The City has released a nearly finished draft of the Operating Ordinance for Homeless Shelters. (You can read it by clicking here) I know that there will be some of you who may feel that there are some things missing from the Draft Proposed Ordinance, but on the whole it is very well done and reflects a lot of input from the public, as well as the Local Planning Agency (LPA). The items in boxes mean the issue or requirement has not been resolved by LPA and city staff. There are not a lot of items that have boxes on them. This ordinance along with the propose rewrite of the Land Development Code (Zoning Regulations) pertaining to Social Services Agencies which include group homes, halfway houses, homeless shelters and juvenile correctional homes or facilities has not been released yet in a finished draft. When it is we will EBLAST it to you.
Please note, things which greatly protect our City's residents have been added to what city staff and LPA started with in August. I, as well as other members of LPA, concluded that excluding anyone from staying in a homeless shelter who has a serious criminal record would address one of the "root causes" of the vast majority of public concern which is the higher crime rate associated with homeless shelters. Excluding anyone with a serious criminal record from being able to stay at a 30 bed homeless shelter (the total number of beds that can be built in our City based on 1 bed/1500 population) would keep other homeless people with serious criminal records from coming to our City to sleep in the woods, etc. while a bed opens up in the homeless shelter. Please note that I have sent an email to the City Manager and the City Attorney recommending that we add to the exclusion list, shown on page three of the attachment; attempted murder, rape, attempted rape, attempted kidnapping, escape from prison or jail and attempted escape from prison or jail.
Remember, the LPA meeting on November 8th at 8:30AM will not be dealing with these ordinances other than an update on them by city staff with some LPA input, as well as public input at the end of the meeting.
Please feel free to share this email with your friends who live in Bonita Springs due to the citywide public interest and concern over homeless shelters.
Fred Forbes, HRCA Board President & LPA Member
