What will it take for Sarasota to house 100 homeless individuals in the next 100 days?

That’s the question the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness is trying to answer with the launch of a brand new housing initiative called the Suncoast Housing Collaborative. The 100-day challenge is in response to our local housing crisis. 

According to current figures, over 1,000 people are experiencing homelessness in our area, many of whom are families (164) and seniors (386). The solution to homelessness is housing, however our local inventory is at historical lows and the construction of new units cannot happen quickly enough to accommodate the ever-growing need. 

Housing vouchers from the Sarasota Housing Authority are available in our community to offset the cost of housing but again, move-in units are not available. Right now, 29 individuals have a housing voucher but cannot find a place to live because of a lack of units available. An additional 60 individuals have a housing voucher application in progress, but again, will not have any options once their applications are complete. 

Help arrived last March when housing expert, Lizzie Goddard, visited our community to guide us in replicating her wildly successful Nashville Residential Collective Model based in Tennessee. With landlords as part of the solution, the idea is to work directly with them to house those most in need. Based on Goddard’s successes and advice, the SPEH convened their partners, interested community members, and funders to create the Suncoast Housing Collaborative. 

The purpose of the SHC is to partner with and incentivize local landlords to work with individuals and families who face additional barriers to accessing permanent housing. These barriers include previous evictions, low income, and/or criminal history, which further limit an already small pool of available housing. The collaborative supports a Housing First model by connecting people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity to permanent housing as a step towards self-sufficiency. 

Proactive case management and support is a fundamental way the SHC will support clients and help to ensure successful tenancy. These services include case management, mental health supports, life skills training such as budgeting and home management, and access to addiction recovery assistance.

Additional incentives to landlords include sign-on bonuses for being a member of the collaborative, a $2,000 bonus for the first five units leased and an additional $500 bonus for each additional leased afterwards, quarterly check-ins from SHC, and access to a risk mitigation fund and mediation services in case of tenant disputes. If a tenant abruptly leaves, the collaborative will pay that month’s lease and find a new tenant.

Here is where you can help. The SHC is kicking off this initiative with “100 Housed in 100 Days” in conjunction with its website launch. The public will be able to see on the website the progress towards this ambitious goal.  Gulf Coast Community Foundation is a proud partner of these efforts by supporting their website design and maintenance and their consultant services, in partnership with Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, and both Sarasota and Manatee counties. 

If you are a landlord interested in working with the Collaborative to be a part of the solution, please contact Lauren Bowen, Housing Project Manager with the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness, at 941-955-8987 or email her at SHC@suncoastpartnership.org. Additional information about the collaborative can be found at suncoasthousingcollaborative.org.

Together, we can all work towards a solution to affordable housing.

Kameron Hodgens, Ph.D., is a Director of Community Leadership at Gulf Coast Community Foundation.  

The City of Sarasota is going through a process to change their seal and logo. Recently, six seal concepts came back to the commission all centered around the Ringling Bridge. This bridge has become a symbol of Sarasota. The exercise in choosing a seal should serve as a reminder to the City Commission that change and progress are good. 

In 2019, I wrote an SRQ Daily column about the history of our iconic bridge and how the city tried to stop the bridge from being built, declaring its height an eyesore before its construction. There were numerous lawsuits and citizens trying to stop it from ever being built, stating that Sarasota would be ruined by this bridge.

It is amazing how far we have come, and our beautiful bridge is a symbol of our evolution. That move from the low-level draw bridge to the fixed-span bridge we have today, was necessary not only to accommodate traffic, but to improve our overall quality of life, and it has done that so much so that we are now placing it on the city’s seal. That bridge is an amazing legacy that will be here for generations.

On Monday, and in the coming weeks, the city will consider change that will be important to future generations, making changes to accommodate and encourage the building of affordable housing.  Make no mistake about it, this is a Ringling Bridge moment. It is a moment where the city should embrace what it is today and the challenges that face it with solutions to improve quality of life. It would be a mistake to ignore the lesson from our own history; Sarasota should seize the opportunity to significantly improve affordable housing and all the benefits that accrues.

I am sure we will hear some of the same arguments from back when the Ringling Bridge was opposed, that it will ruin the city, that eyesores will be created. Similar to arguments about the height of the bridge, and the increased number of cars going over it, we will hear about height and density of buildings accommodating the increasing number of people living here. 

While I am sure we will hear those things, I am equally sure that if we do nothing, we will have a quality of life crisis that will make the problem of putting today’s modern Ringling Bridge traffic on a two lane draw bridge look trivial.

The Ringling Bridge was controversial but necessary for our future. A change that needed to happen, despite the resistance of those who wanted to see Sarasota stay a two-lane bridge town. It’s not a two-lane bridge town, and it’s not a sleepy city like it was 20 years ago when you could shoot a cannon down Main Street at 5pm and not hit anyone. It is a destination and a vibrant city that needs affordable and workforce housing to support the population that patronizes its restaurants and arts. Increased density is a necessity to do that.

It is time for progress and change on housing for our future. The City Commission should support the recommended staff changes to encourage and accommodate workforce housing, and it will be a positive legacy much like the Ringling Bridge.

Christine Robinson is executive director of The Argus Foundation. 

In my nearly 20 years at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, rarely has ‘Should I go to college?’ been the question asked by prospective students but rather, ‘Can I?’ Today, the value proposition of higher education remains solid. Students have numerous options, and at SCF, they can choose when, where and how they pursue a higher education conveniently and affordably.

History tells us the only constant is change. Industry needs shift, individuals outgrow or wish to change their occupations over time, professional growth is among the top retention tools, and some students never want to stop learning. For 65 years, we have adapted our academic programs and student services to be responsive to our community workforce demands.

SCF’s enrollment documents this tradition. Nearly 65% of those we serve are first-time-in-college students, followed by those continuing their education, those transferring back from large universities for the smaller one-to-one classroom setting, and individuals taking classes offered here more affordably or because it’s not offered at their primary institution.

Statistics also tell us that professionals with college degrees will earn more than those without over their lifetime. A college degree is more than a collection of classes and is meant to teach critical thinking, problem-solving and a well-rounded understanding of the world in which we live. The experience itself is also more than just obtaining credentials. Our students consider the peer network, experiential learning opportunities, internships, mentors and social interactions just as valuable as their college degree. Many of our professors maintain contact with their students, fostering their success and connecting them with resources to fulfill their potential. Our SCF pride is displayed when alums share their expertise as successful nurses, teachers, dentists, performers, artists, politicians and entrepreneurs.

Boldly engaging and collaborating to find economic and workforce solutions is also a tradition at SCF. We partner with local school districts, technical colleges and universities to create pathways for the immediate workforce, trades and fields requiring advanced studies. As the labor market shifts, SCF works with our local economic development councils, chambers and businesses to fill the talent pipeline. 

Most recently, to respond to the national crisis of a lack of commercially licensed drivers, SCF collaborated with FleetForce to offer four and eight-week certification courses for class A and B commercial driver’s licenses. We continue with our “Rapid Credentialing” program that provides workforce certificates — a fast, affordable way to prepare students for fulfilling, stable careers with mid to high-wage potential. In addition to the traditional Associate in Arts degree, SCF offers more than 30 associate in science degrees and seven baccalaureate degrees in various majors. We serve over 11,000 through non-credit courses for workforce education, development and personal enrichment. 

As we respond to today’s workforce, we must remain flexible as we know it will change again. Our responsibility is to provide our students with the tools they need to reinvent themselves as they navigate the sea of constant change they will encounter throughout their lives.

Let the value of college be demonstrated by students’ ability to choose when, where and how they will access higher education and use their education to adapt, change and reinvent themselves through their working careers. At SCF, we will meet you where you are and advise you that “you can get anywhere from here.”

Dr. Carol F. Probstfeld is president of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota.