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