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