From ‘mean’ to ‘meaningful’: How Sarasota has made progress on homelessness
January 31, 2025
From ‘mean’ to ‘meaningful’: How Sarasota has made progress on homelessness | Opinion, Herald-Tribune
Do you remember where you were on Monday, Jan. 27?
You might have seen people walking around with clipboards, speaking to homeless individuals. They were actually volunteers conducting the annual Point in Time (PIT) survey, an effort to count the homeless population – at least those visible or willing to engage – in Manatee and Sarasota counties.
The survey provides a snapshot; it represents a partial view of homelessness on a single night.
But it remains an invaluable tool: While tabulating and reporting results take time, the data helps communities grasp the magnitude of the homelessness issue, track trends over the years and make informed decisions.
It enables those working to reduce homelessness to allocate resources effectively, improve programs and drive meaningful change.
Collaboration works
In our region, we know that collaboration between homeless organizations, private and public investment and new approaches can work. For example, the Florida Department of Health’s statistics for Sarasota County alone show a dramatic one-decade decrease of estimated homeless people to 411 in 2023 from 1,234 in 2013.
But there remains work to be done: The number rose to 478 in 2024 and there are concerning suggestions about a more recent rise that could be reflected in 2025.
This is significant because it’s now been 20 years since the city of Sarasota made national headlines as the “meanest city in America” for its policies and attitudes toward homelessness. Back then, the city –and, frankly, most other local governments – appeared to either ignore or criminalize homelessness.
Get the Daily Briefing newsletter in your inbox.
Start your day with the morning’s top news
Delivery: DailyYour Email
Criminalization was especially damaging because people who weren’t true criminals were given court records for minor infractions like sleeping outside or loitering. Rather than addressing homelessness, the community criminalized its effects, which in turn transformed our jails into de facto mental health institutions and homeless shelters. In addition, these criminal records hindered individuals from finding work, securing housing and rebuilding their lives.
Fortunately, the “meanest city” designation spurred forward strides, driven partly by the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness and its Continuum of Care. The CoC seeks to ensure that local organizations follow best practices and use the Coordinated Entry System, which tracks and connects homeless individuals to essential services.
Meanwhile, philanthropic foundations have been supporting organizations and programs designed to lift people out of homelessness. And during his time leading the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, former Sheriff Tom Knight, now a county commissioner, transformed its jail program.
The complexities of homelessness
Second Heart Homes has been a beneficiary of these major investments.
We currently have about 70 men and women off the streets in 12 homes. We purchase homes and transform them into stylish, safe residences. The participating residents live independently but receive dedicated support from our highly trained social workers, who help them build healthy, accountable and dignified lives at an affordable price.
And our nonprofit organization does all this with no government funding.
But the reality is the complexities of homelessness go far beyond shelter.
Without a stable home, how can you put your best foot forward? How do you prepare for a job interview when you’re forced to wear mismatched, dirty clothes? How do you find the confidence to connect with people when you remain shaken by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from your life on the streets?
The impact of mental illness
And while it may not be surprising, this also needs to be emphasized: Mental illness can lead to homelessness, and being homeless can cause mental illness.
When I was a waitress in downtown Sarasota, I witnessed the impacts of mental health on homelessness – and I began my mission by helping one man who had been without a home for 25 years.
That eventually led to the creation of Second Heart Homes, a not-for-profit organization with a straightforward yet powerful approach: one-part housing, one-part support and a whole lotta love.
Last year I had a unique and powerful experience: My home and two of Second Heart’s homes were in evacuation zones, so I joined our residents in a shelter. It was jolting to sleep on a cafeteria floor, to eat questionable food, to wait to use the restroom in the dark – and to experience uncertainty.
Yet it gave me another glimpse into what homeless people experience every day. It was a stark reminder that survival in such conditions leaves little room for progress.
Because they have stable homes, our resident participants learn to care for their surroundings and themselves, and they form a support system of peers. Together they turn the page on homelessness and discover their place in the community, often for the first time.
But we know there is more work to be done in our communities – and perhaps beyond.
Dr. Jim O’Connell, who was featured in the book “Rough Sleepers,” written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder, recently attended a Second Heart Homes presentation at Church of the Palms in Sarasota. O’Connell, a physician who founded the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, subsequently directed funding to our local program – and he also noted its potential to benefit the nation.
We remain committed to the individuals and institutions responsible for giving Second Heart Homes its start. And we will always embrace that commitment, but we can thrive only with community-based support.
Please reach out to us at SecondHeartHomes.org. to determine how you or your organization can be part of the solution to homelessness in our community.
Megan Howell is the executive director and founder of Second Heart Homes. She is a member of the Continuum of Care’s Leadership Council and has a Master of Science in psychology from Capella University.