Say this for St. Petersburg. They keep trying when it comes to dealing with what has become a high-profile, chronic problem: a growing downtown homeless community. And the repercussions and ripple effects are considerable–from public health to public panhandling. Something, other than unenforceable ordinances and charity regulation, had to be tried. Something, other than hand-wringing and daily disinfecting, had to be done.
Enter Robert Marbut, a government and criminal justice instructor from a San Antonio, Texas, junior college who has become a prominent homeless expert. He’s now on the case as a paid trouble-shooter and consultant. His most notable accomplishment: creating San Antonio’s private, non-profit Haven for Hope, a complex for the homeless. Something comparable could be part of his recommendations, but it would need buy-in and funding help from local organizations and companies.
The San Antonio operation is not a warehouse or a de facto jail, and it’s not a glorified soup kitchen. It partners with governmental, non-profit and faith-based agencies in its mission to transform lives by addressing root causes of homelessness through education, job training and behavioral health services. By most accounts, it’s made a positive impact. It’s tiered; it’s incentivized; and it’s premised on the view that behavior is a key homeless determinant. In fact, Marbut believes street feedings, however well-intentioned, are actually a form of enabling.
No, Marbut is not a societal deus ex machina who will absolutely deliver St. Pete from its homeless crucible. The human condition is too resistant; the economy too protean; Florida too inviting; and Tampa Bay too tempting. But a pragmatic approach that encourages a broad range of the community to take a seat at the solution table and combines compassion with tough love makes eminent sense.