In a letter sent last Friday, Downtown Improvement Board chair John Peacock has asked Mayor Ashton Hayward and the Pensacola City Council to address “a significant alarming rate of increase in the loitering and panhandling activity occurring in the Downtown District.”
“We understand this problem is not unique to our community and recognize that issue is not the same as homelessness which is a significant community issue requiring a long term community wide solution,” wrote Peacock.
He said that loitering and panhandling have become a “legitimate public health and safety concern and merits prompt attention.”
The DIB board requested action on these five recommendations:
1) Immediate implementation of a downtown police presence (on foot or bicycle).
2) Update the License to Use language to allow enforcement by Pensacola Police upon receiving loitering complaints.
3) Identity districts were loitering and panhandling activities are restricted.
4) Author ordinance language defining activities associated with loitering and panhandling that are deemed unlawful.
5) Development with county and other agencies long-term solutions for assisting the “less fortunate population in our community.”
The first two recommendations are actions Mayor Hayward can implement immediately without council approval. The next two his administration can draft for council approval. The long-term solution is the most difficult, but the Mayor and Council could dust off the Task Force on Improving Human Relations report that was delivered two years ago.
The report had four recommendations to create a long-term solution to homelessness:
1. Move from a Culture of Enablement to a Culture of Engagement. Redirect community from giving handouts to homeless to giving food and donations to “high performing†agencies that increase “street graduation†rates.
2. Transform Home Management Information Service (HMIS) from a “Score Keeper Model†to a “Proactive Case Management Tool.†Promote universal agency participation in HMIS.
3. Increase the number of emergency housing units for families-with-children. Loaves & Fishes has three-week program cycle, eight-weeks are best practice nationally. Need a fundraising campaign to add 37 more units.
4. Establish a true 24/7 “Come-as-you-are†service center at Waterfront Rescue Mission It will be the “main intake portal†for homeless adults within Escambia County and city of Pensacola. It will be the location for the Master Case Managers for adults.
Mayor Hayward did not address those recommendations.
On the legal front, Mayor Hayward hasn’t had much success tackling panhandling. In 2013, the focus of three ordinances that were passed was on homelessness and Occupy Pensacola that had camped at City Hall for nearly a year. The fourth one dealt with panhandling.
In January 2014, the City of Pensacola endured an ice storm, and the town became known as the city that banned blankets for those without shelter. The Task Force on Improving Human Relations did recommend repealing several of the ordinances because – “These laws would likely not withstand legal challenges.”
In May 2016, The Pensacola Chamber Foundation’s Leadership Pensacola (LeaP) Class of 2016 unveiled its A Better Way to Give project that placed uniquely painted parking meters at intersections throughout town. One of the LEAP class’s goals was to “guide public giving toward this resource and away from panhandlers.” It doesn’t to appear to have had an impact on the panhandling, even though dozens of meters are available in the downtown district.
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One problem with any city ordinances is the Pensacola City Council only has one regular council meeting a month. Therefore, it will take three months to pass any ordinances. They can be introduced in November. First reading can be December, and the second and final reading can be in January, unless the Council calls for special meetings to deal with the issue.