How will Manatee County adapt to new homelessness law? Advocates say questions remain

Victoria Villanueva-Marquez
·3 min read
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Manatee County Government leaders are planning to create an emergency homeless shelter to connect people with social services and comply with a new Florida law.

The Fresh Start Manatee proposal would offer a supportive path for those who want to get off the streets. The 90-day shelter would include services that connect them with job opportunities, educational courses and financial guidance, a county official said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a law banning people from sleeping on streets, sidewalks and parks. The law, which goes into effect on Oct. 1, requires local governments to move them into shelters or camps.

“We believe in giving people a hand up,” said Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge.

“We can’t force them to take the hand up,” he added. “But we want to at least be able to sleep at night, knowing that if there’s a person who’s down on their luck, there’s somewhere in this county where they can go.”

According to Van Ostenbridge, Fresh Start Manatee would be modeled off of a similar homeless outreach program in Pinellas County that connects unhoused residents with community resources in an effort to put them back in a home.

Further information about Fresh Start Manatee was not immediately available. Key details about the project, such as the location and the exact resources it will offer, are subject to approval by the Manatee Board of County Commissioners at a later date.

Manatee plans new homeless shelter

One local resident without a home, Kelly Teel, has slept behind a pizza restaurant in Bradenton. Sometimes the restaurant workers offered him a blanket and a slice of pizza. He felt safer there than anywhere else.

“I got so used to being outside,” said Teel, 66, who got divorced and went to live on the streets in 1998. “I thought it was romantic. It’s not.”

Teel, like others without a home to call their own, hoped to find a spot at a shelter.

“I would be the first one there,” Teel said.

There were 567 homeless people last year in Manatee County, according to the latest available data. Of those, 339 lived in parks, cars or abandoned buildings.

Will Florida law end homelessness?

Homeless advocates have criticized the new law and pushed for more affordable housing options in Manatee County.

“We also believe our neighbors should not be sleeping on the street, but this law does not solve homelessness in our community,” said Katie Ross, CEO of the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness.

Kathleen Cramer, executive director of Turning Points, also said the new law creates a problem for the local unhoused population because there are not enough shelter beds to house them all.

“There’s going to be a lot of unknowns until decisions are made,” Cramer said.

As county leaders plan to build the 90-day shelter, homeless advocates pointed out that there are many older people and families without the means to pay for rent.

“We think everyone experiencing homelessness is a middle-aged man. That is not at all the face of homelessness in our community,” Cramer said. “Many people have just had a bad situation that snowballed and ended up being evicted.”

Kathleen Cramer, Executive Dir. of Turning Points discusses the new law Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed which bans public sleeping and camping.
Kathleen Cramer, Executive Dir. of Turning Points discusses the new law Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed which bans public sleeping and camping.

Resources strained in Manatee County

As more homeless people search for a place to go, pressure will fall on the Salvation Army in Bradenton, the only shelter in the county.

“We’re going to be turning people away,” said Paul Fowler, director of social services for the Salvation Army of Manatee County. “That’s all we can do.”

A new problem outside of the Salvation Army property highlights Manatee County’s struggle with homelessness. Tents have popped up on the sidewalk because the shelter doesn’t have space to accept everyone.

“It breaks my heart because they’re out there in a tent, but it’s not a campground,” said Maj. Thomas Richmond, corps officer for the Salvation Army of Manatee County.

Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law HB 1365, banning public sleeping and camping. The exterior of the Salvation Army, the only shelter in Manatee County on March 26, 2024.
Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law HB 1365, banning public sleeping and camping. The exterior of the Salvation Army, the only shelter in Manatee County on March 26, 2024.
A row of lockers hold belongings of those staying at the Salvation Army in Bradenton. Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law HB 1365, banning public sleeping and camping.
A row of lockers hold belongings of those staying at the Salvation Army in Bradenton. Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law HB 1365, banning public sleeping and camping.
The open porch at Turning Points, a social services hub for people facing homelessness, has a bookshelf for clients as they wait for appointments. Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law HB 1365, banning public sleeping and camping.
The open porch at Turning Points, a social services hub for people facing homelessness, has a bookshelf for clients as they wait for appointments. Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law HB 1365, banning public sleeping and camping.
One of the family rooms at the Salvation Army shelter, the only one in Manatee County, on March 26, 2024. Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law HB 1365, banning public sleeping and camping.
One of the family rooms at the Salvation Army shelter, the only one in Manatee County, on March 26, 2024. Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law HB 1365, banning public sleeping and camping.
A shelter room for single women at the Salvation Army on March 26, 2024. Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law HB 1365, banning public sleeping and camping.
A shelter room for single women at the Salvation Army on March 26, 2024. Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law HB 1365, banning public sleeping and camping.