The mayors from St. Petersburg and Clearwater want other Pinellas cities to kick in more money to support Safe Harbor, the sheriff's homeless shelter.
Mayor Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg and George Cretekos of Clearwater sent a letter to the county's other 22 cities last week making their case. Homelessness, they said, is a countywide issue that can best be solved by working together. And, Kriseman said Wednesday in an interview, some cities could be doing more.
"Homelessness within our communities remains a complex and evolving concern too frequently affecting the health and safety of our citizens," they wrote. "As families and individuals within our jurisdictions encounter challenges, we must focus on the critical safety net necessary to stabilize and prevent the impacts of homelessness."
They added, "We have renewed our commitment to the success of Safe Harbor, and now, we are asking you to do the same. … Together we can work to meet the challenges of homelessness in our communities."
But it's uncertain how much their appeal might help. Their letter is getting mixed reactions.
Safety Harbor manager Matt Spoor says his city will consider reinstating its contribution in the next fiscal year. Largo officials, on the other hand, contribute no money and say they have no intention of doing so. Instead, they say, they make an in-kind contribution by providing fire and emergency medical services to Safe Harbor and dealing with the complaints from Largo residents and business owners who do not want the shelter's residents in their neighborhoods.
"I don't see why we should do any more than what we've done," Largo Commissioner Michael Smith said. "I don't feel we should be directing any more resources" there.
Safe Harbor, at 14840 49th St. N in unincorporated Pinellas on the edge of Largo, opened in January 2011 as a jail diversion program. Sheriff Bob Gualtieri billed the shelter as a cost-effective alternative to jailing the homeless. It costs less, he said, to shelter the chronically homeless and keep them out of the criminal justice system. The shelter, with an annual budget of about $1.7 million, houses between 400 and 450 men and women each day, Gualtieri said.
Its $1.8 million startup costs came from federal funds, grants and contributions from cities such as St. Petersburg. Then-Mayor Bill Foster of St. Petersburg also promised Gualtieri to lobby other cities for contributions and support, the sheriff said. That continued for a while, but faded. When that happened, some contributions dried up, especially from smaller cities.
"Once the letters went away, I think there was some confusion whether they needed the funding," Spoor said.
Other cities had different reasons for not contributing. Dunedin contributed when it could, but not when money was really tight, City Manager Rob DiSpirito said.
Pinellas Park contributed, but cut the amount so it could also give money to Pinellas Hope, the shelter run by Catholic Charities on the edge of that city, and the Homeless Leadership Board. That's not likely to change in the upcoming budget year, City Manager Doug Lewis said.
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Explore all your optionsGualtieri said he spoke with Kriseman last summer about Foster's promise. He raised the topic again in the fall during a meeting with Kriseman, Cretekos and other officials. Gualtieri said he thought he was being ignored until last week's letter, which went to city managers.
Gualtieri said he hopes the letters work, but he's not holding out hope.
"I still say, and believe, the cities should do more," he said. "This is a countywide burden."
Gualtieri said he's not sympathetic to Largo's complaints that Safe Harbor unfairly burdens its system. The shelter is one of the top users of the county's emergency medical services system, which largely falls on Largo Fire Station No. 40. And the spillover into the city of the homeless who can't stay on the property during the day has raised complaints from Largo residents, businesses and police.
"That gripe doesn't hold much water with me," Gualtieri said.
The EMS system is a countywide system funded by a countywide property tax and user fees. And, he said, Largo decided to annex land in the area, making them responsible for police calls there. Had the city not done so, Gualtieri's office would be shouldering the policing burden in the area.
"They need to stop whining about it," Gualtieri said. "They also haven't offered any solution."
Gualtieri said he plans to keep Safe Harbor open — even if he doesn't get more support. It's a program, he said, that's cost-effective and needed. It could do much more, he said, but without more resources he can't take it to the next level.
Contact Anne Lindberg at alindberg@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8450. Follow @alindbergtimes.