Working to alleviate the problems

Since moving in April, the Kearney Center has received complaints from neighboring streets and a meeting was held to discuss neighbors concerns.

"Many concerns were littering, students attempting to break their leases, business owners’ break-ins, urinating on property, trespassing and other pertinent issues," according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Jacob Reiter, an executive director at the Kearney Center, said they want to be good neighbors and have been working to cease the issues.

“Since moving into the neighborhood, we’ve identified some issues and we’ve organized a clean-up crew,” Reiter said. He said it was the residents’ idea and every other week on Wednesday mornings, they gather at about 8:30 a.m.

“We have volunteer jackets, buckets and we clean up the surrounding area along Dupree Street, Municipal Way and West Pensacola Street,” Reiter said.

It’s open to the community, residents, staff and community volunteers are welcome to help clean up the neighborhood.

Reiter said part of their mission is to provide 24 hour services, including emergency shelter and case management. The goal is to help people transition back into housing.  

If these homeless people aren’t harming anyone, leave them alone. Most of them only want a listening ear. If their sleeping under something at an apartment complex or camping out near the Kearney Center, what is wrong with that?

This grass and land does not belong to any of us because we are on it temporarily and none of it can be put into a casket with us when we die. Therefore, let the people be.

Jeremy Matlow, the owner of Midtown Pies restaurant, said he doesn't think the Keanrey Center created the problem of people with nowhere to go. "If anything they are working to fix the problem," Matlow said.

He said the shelter helps people find permanent homes and provides meals for people who would otherwise still be out there, only hungry and with no place to go. "That area may have a higher concentration of people loitering due to the proximity of the center and I think that is an issue the community can work to resolve by supplying alternative ways for people with nowhere to go to spend their day,” Matlow exclaimed.

"Matlow has partnered with the center to work to resolve the littering on Pensacola Street and his restaurant provides a complimentary meal after the bi-weekly cleanups," according to the WCTV.TV.

Alison Faris, a marketing and communications manager at the City of Tallahassee, Fla., said Pensacola Street is a state-owned street. “Under contract, we go on Pensacola Street and we mow that area and pick up any trash once a month,” Faris said. “Any phone calls or any requests to pick up trash any times of the month, those calls go to the Florida Department of Transportation and their responsible for it,” she said

However, littering is unhealthy and it should not be allowed.

Littering on Pensacola Street 

Keeping both locations open could possibly be an answer?

If both shelter locations remained open, it could alleviate some of the issues the Kearney Center has faced over the past months. 

Since relocating, Monique Ellsworth, community relations coordinator, said the shelter has served 2,800 homeless people so far.

"The Shelter outgrew its population at the Tennessee Street's location and moved to the Kearney Center," according to the Tallahassee Democrat. "Community officials wanted to take a closer look at how Tallahassee dealt with homelessness and closed the Tennessee Street shelter earlier this year," according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Patrick Denson, a local community activist, said both Shelters' should have remained open. 

"I believe they shouldn't have moved the Shelter by the Jailhouse," Denson said. He continued, "The ones that may need to be at the Shelter may not come now due to it being so close to the Jailhouse. It is way too many people in Tallahassee for only one homeless shelter. Besides, most of the homeless people were from the community where the old one was located and it was easier to get there," Denson added.

During this time of year, no one should be left to live outside in the cold under these weather conditions.

Chris Brown, a Frenchtown resident, said he knows a few of the homeless residents are in his neighborhood still. "Oftentimes, I see some of the guys at Convenience stores and barbershops cleaning up and taking out trash,” Brown said. “That shelter was unsanitary and it’s sad to have people working there and aren’t doing anything," he said. Brown continued, "FSU is buying up Tennessee Street and the reason the Shelter isn’t over here anymore. Over there, those people do not care about the homeless because some of them don’t have those jobs they were accustomed to over here."

While taking a stroll down Tennessee Street, several homeless people are still sticking around in hopes that the Shelter will reopen some even sleeping on bus stop bench locations. However, Ellsworth said the old Shelter has been sold and will be plowed soon.

One homeless man said he preferred not to be identified. "Someone needs to write about this place [the Kearney Center]," he said.

The Tennessee Shelter's location has been on Tennessee Street nearly 30 years and all of a sudden community officials decide to move it. When community officials make decisions, they should stop and think about whom these decisions are impacting and the results followed by the decision.

If the old location can't be reopened, another shelter should be in Tallahassee period. It's a growing population homelessness and something needs to be done. 

The Tallahassee community needs to go to the community meetings to help get funding for the Shelter. Let's move Tallahassee! 

Impact on the homeless since the Tennessee Shelter relocated

Since the shelter moved from Tennessee Street and relocated off West Pensacola Street, after being on Tennessee Street for years, some homeless individuals have turned bitter.

Saint Bernard, is one of the former residents of the Tennessee Street Shelter and said he's not going anywhere near Pensacola Street.

"I feel like their robbing Peter to pay Paul," Bernard said. He continued, "You took the same thing from Tennessee Street and took it over there, it's no progress; it's retrogress. You will never be able to be productive because you took the same shelter with the same people working there to Pensacola Street," he said.    

Bernard remains in Frenchtown with two other men who refuse to go to the new location. He continued to express his feelings toward the new Shelter and its location.

Bernard added, "That's just a new facility, if you're taking the same product from the old to the new, you are going to get the same results. They haven't done anything because they aren't dealing with nothing." Bernard and accompanied by two other homeless men, agreed. 

"Nobody is trying to do anything, they're milking the cow," Bernard said. "They allow anybody to come up in there that don't have anything. If they don't have any finances, or trying to go to school or the military, that's sinking the ship,” he said.  

Bernard shared that the people that are trying to do something are in the way. "They are sorry, I haven't seen any progress since the shelter moved," he said. 

 Michael Brown, friend of Bernard, was on crutches and crumbled at the thought of sharing his thoughts. Looking at the ground to gather his thoughts, “I have health problems and it’s harder for me to get the necessities for my health since the shelter has moved,” he said.

Although, the Shelter moved to the Kearney Center, the streets may be a lot safer because of more policing in the vicinity.

Another homeless man in Frenchtown known as Red, said he felt they moved the Shelter to control the pedophiles and child molesters in Tallahassee.

"All they did was take the pedophiles from the city and take them out there where they need to be," Red said. He continued, "That shelter is a concentration camp, looking similar to a jailhouse with sliding doors. It's micromanagement," he said.

The old Tennessee Street Shelter 

Several problems have arise since the Tennessee Street Shelter moved to the Kearney Center. Fix it.

https://youtu.be/9_OUti8SheY