Clearwater Neighborhoods Coalition

Chronic Vagrancy Survey August 2012

Online survey Not scientific Data captured August 8 - 30, 2012

Are you aware that the City of Clearwater is taking steps to reduce the chronic vagrancy population in the city?

Answered Skipped

72 1

98.63% 1.37%

Yes No No Answer Total

50 22 1 73

68.49% 30.14% 1.37% 100.00%

Total Comments

73 17

100.00%

I obtained information about this from public meetings, and news outlets. I applaud all efforts to clean up the city so that it is family friendly. The City has locked doors of public toilet facilities. I live across the street from Crest Lake Park, and have not noticed anything different in the last several years. We do have homeless folks there, but none of them beg for money, and most are the same faces every day. I do not feel threatened or annoyed by the few that are there. Yes and the problem definitely needs to be addressed. Now I am. This is a positive step. Investigate past offenses against the homeless in Clearwater by the police...! I am very much in favor of the fact that the city is taking action. Do not necessarily agree with those efforts. I am all for it! Don't see any actions to keep the vagrants moving and not hanging around Downtown. Didn't know we had a "chronic vagrancy" problem...!!!! Who is the city trying to punish ... the vagrancy population or the citizens that use the facilities? Happy that this is being brought to the forefront as it can be a difficult issue to deal with but needs to be confronted. I work for the City of Clearwater. I work for the City Clerk. My job is to prepare the City Council Work Session and Council Meeting agendas. I'm very aware of what is going before Council. It's about time

Do you have any first hand knowledge of the city's efforts to reduce the chronic vagrancy population?

Answered Skipped

72 1

98.63% 1.37%

Yes No No Answer Total

45 27 1 73

61.64% 36.99% 1.37% 100.00%

Total Comments

73 14

100.00%

I have not seen any incidents of police or city management working to reduce chronic vagrancy. I do not believe the City will be effective in this matter. I am directly affected by the closure of the bathrooms at Crest Lake Park. The City has closed them to stop the homeless but as a daily visitor to the park that has used the restrooms I am upset with the closure. The park is not just a place for homeless but a community asset. I am aware of the decision to close the bathrooms at Crest Lake Park, and feel this is a bad idea. The Skycrest neighbors want our bathroom re-opened. I am also aware of the new ordinances regarding sitting etc. in downtown Clearwater. The ongoing efforts to harass I am aware of. I've been following this closely. Our awareness is through various media. Just a little from what I read in the paper. I was given a sign to post at my shop Downtown warning trespassers to stay off my property....

Just the papers. Yes. I recently saw the wood blocks on some public benches (on the Pier) and I assume those are to keep HUMAN BEINGS from laying on the benches.... The two things I heard about don't make sence to me. Putting a fence around the area behind the library (I just think this is going to be ugly and make the park less accessable to everybody) and welding the doors on the rest rooms at the Crestlake park (that also makes them inaccessable to everyday people that are walking or are at a function at the park). Just what I have read in paper. Yes I have attended several of Dr. Marbut's presentations at various meetings.

Do the efforts you have knowledge about appear to be working towards the goal of reducing the city's chronic vagrancy population?

Answered Skipped

51 22

69.86% 30.14%

Yes No No Answer Total

37 14 22 73

50.68% 19.18% 30.14% 100.00%

Total Comments

73 22

100.00%

I have not seen first hand knowledge of this but I do not believe that changing laws and ordinances will reduce chronic vagrancy. The initial plan sounded good but not sure it is working. Nothing has changed beyond yak yak yak. I have to say no about the bathroom closure at Crest Lake Park. I use the park everyday and I must say I have noticed an increase in unfamiliar homeless faces. The "regulars" are gone but a new set of homeless have "moved in". I do not see a CHRONIC problem, This is a large city, and there are always going to be some homeless people. Due to the state of our economy, I am surprised there are not more homeless people walking around. I see pan handlers every day doing shifts at the junction of N. Fort Harrison and Myrtle. Hasn't slowed them at all if anything it seems to have increased. Maybe I am misinformed but isn't there an ordiance that has been on the books for several years against that??? If so why isn't that being enforce????? I do not know. The efforts are not city wide, so the vagrants are now in the large city parks and neighborhoods. Not only the vagrants, but now the drug dealers and prostitutes are now entering our neighborhoods.....it's becoming a major concern. Calls are being made to the police. A clear violation of civil and human rights. Don't know. It seems so. I'm not sure. I read in the Clearwater Gazette 7/26-8/1 about efforts, but don't know how successful they are. First time heard that it was being addressed. I feel the police should be sweeping the Downtown and other areas regularly to keep them moving and eventually they will leave. Too soon to tell. Some ideas are good and should be kept and applied. Some ideas don't work so continuous tweaking is needed. The City is doing a good job of working towards the solution. Don't know. Question 3 Comments - Continued

No. I think the "City" is being mean-spirited, adding insult to injury in very hard times, and should have way more important things to do..!!! We need to have some structure feeding the homeless on every corner of the city does not help. I believe I'm seeing less homeless people walking around downtown. As long as there are empy buildings and people are feed in the down town area they will stay there. Not at Crest Lake Park, they are there in number every day. I also see people panhandling openly in Clearwater, and feeding the vagrants in the park. Also the welding of the bathroom doors at Crest Lake Park has reduced the amount of citizens using the park and we are now seeing human feces in bushes and around the restroom building as well as vagrants urinating in bushes and around trees. Many of the vagrants have health issues which can create a health problem for the public as well as park employees now that they are using the outdoors as a rest room.

Do you believe that the city is using the correct methodology and approach to correct this problem?

Answered Skipped

66 7

90.41% 9.59%

Total Comments

73 27

100.00%

Yes No Don't Know No Answer Total

14 23 29 7 73

19.18% 31.51% 39.73% 9.59% 100.00%

I have no exposure or experience in the sociology or psychology of vagrancy. As such I am not sure what appropriate actions need to be taken to reduce vagrancy in Clearwater or in other places. However, putting a gate on a library and welding restroom doors shut does not appear to be the correct methodology that would solve this problem. In my opinion vagrants will continue to seek places that provide relief from environmental elements. Vagrants will continue to resolve their biological requirements. Vagrant behavior may not be done at the library or at a park restroom anymore but you will see them or items indicating their presence at new and different places. Clearwater needs to be careful what boundaries it creates because those boundaries will yield unintended consequences. The fairly draconian measures of locking public bathrooms seems self defeating. Homeless people have no other places to go, so will then be forced to use public areas, such as open parks, creating potential health hazards and quality of life problems. Ordinances should be city-wide. Not just for beach, east gateway and downtown. Mixed, mostly positive. I'd prefer different handling of park restrooms. The public is unaware of any plan. I have lived in the Skycrest area for 24 years. I use Crest Lake Park daily. Closing the bathrooms at the park has had no affect on the homeless population, however it has decreased the use of the park by families. I have personally seen children urinating/defecting in the park because a bathroom was not available. It upsets me that every time the City Council is reminded of how the closure of the bathrooms has impacted the neighbors of Skycrest the answer is "there are NO parks in Clearwater that have a restroom" Its like we are being told "it is better to have a bathroom and lost it then to never have had one at all!" I find the tone condescending. This is a large park, used by many, invested with tax dollars to build a playground and dog park only to have all park patrons punished for a few homeless.

I understand that the city wants to break the pattern of homelessness with help to find them work, but I am not actually seeing this approach being used. All I am seeing is police arresting the homeless for trespassing. It seems like a waste of money that could be used in a more constructive empathetic way. I think it is early in the process, hopefully there is some level of success. I believe for any program to be successful there has to be some level of achievement by the homeless such as work for food and work for shelter. Instead of just hand outs a method to earn the food/shelter should be instituted. Also the new ordinances prescribe jail that appears as couter productive 3 hots and a cot & medical is better than what they have. I see the homeless hanging out near the downtown library, near the Clearwater Garden Club, and they take over the picnic tables at the marina behind the clearwater garden club. Only using the stick; no carrots that I can see.

Question 4 Comments - Continued

We need multiple ways to respond. This is a multi-faceted problem. It needs to be a city wide effort, not just certain areas. They have not planned for the vagrants to exit parts of the city, and then take up camps in other areas...such as neighborhoods and parks! I do not like the solution of fencing off areas. Investigate the Homicide of John Martin III: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/police-clearwaterhomeless-mans-death-not-suspicious/1144804 There is no easy way to handle this problem, and the city is doing the best of the options, in my opinion. There's no perfect solution. I feel that the city has done the right compromises. Some of the efforts seem to do more to alienate the general public than to help solve the problems of the homeless. We think it unwise to close Clearwater's homeless shelter and expect a Safety Harbor facility to solve our problem. Yes, if the services in the above question are being effective. I feel this will always be a problem a homeless shelter would solve allot of these issues. Not sure what the strategy is, but as I say above, they should be more aggressively monitoring the vagrants.

The library fence is OK. Asking people to not help feed the needy regardles if they are poor and working living in a residence or if they are homeless is morally wrong. They are not bears in a National Park. Park restrooms should be open 8-8. Find better things to do. We have much bigger issues and problems..!!! It is the correct methodology for Clearwater because they seem to be incapable of getting downtown established as a place people want to work, live, play and incapable of attracting neighbors to their neighborhood parks. Vagrants should first be checked out illegal wanted what ever. Uninformed on this issue. If you want the eat then you have to get a work premit from city, that would give you a ticket to eat. However, we want our Crestlake Park bathrooms unlocked!!! People are still using the restroom.....outside the restrooms! Yes and no. Dr. Marbut presented 47 initatives that represented a wholistic approach to the problem. He said one of the most important things was to stop all the public feeding, which I agree with, but as things have been roled out this hasnt been implemented or addressed yet.

Do you have any comments or suggestions about this initiative? Answered Skipped 37 36 50.68% 49.32%

Total Comments

73 37

100.00%

Chief Holloway once said that if you put the squeeze on a small geographic area in an effort to reduce inappropritae activity you will soon see that inappropriate activity in other nearby areas. He said that citizens should think of this like a balloon. Has anyone spoken to Chief Holloway about reducing vagrancy in only certain parts of the city? What were his thoughts? Funding the Homeless Emergency Project shelter that provided services to get and keep people off the streets, as well as to help them re-establish as productive citizens was a far better approach than the current one of simply trying to run them off. Some people are, we know, homeless by choice. You will never eliminate this population. You can, however, minimize the negative impact on businesses and residents with carefully considered services. Police action does not fall into that category. Need to have more community input as to the impact the actions have on the neighborhoods and park users. Not familiar with all the details. I would hope food programs could be convinced or legislated to move away from the downtown, where we are track to attract businesses and families. I'd also like to see more public restrooms vs. locking up what we have. Yes. Identify the problem; publish courses of action and get public reaction. I wish I knew why the homeless are a problem. Please reconsider and open the bathrooms at Crest Lake. Thank you. The city mayor needs to listen to his constituents better. He was voted in by the people, and he doesn't want to listen to what they have to say to him about the city's approach not working. I have not heard about HEP being contacted or involved with this process although they seem to have several successful programs up and operating. I don't believe there will be any success if there is not some iniative from the City to offer analternative besides Safe Harbor. I suggest that some funding be given to HEP and may guide a few clients toward their programs. The amount of clients to HEP should not be overwhelming so as to negatively affect HEP and Everyone's Tabernacle

Does the initiative involve homeless shelters, mental health counseling, many of them seem to have cell phones. Take them to area where they need mirgrant workers. They could work in the field and have housing there. You need to let the public know more about this being a problem! It is not enough to just move them around; Safe Harbor and Pinellas Hope are models, but cannot handle all the chronic homeless. BTW I find it interesting that the survey is about vagrancy rather than homelessness. Words do matter.

Question 5 Comments - Continued

Must be city wide and extra police help to address the vagrants, prostitues and drug dealers. I do believe we need to have a place for them to attain food and shelter as long as they are trying to find enployment. Otherwise I believe the city should put them to work cleaning up the beaches and sidewalk areas. Not all beggars are homeless and not all homeless are beggars. WHY am I still seeing panhandlers along the major corridor? They keep a watch and furtively fold up or hide their sign, but it's so obvious--even right near City Hall! Does the new plan exacerbates the situation of harassment and disregard for human rights...? I support the city fully. Please do something to take care of this problem. Renew efforts to have a shelter in Clearwater itself that addresses the roots of the homeless problem (mental illness, alcoholism, need for a positive support system, health and job support, etc). Building fences, closing restrooms, and risking potential legal actions seem short-sighted and unwise. Please stop the homeless from beeging for money on the street corners. This is very dangerous! The City is acting in response to some special interests and not the interest of the homeless and the residents of the City. You can not attack a problem like the homeless without determinig what is the reason for the issue; mental health care is not part of the City solution, take few minutes and give a good thought. Please reduce the public free parking on North Clearwater beach and you will reduce the transients (with cars) who spend the day at the beach and leave all their beer bottles behind. Thanks. I might be interested in volunteering with an outreach team. Same as above. It's about time. Keep up the good work and it will soon pay off! Good idea. It's really too early to tell. It isn't that we don't see the vagrants it, to me, dosen't seem to be that bad. For the city officials to receive support in their approach they need to explain what the resultant problems are. I live in N. Beach no issues here vs. E.gate. We need to be made aware of the above norm problems E.gate is experiencing. Also working poor may eat with the homeless but that dosen't make them homeless. Quit mixing apples and oranges. Put a not in the Sunshine news about what's happening. Yes. Leave people ALONE and solve some REAL issues like traffic, the dysfunctional roundabout, the people destroying the dunes on our beach, the empty storefronts on Mandalay and Cleveland, the dogs crapping on the beach where folks (especially children!!) walk barefoot, etc. RESTORE the "No dogs allowed" sign on the beach access streets. Our beach access (at Eldorado & Bohenia) has become the dog crap beach - professional dog walkers bring 6 and 8 dogs at a time to poop on the beach & leave it. I dont want dangerous strange people laying around not being responsible. Stop giving a hand up not a handout.

Question 5 Comments - Continued

Continue trying to communicate to the churches and other community groups to stop the "feedings" unless they are willing to actually help our homeless by providing services (mental health, counseling, etc). In other words, no handouts without a "hands up". I feel the city did a very poor job of relaying their strategy to the citizens of Clearwater, and even those of us that attended meetings with Dr. Marbut about the strategies find contradictions in what was presented to us and what is being rolled out.