How Sarasota government leaders will tackle homelessness has loomed as likely the largest policy issue in a city election to be decided next week. At the same time that county officials are meeting with Robert Marbut, a consultant hired jointly by the city and county to discuss homeless solutions, the city this week budgeted more than $200,000 to hire a homeless coordinator to implement a separate Housing First plan originating from city staff under City Manager Tom Barwin.

Stan Zimmerman, District 3 candidate and incumbent, said he was anxious to talk with the county about a plan, but is committed to the city effort. He wants any policy to recognize a difference between the situationally homeless and vagrants. “Go to a Walmart parking lot at 3 in the morning and you will find single mothers with two kids in the back seat. They are homeless,” he said. “Go to a vagrant and they are happy living in the mangroves.” He is running on a platform that he opposed having a new come-as-you-are shelter in the city, which he calls politically impossible, and feels such a shelter would only serve to warehouse homeless people. 

Shelli Eddie, District 3 candidate, said she is pleased the city and county are both once again discussing the issue, and wants the two governments back at the table together. “The issue is still going to be whether we can afford it,” she said. Any plan must take into account the specific needs of the community around it. With a plan focused on provided housing, she said questions still remain on what sort of service is provided. “We need to look at the type of housing—permanent or transitional,” she said. 

Eileen Normile, District 2 candidate and incumbent, said the fact the city walked away from discussions on a come-as-you-are shelter should be viewed as a relief. “Thank god we are not sitting with buyer’s remorse and an $8-million expense,” she said. A Housing First approach, she said, should focus primarily on getting the chronically homeless into permanent housing, and that rather than a shelter, the homeless should be sent to a centrally located triage center to be directed toward appropriate social programs. Having that center in the middle of the county should benefit communities like Venice and North Port.

Liz Alpert, a candidate for District 2, said there does need to be a place for the chronically homeless to go, but stopped short of endorsing a Marbut-style shelter. “I don’t know that a come-as-you-are shelter is what we necessarily need,” she said. “We do need a temporary space for people until they figure out where to go. Whether that is part of existing agencies, or whether it is in the city or county, I prefer wherever it’s going to do the most good, It’s got to have some access to the services.” She wants to work with agencies in the region and discuss what room exists for more beds—and whether services could locate around a shelter elsewhere.

The Sarasota City Election is scheduled for Tuesday. The winners of the District 2 and District 3 contests will each be sworn in to four-year terms on the board.