We all know homelessness is a serious issue for the city of Sarasota.

Here’s what you need to know to understand the problems between city officials and those that need help the most — the ones living on Sarasota’s streets.

• Panhandlers crowded Sarasota’s street corners and thousands of people were sleeping in encampments, cars, friends’ homes and shelters when frustrations over homelessness with Sarasota’s affluent community reached a boiling point almost two years ago.

• Government officials were fed up with complaints about the situation from residents, business owners and advocates. They decided their previous responses to homelessness — namely, banning outdoor lodging and arresting people for trespassing — were not working.

• The city and county hired Robert Marbut. He had helped create and run a massive campus of homeless services in San Antonio and now travels the country consulting with communities, like Pinellas County, where he helped set up a shelter.

• The community momentum for change peaked when Marbut was hired and presented a list of solutions, such as: create shelters for families and single adults, force people to engage in services instead of handing out food and money, track people and services in a database shared by agencies across the county, add homeless outreach teams and train law enforcement on interacting with the homeless.

• That excitement fizzled after a year of bickering between the city and county over the location of an adult homeless shelter. They eventuallydecided not to move forward with the idea, which was the linchpin in Marbut’s plan to help homeless adults.

• But the community has made progress on other suggestions, like services for homeless families. Gulf Coast Community Foundation led that effort, and the county will have two shelters for homeless families this year.
  

• The county has primarily turned its attention to the family initiative. Commissioners said they would partner with the city to build an adult shelter if they ever found an agreeable site.

• Sarasota is now focused on making contact with homeless people, especially veterans, through outreach teams led by the Sarasota Police Department. The city has hired a case worker, who officials said has helped find housing for dozens of people.

WANT TO HELP? If you would like to volunteer with an organization that helps the homeless, you can find opportunities that fit your interests and skills at www.youdbeperfectforthis.org.

Jessie Van Berkel contributed to this post | Photo by Dan Wagner