The number of homeless people living in Tallahassee has increased by about 60 percent in the last year. The county commission is working to address the growing need for housing, but resources are limited.
Last year, more than half a million people experienced homelessness across the United States. Tallahassee’s numbers more than doubled, according to Johnna Coleman of Big Bend Continuum of Care.
“Some of the increases are really linked to the decrease in Covid dollars," she said. "Those dollars ended in 2022, as well as the ending of the eviction moratorium. And then we have also seen increases in eviction rates due to raises in rental costs and then the lack of affordable housing units available.”
Commissioners are hoping to leverage a partnership with the City of Tallahassee and the Big Bend Continuum of Care to use $625,000 in previously allocated American Rescue Plan Act funding. The money will help to continue programs such as street outreach and Permanent Supportive Housing.
Shington Lamy is the county’s director of human services.
“I can’t stress enough how important affordable housing is to preventing and ending homelessness," he said. "Increasing the stock of affordable housing is identified as a priority, a goal, a strategy in every local, regional, state, federal, nationwide plans on homelessness. That is constantly, every time brought up, the need for more affordable housing for this specific population.”
Commissioners also plan to explore the possibility of converting vacant and unused buildings into local housing.
But as Commissioner Rick Minor noted…
“The big elephant in the room is lack of funding. Lack of funding for affordable housing, lack of funding for mental health, lack of funding for emergency shelter operations,” he said.
Commissioners have also agreed to look into a community campaign to reduce panhandling. The board is expected to consider a countywide ordinance to make it unlawful to hold a sign in the median of a road.
