When Dr. Robert Marbut was asked at a community event in Venice how Sarasota County was handling homelessness, he had plenty of nice words to say about some arenas. Help offered to homeless families, he said, was the best service anywhere in the country. Administrative improvements for government and nonprofit groups was good and getting better. But for the chronic homeless, his assessment was blunt.

“The only word I can use is ‘failure,’ “ he said. A come-as-you-shelter proposed two years ago by Marbut has always been controversial, but the fact it has not come close to fruition disappoints the consultant, and lack of action on that issue is why homeless numbers and reports of aggressive behavior from transients has gone up even as progress is made in other areas.

Marbut spoke to a crowd of residents gathered at the Venice Community Center, most of whom suggested their own hearts were “with the homeless.” Many wondered why vacant business sites in the central part of the county had not been turned into shelters, though Marbut held to a recommendation any facility should be located within walking proximity of social and legal services in downtown Sarasota.

Venice resident Suzanne Kozub said the idea of Housing First, offering housing to transients instead of sending them to shelters, deserves more attention. “It’s about being practical and understanding that maybe if they have a house, and the idea of if they have a little hope and dignity and a place to sleep, they would say, why self-medicate myself?,” she said. “If you only have 10 units in Venice to take in the chronic homeless and take services to them, it keeps them out of the jail and hospitals.” Marbut said he has run Housing First facilities—one is part of a shelter in San Antonio—but that it won't work as well for people with mental and substance abuse problems, and will be costly.

Englewood resident Barry Phelps said he was supportive of the shelter proposal and the entire Marbut plan. “This is the best money ever spent on a consulting coming in,” Phelps said. “To see commentary come back calling him a huckster when usually government pays $150,000 on studies they don't pay any attention to, I don’t get that.” He was hopeful that Marbut coming back to town for a report, especially after elections caused a turnover on the Sarasota City Commission this month, meant the shelter would get back on track.

And Pat Knox, who runs the Jubilee Center in Englewood, said despite the shelter situation, much improvement had already come from the Marbut plan. She said Housing First can’t work in places like Englewood because the price of homes is too high, but social services can be administered properly. “Things are happening now in Englewood because of the networking with people who already have functioning services in other areas,” Knox said.