User:JackAttaxs/Homelessness in Florida

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Homelessness in Florida is considered a major social issue, mainly due to its warm weather.

According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, as of January 2017, there are an estimated 32,190 homeless individuals in Florida. Of this high number, 2,846 are family households, 2,019 are unaccompanied young adults (aged 18–24), 2,817 are veterans, and an estimated 5,615 are individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. According to a January 2020 count, this figure was 27,487 on any given day, a decrease from previous years. '''According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as of December 2022, the estimate for homeless individuals has dropped to 25,959, about 5% of the total U.S. population. This is in spite of fears that moratorium's on evictions ending could lead to an increase in the homeless population.'''

General poverty in Florida
For 2016, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that there were 3,116,886 people in poverty in Florida, or 15.7% of the state's population. 22.8% of them are children. According to the new data published by the U.S. Census Bureau the percentage of Floridians living in poverty has decreased from 15.7% to 13.1% as of 2021. Begging and panhandling are often a consequence of pervasive poverty due to the need to source money. When focusing on the laws against begging and panhandling it is important to begin with the fact that people become beggars and panhandlers for various reasons. They could be in that situation because of socio-economic issues, disability, loss of income due to natural disasters like hurricanes, discrimination due to being a minority group, lack of education, health issues and many more. Consequently, the approach to these social issues must be responsive to people's needs to help them escape poverty and the need to beg.

Cost of accountability and services
In 2013, a Central Florida Commission on Homelessness study indicated that the region spends $31,000 a year per homeless person to cover "salaries of law-enforcement officers to arrest and transport homeless individuals — largely for nonviolent offenses such as trespassing, public intoxication or sleeping in parks — as well as the cost of jail stays, emergency-room visits and hospitalization for medical and psychiatric issues." This did not include "money spent by nonprofit agencies to feed, clothe and sometimes shelter these individuals". In contrast, the report estimated the cost of permanent supportive housing at "$10,051 per person per year" and concluded that "[h]ousing even half of the region's chronically homeless population would save taxpayers $149 million during the next decade — even allowing for 10 percent to end up back on the streets again." This particular study followed 107 long-term-homeless residents living in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties. There are similar studies showing large financial savings in Charlotte and Southeastern Colorado from focusing on simply housing the homeless.

Affordable housing
'''In December of 2022, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, endorsed legislation that would further allow the conversion of retail spaces such as shopping centers and empty office buildings into affordable housing for Florida Residents. The legislation endorsed by the Senate President Passidomo builds upon a law passed in 2020 that removes the requirement for locations approved for affordable housing construction be rezoned from commercial to residential. In April of 2023 Florida passed more legislation (SB 102 ) aimed at providing more Floridians with affordable housing through the use of "incentives, tax breaks, and $811,000,000 in funding". The law also cemented in place that it is no longer required for locations approved for affordable housing construction to be rezoned from commercial to residential. SB 102 dubbed the "Live Local Act" is the largest affordable housing act ever passed in the state of Florida and has put a stop to one of the ways local governments have been able to limit or deny affordable housing projects in the past. The bill is set to go into effect July 1st, 2023.'''

Deterrence controversies
In July 2019, officials in West Palm Beach, Florida, were criticised for playing a continuous loop of the children's songs Baby Shark and Raining Tacos throughout the night outside city-owned Waterfront Lake Pavilion rental banquet facility as a way of deterring rough sleepers.

'''In a video published by PBS on Dec 13, 2015 titled "Debate over how to treat the homeless simmers in Sarasota, as more cities crack down" explains both the progressive and regressive measures Sarasota, Florida has taken in their attempts to solve the homeless issue. Some of these measures includes "criminalizing sleeping outside in public or private property without permission", the removal of public benches in parks that are often used by homeless residents in the area to sleep on, and the creation of joint effort teams of police officers and social workers specifically tasked with dealing with homeless residents hands on. '''