Officials oppose sleeping in parks
Responding to city officials irate at the prospect of homeless people camping in parks again, the operators of the Homeless Assistance Center agreed on Wednesday to allow 40 unused beds reserved for families to be used by single men and women.
With the new center at or near capacity in recent days, Police Chied Michael Brasfield had told officers that curfews in city parks would be suspended any night the center stopped taking in homeless people.
But the policy angered many residents who called City Hall to complain. Just as many people called to support allowing homeless people to sleep in parks, said Mayor Jim Naugle.
The city manager's office said it would revise the Police Department policy at a meeting today. "I feel we can still enforce the rules in our parks, even if [the Homeless Assistance Center is] full." Naugle said. He said there are other facilities for homeless people, including the Salvation Army.
"I think we have to enforce the laws. Parks are for recreation, and not for administering social services."
The Homeless Assistance Center, which opened February 1 on Sunrise Boulevard, has 200 beds - 130 for men, 30 for women and 40 for families.
But the beds in the family unit were not being used because the county wanted better security to make sure single men couldn't wander through a unit where children were sleeping.
The Broward Partnership for the Homeless, which runs the shelter, agreed Wednesday morning to allow the 40 beds reserved for families to be used for single men and women. Single adults won't actually sleep in the family unit. Instead, single beds in the adult units will be converted to bunk beds next week, said Ezra Krieg, spokesman for the Homeless Assistance Center.
"Everybody wants the facility to be used at its capacity and used in a compassionate manner," Krieg said. "If we have capacity...why then subject people to live on the streets or in the parks?"
"Until we can get families in there, we can accomodate more males and females," said Bill Keith, chairman of the Broward Partnership for the Homeless. "if we have capacity of 200, until we can resolve [the family issue], why let that extra capacity be unused?"
Fred Scarborough, director of Shepherd's Way ministries, which houses the homeless, especially children, questioned whether the new center even needs a family unit.
"There isn't any need for families over there," he said. "For one thing, I have said if there's a family out there, call me and I'll find them a place. And I don't get called very often."
"The homeless familied were a figment of their imagination." said Commissioner Tim Smith. "The great, great majority of homeless persons are middle-aged men who need some help to get their act together."
A 1983 federal court ruling required cities to give the homeless a place to go without facing automatic arrest.