Living on the streets is never easy. But certain times of year, nature makes surviving homelessness that much harder here in Sarasota. Take last winter, when multiple freeze warnings literally threatened lives of those permanently exposed to the elements. More recently, unseasonable rains meant an earlier start to the annual summertime battle with flooded-out camps, brutal humidity, and swarming mosquitoes.

Fortunately, our community includes a diverse and dedicated group of people doing everything they can to help ensure that homeless individuals not only survive, but also can eventually thrive in safe, permanent housing. They meet the homeless where they are—geographically, physically and emotionally. And these tireless professionals don’t even flinch when the mercury soars or the pest population explodes.

On June 4, we learned just how well their hard work is paying off. The occasion was an update to the Sarasota City Commission on our community’s collective effort to reduce chronic homelessness. The progress report was delivered by representatives of the City, the regional nonprofit Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness and the statewide Florida Housing Coalition, which crafted the plan now being implemented to effectively address our homeless crisis.

Some highlights from the update: The number of homeless is down 18 percent—within the highly concentrated City and across the wider region. A system of coordinated entry into housing and services is in place and “beginning to operate as it should,” according to FHC expert Susan Porciau. Homeless Outreach Teams of law-enforcement personnel and case managers are providing a bridge to emergency shelter, permanent housing, and wraparound services for the persistently homeless. And thanks to a major investment by private philanthropists, a new rapid rehousing program is filling the most critical gap in our community’s supply of prospective homes for the homeless. (You can visit GulfCoastCF.org for more details from the report along with a link to the video of the full presentation.) 

Gulf Coast Community Foundation has played a consistent part in convening and coordinating the many partners from government, law enforcement and nonprofit social services involved in this effort. But my colleague Jon Thaxton would be the first to tell you that it’s those partners themselves—the ones doing the heavy lifting (and outreach and counseling and apartment hunting)—who deserve our biggest thanks. In fact, he did quickly tell me so after a recent newspaper piece characterized these players as ‘Thaxton’s implementation team.’ “They’re not my team,” he insisted. “They’re our community’s team.”

That’s a great analogy for what has made such progress on homelessness possible. Even two years ago, cooperation on this once bitterly divisive issue was nearly inconceivable. But each organization involved has put the needs of the homeless and our wider community ahead of any individual agency or personal agenda. City and county staff came back to the table to work together. The Salvation Army was willing to adapt its business model to accomplish what was needed in the way of emergency shelter beds and other services. The Suncoast Partnership completely retooled its own organization and the entire homeless services system it administers.

Jon characterizes the challenging field work of the Sarasota Police Department’s and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office’s Homeless Outreach Teams as “making friends and earning trust.” They hit the streets and parks and woods every day, regardless of conditions, to check up on homeless individuals and guide them toward housing and other help. Making friends and earning trust is also what all of these partner agencies themselves had to focus on before any progress was possible. They did, and it has made all the difference.

Dr. Mark S. Pritchett is president/CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation.