BRADENTON, Fla. — Manatee County has found a new approach for tackling its challenges with homelessness. The county has moved forward with plans to transform the old jail into a shelter to help get veterans off the streets while they work toward a permanent place to stay.
The Manatee County Board of Commissioners recently approved using $15 million from the American Rescue Plan Funds to turn an abandoned jail in downtown Bradenton into a shelter.
According to the plan, in about two years,the old jail building would be fully-renovated and repurposed into becoming a transitional housing shelter. About $13 million for the funds would be used for the construction while $2 million would go toward the design process.
Working with organizations that advocate for the homeless, the shelter will specifically serve more than 100 homeless veterans in Manatee and Sarasota Counties.
"It's a plus for everybody, for the community, for the homeless people and for people who are on the verge of being homeless," said Derrick Fowler of Bradenton. Fowler, who is originally from Ohio, has been unhoused for several months after he lost his job due to the pandemic.
The Air Force veteran and father of two comes to the Turning Points Center to get help with employment resources so that he can earn enough money to get back on his feet and secure housing.
"I've never had to sleep on the side of the road, I have friends that let me sleep on their couch, I have a friend that let me sleep on their back patio, they had a pool and it was ok for me at the time, but you don't want to wear your welcome out," said Fowler.
County leaders said transforming the jail, which has not been in use for more than a decade, would help people like Fowler while they seek stable housing. There would also be various services to assist veterans struggling with other challenges like mental health and child care.
"Manatee County and Sarasota County, we only have one transitional housing program for veterans, we used to have two but we lost one in Sarasota," said Lee Washington, neighborhood services director in Manatee County.
The building has six floors, but the plan proposes to use two floors for administrative services as well as other shelter services.
There would be some individual rooms, as well as pods, that can house larger numbers of shelter residents at a time.
The county currently has 75 registered homeless veterans; but once completed, the new shelter would have more than enough room to take in other homeless veterans from nearby counties like Sarasota. Leaders also said they are keeping women veterans in mind because many of them, especially those with children have more difficulty with finding transitional housing.
"Those that we've been trying to link with services over the last few years with different organizations within the community will now have a more central location for all those organizations to work in concert, if you will, to help these veterans remove those barriers to housing," Washington said.
Advocates for the homeless community of more than 600 say this development is a positive step in the right direction.
"That is one piece of the puzzle that is definitely needed," said Kathleen Cramer of Turning Points.
"When somebody's chronically homeless, 10+ years, their chances of success without permanent support are very slim so that's definitely another need in our community," said Cramer.
"I commend it, I applaud it, I think it's a win-win for everybody," Fowler said.
County officials say construction will likely begin within the next 8 to 12 months, barring any supply chain issues.