Fort
Lauderdale's homeless pack up, leave Tent City
No
improprieties, but center needs to raise more money
By
the numbers: Who
is homeless in Broward County?
Tent
City about to fold
Lauderdale
sends tents into the past as homeless warm to new shelter
Tent
City's residents begin moving into new homeless shelter
New
homeless center presents quandry for Tent City residents
At
new homeless center, open house, open hearts
Broward
orders audit of homeless shelter
Congressman
protests county's homeless grant
Homeless
advocates stunned by grant cut
Woman organizes dinner to help homeless
Broward
commission OKs plan for homeless shelter in Pompano
Shelter
will offer homeless a new view
Helping
homeless becomes easier with new furniture, equipment, supplies
HUD's
Cuomo coming to ribbon-cutting
Fort
Lauderdale cracking down on services for homeless
Huizenga
pledges $1 million more to help homeless
County
doesn't know how it will pay to run new homeless shelter
North
Broward County disagrees over location of homeless shelters
Miami
settles lawsuit over harassment of the homeless
South
Florida granted help for homeless
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services: Homelessness
U.S. homelessness and Housing Resources
The
National Coalition for the Homeless: Fact sheet
Florida
Coalition for the Homeless
Health Care for the homeless directory:
South and central Florida
By LISA J. HURIASH Staff Writer
FORT LAUDERDALE Chuck Burney says hell give his gray blanket away. Its lightweight, and he doesnt think hell need it anymore.
Around him, the citys makeshift homeless camp is being closed and cleared away. Some people sit dazed, their belongings in black garbage bags by their side.
It is mostly quiet, but for a county caseworker who periodically uses a bullhorn to announce when the next bus will arrive and the racket made by city workers tossing old blankets, potato chip bags and ratty cots into rubbish bins.
Tent City folded Friday, five years after the tents went up across from City Hall on Andrews Avenue north of Broward Boulevard.
Burney, 57, who has called this parking lot home off and on for three years, was in the last group to leave the tent. He planned to move into the countys new Homeless Assistance Center, off Sunrise Boulevard, which opened Feb. 1.
Burney is glad to leave: I lived under a bridge under Pine Island ... and I was better off then, before I c ame here, he said. It got wet in there when it rained. It stinks, everybodys coughing and carrying on.
While he waits for the bus that will take him to the new Homeless Assistance Center, he says hell give the blanket to a friend who was planning to live on the street rather than move to the new shelter.
Tent City housed about 200 people most of the time, and as many as 400 when the weather turned cold. By Friday morning, about 50 people remained. The last of the residents left on foot or were taken by bus to the new Homeless Assistance Center or group homes.
Hours later, the entrance to Tent City was locked.
The last remaining tent, taken down Friday, will be steam cleaned and used by the city Parks and Recreation Department for outdoor events. The ground, divided by yellow lines into spaces for each cot, will be disinfected with bleach and turned back over to the city.
City officials said they probably will sell it for an office development.
Thank God its gone, said Steve Werthman, coordinator of the countys homeless programs. Its probably the most unfortunate concentration of human misery that ever existed in this community.
Angelo Castillo, county director of human services, ripped a square of canvas off the last cot to keep as a piece of Fort Lauderdale history.
Its a great day for Broward County, he said. Were getting rid of a community embarrassment and moving into an era when we can treat homeless people with respect and dignity.
With Tent City out of the way, Broward County will begin working toward opening its third and last homeless assistance center on Blount Road in Pompano Beach. Within months, the county expects to go before Pompano Beach boards for zoning approval for a 200-bed site that is scheduled to open by December 2001.
Miss Mary, 69, was one of the first residents to move into the tent five years ago. On Friday morning, she was one of the last to leave, watching city workers throw away blankets and cots.
The self-appointed den mother of the tent, she traded aspirin and cigarettes for respect and privacy.
Miss Mary, who wouldnt give her last name, opted for a group home instead of the shelter. She said she couldnt abide by the centers strict rules, particularly the one requiring residents to be in bed by 10 p.m.
She wants to stay up and write poetry, and she showed off a sample of her work:
I am going through the motions of living. I am tired of liars, tired of life ... I dont care if I live or die. I want to cry. I want to cry. I want to cry.
We were like a family on a larger sc ale, she said. Weve all been rejected to a degree.
Some of the people who had been her family came up to Miss Mary, offering words of encouragement.
They say, When will we see you? she said. Youll see me real soon. Ill be around.
