked gruffly if I had any money to spare for food, but instead of going straight to the exchange, I asked him about himself and why I should give him money instead of the food I had with me. After thinking for a moment, he replied "Well I'm a Veteran." I believed this, as many of the homeless community nationwide were in the Armed Forces. Not willing to relinquish my goods quite yet, I pressed further.

"Oh Yeah?" I replied, "What war did you serve in?" I assumed him to be a Vietnam vet, as he looked to be about the right age. I must admit, however I was taken aback when he replied "Uhh... the Civil War!" Fascinated and dumbfounded at my apparent inability to calculate age by appearance I said "Wow! Which side were you on?" Without missing a beat he boasted, "America!" and accompanied this information with a look of disgust and disbelief I could even fathom asking such a ridiculous question.

After inquiring as to his age, he asked if I had money, which I gave him simply for being such a living legend, and amazing storyteller, as well as surviving for so long after fighting such a bloody war.

Violence Against South Florida Homeless

Being homeless presents a number of challenges that many of us could never imagine facing. They have little or no possessions, no shelter, no place to bathe or often food to eat. They sleep in places not intended for normal human living and illness, hygiene, hunger and disease are problems they face every day. This video shows another problem that continues to deprive the homeless of their safety.

Organizations to Help Fort Pierce Homeless

While Fort Pierce may have some problems, there are many organizations offering solutions to the problems faced by the homeless community. There are

• 11 Organizations geared towards housing the homeless
• 7 homeless shelters available
• 20 Case management mental health organizations
• 2 alcohol support groups
• 3 community kitchens and 11 Food Pantries

If you're in need of any of these places, or would like to learn more about how you can contribute, here's a few places to look

• Mustard Seed Ministries
• The Homeless Family Center
• Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council
• Children's Home Society of Florida
• Plant A Seed Ministries
• Treasure Coast Food Bank
• Saint Lucie County Community/Social Services

Needs in Saint Lucie County

I have grown up in Fort Pierce, FL and have always seen a homeless community. I often wondered why there were so many homeless people, and how they all got there. In the previous blog I identified the leading causes of homelessness nationally, and now I would like to bring attention specifically to the needs of Saint Lucie County. The needs here are great, and to help lay out a picture of the problems affecting the homeless here, I will list some statistics from the United Way Needs Assessment for the area.

First we will look at some of the problems facing the children here.

• The birth rate for teens aged 10-14 in the county is twice the state rate
• The child death rate is above the state level
• Marijuana, tobacco and alcohol use in young teens is higher than the state rate
• A quarter of new mothers have less than a high school or equivalent education

Here are the problems facing the adult population of Saint Lucie County

• 25% of those under 65 lack health insurance
• 20% of adults say their health is poor
• The county has the highest rate in Florida of people living with AIDS
• The rate of mental health treatment completion is lower than peer counties
• The crime index in Fort Pierce is double the state rate
• The incarceration rate is almost three times the state rate

These issues notably contribute to the homeless population in Fort Pierce, mainly the issues of mental health. Affordable housing and employment are currently hard to come by and have aggravated the problem. Fort Pierce has a homeless community that without help, is here to stay.

Why are there Homeless?

Many people have an aversion to helping the homeless because they feel those people may deserve the life they are in now. It is argued that the root cause of homelessness is hard to grasp, and no situation is the same. Many factors contribute to homelessness, and not all of them are within the victim's immediate control. Both families and individuals suffer from homelessness, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2008 provided the top reasons for homelessness in a press release.

The top three causes of homelessness in families are:

1. A Lack of Affordable Housing
2. Poverty
3. Unemployment.

The top three causes of homelessness in individuals are:

1. Substance Abuse
2. A Lack of Affordable Housing
3. Mental Illness

Many of these problems are not a result of any action taken by the homeless individual, and the National Coalition for the Homeless found in a survey that 21.4% of the homeless population said they chose homelessness. They also found that relationship problems, childcare complications, and an inability to balance rent, food, and other basic needs were issues that caused and maintained a homeless community. Chronic homelessness occurs in those individuals with mental illness or drug habits, and a full explanation can be found here.

The government and other organizations are working hard to address these problems, but there is not one single solution. You, however, can help on a local scale. Find the organizations in your area that are already working on this huge problem.

The Homeless in America

I've always had an interest in the lives of those who find themselves in the interesting and unfortunate circumstance of being without a place of permanent residence. History knows them as vagabonds, drifters, bums and vagrants, and public opinion of these individuals and what to do with them is about as varied as the individuals you will find on the street. I thought I'd put it all in perspective with a few statistics on American homelessness from around the web.

• Wikipedia says that there are currently 1.6 million Americans in homeless shelters, and that children and families were the fastest growing homeless population in 2002.
• According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, it is estimated that 23% of homeless Americans served our country
• Time magazine estimated that in 2005 and 2006, approximately 1 in 50 children were homeless (though this number is disputed)
• Jan Larson cites research that suggests 64% of the homeless are minorities
• In 2007 it was estimated that 48,000 people in Florida were homeless

As the economy worsens, the threat of homelessness faces more and more Americans each day. People find themselves homeless for many reasons, and find that once they are in the situation, it is often difficult to escape. There is much dispute on how the problem should be handled, and different areas face both different problems and levels of homelessness. This means there is no single answer. My only hope is to raise awareness, and to help you look differently at the man holding a tattered piece of cardboard at the intersection.

**image provided by everystockphoto.com