1. Vol. 39, No. 42 Section 01 Tallahassee, Florida Oct. 17-23, 2013
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Shelter’s Officials Address Problems with Site Move
By Aldranon
English II
Outlook Writer
Plans for relocat-
ing Tallahassee’s
largest emergency
homeless shelter is
in full swing and
is projected to be
finished December
2014. The Shelter,
located on West
Tennessee Street,
is moving from its
20-year home in
Frenchtown to West
Pensacola Street
despite some uncer-
tainty.
The notion for
relocation stemmed
from several con-
cerns that ulti-
mately ended up
in a final decision.
The Shelter’s abil-
ity to properly and
effectively serve
the varied needs of
the homeless has
been an escalating
challenge due to
increases in home-
lessness and lack
of room. Residents
of Frenchtown have
also complained
about the bother-
some behavior as-
sociated with the
homeless loiter-
ing into the streets
before the facility
opens each night.
Questions and
concerns emerged
from the commu-
nity about the new
site of The Shelter,
which is located
near the Dick Hous-
er Center for Child-
hood Services. The
Dick Houser Cen-
ter serves children
ages 6 weeks to 6
years old. Parents
were concerned for
the safety of their
children being mere
steps away from po-
tential danger.
Heather Mitch-
ell, President and
CEO of United
Way of the Big
Bend (UWBB),
commented on the
future safety and
security of the facil-
ity.
“The building
will be a 24-hour,
c o m p r e h e n s i v e
structure for men
and women,” she
said.
UWBB partially
funds the Shelter
along with 41 other
community centers.
They are partnering
with several other
facilities, includ-
ing Hope Commu-
nity of Big Bend, to
make sure the new
structure meets the
standards of its resi-
dents and the gen-
eral public.
“Registered sex
offenders in need of
housing will check
into The Shelter
first, and then be re-
ferred to the Good
Samaritan Center,”
said Mitchell.
The Good Sa-
maritan Network’s
“Care Tallahassee”
Program under the
Good Samaritan
Center provides
housing and re-
sources such as
a labor incentive
program for the
homeless. The pro-
gram is designed to
practice and dem-
onstrate growth,
enhances personal
ethics and is a way
for residents to pay
for their living ex-
penses. Big Bend
Homeless Coalition
with HOPE Com-
munity will trans-
form its men’s dor-
mitory into a space
suitable for families
in need of immedi-
ate living.
“Families with
children will be
housed separately
from the new Shel-
ter,” said Jacob
Reiter executive
director of The
Shelter. “It won’t
be just The Shel-
ter. This would be
an inclusive center
with many substan-
tial services for the
residents and com-
munity.”
The facility
would house many
programs and ser-
vices including a
thorough screening
and assessment pro-
cess. Residents will
have the opportu-
nity to choose from
several recreational
programs and fa-
cilities.
“This way, resi-
dents would not
have to empty out
during the day
time,” said Reiter.
“Our goal is to have
the best emergency
facility that would
be a model for the
entire nation.”
T h e
30,000-square-foot
facility will house
between 240 – 300
individuals on a dai-
ly basis with on-site
security. Plans and
meetings are ongo-
ing for The Shel-
ter’s auxiliary pro-
grams. Residents
are kept abreast on
any new informa-
tion concerning the
new facility.
“This is a collab-
orative effort,” said
Reiter.
Volunteers at The
Shelter are greatly
appreciative of the
new changes and
are anticipating the
new facility.
Mr. Jimmie
Hedgmon, a mem-
ber of Bethel Mis-
sionary Baptist
Church and an
avid volunteer, ex-
pressed his grati-
tude of The Shel-
ter’s relocation.
“The two things
that I like about the
move are that it will
increase the capac-
ity so that it will
serve more people
and the safety mea-
sures put in place,”
said Hedgmon.
“I think it is re-
ally great that they
have thought deep
enough to exclude
sex offenders from
being around fami-
lies and kids.”
The Shelter, located on West Tennessee Street, is moving from
its location of the past 20 years.