Feed All of Gainesville's Hungry

I lived in Gainesville, Florida from May 1988 until February 1994 while working at Shands Hospital. I then returned in August of 2004 as a homeless man and would remain until July 2005, when I moved to Washington, D.C.

I had not yet become a homeless advocate during my time in Gainesville, though I was involved in a protest against the city's plan to begin closing the public bathrooms in the downtown bus plaza at 5 PM rather than the usual 7 PM. (This was seen as a move against the homeless, many of whom congregate in the plaza, insomuch as they'd have to leave the plaza sooner for lack of a bathroom.)

I've been advocating for D.C.'s homeless since June 2006. During that time, I've gained many new insights into how public policies that affect the homeless are formulated. That said, I have begun to see how Gainesville, Florida treats its homeless population in a whole new light. When I read a recent article about the City of Gainesville limiting the number of meals that St. Francis House may serve the homeless in its soup kitchen, to 130 meals per day, I became acutely aware of the city's pattern of depending on the private sector to care for its needy. The article mentions 8-year old Mackenzie Case who testified before the city commission but was too shy to ask the pointed question at the end of her statements: "So, if I were number 131, you wouldn't feed me?"

Commissioner Randy Wells said, " There was nothing stopping her or others from helping the homeless and hungry." His statement brings back loads of memories and raises questions as to why the city has placed this limit on St. Francis House (where I've eaten).

St. Francis is located on S. Main Street and 4th Ave., a mere three blocks from the downtown bus plaza and two blocks from the courthouse. It is within walking distance of the University of Florida and many other attractions, as well as late night hotspots. It has several rooms for homeless families, but allows homeless singles to sleep on the floor in the common areas during hypothermic nights. (Yes, northern Florida DOES experience freezing temperatures, albeit at night.) They feed lunch to any hungry person who shows up, and also allow the street homeless or those who live in the woods to shower. Their range of services draws droves of homeless people into downtown. It stands to reason that the city wants to move the homeless away from downtown by taking away one of their primary reasons for coming. This is strangely reminiscent of the bathroom closure time-change. If you decrease the ability of the homeless to meet their basic human needs downtown (eating or using the bathroom), they might stop coming downtown.

I have no memory of Gainesville as having a city shelter or day program, but have seen various do-gooders and non-profits that feed the homeless and provide shelter. Churches sometimes feed the homeless in Lynch Park, right across the road from St. Francis House. Fire of God Ministries and Sister Arupa each feed once a week in the downtown plaza. (FoG also feeds at its church on Saturday evenings.) A group of UF students were feeding the homeless once a week in the courtyard of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church just one block from the downtown plaza. And the Salvation Army feeds people five days per week at 639 East University Avenue -- five blocks from the downtown plaza. With all of these feeding being in and around downtown, that leaves very little room to argue that the homeless are being pushed from downtown (though it is important to note that several feedings are only once a week). But it DOES help to make the case that the city is depending heavily upon the kindness of strangers to provide for its needy.

Laying aside all naiveté and ignorance, let us acknowledge the grim reality that city officials tend to euphemize and avoid admitting: it's a classic case of the monied vs. the poor (the haves vs. the have-nots). At least one city official is concerned for the safety of "monied people," ostensibly anyway. Fact of the matter is that the homeless are not any more violent than the larger population. However, this unfounded "fear" enables people to justify their mistreatment of the less fortunate. (We at the National Coalition for the Homeless spend countless hours traveling the country and speaking to various groups so as to defeat this and other stereotypes people have about the homeless.)

And so, we have city officials making a couple of meager attempts at pushing the homeless away from downtown, creating little or no publicly-funded assistance for the homeless, relying heavily on private citizens to care for the homeless, and perpetuating one of the oldest and most inaccurate stereotypes about the homeless. This speaks volumes to how city officials view the homeless and to what their priorities are. It seems as though the meal limit at SFH is only a symptom, not the disease.

Nonetheless, help cure this symptom by telling the City of Gainesville to feed ALL of its hungry.

Photo credit: James Jordan