Published: September 24, 2009

On October 13, 2009, The Commissioners for Hillsborough County, Florida will decide whether or not to change the zoning on land near The Seminole Casino. Catholic Charities is proposing to build a tent encampment for homeless people.

It is my contention that the Hillsborough County Commissioners have been consistently mislead about this project. They should either delay the vote and do the research, or deny this request for Catholic Charities.

This Pup Tent city will house up to 250 men for a maximum stay of 90 days without essential services.

Even if the commissioners change the zoning back to a church and re-write the law “whereas” non profits and charities are exempt from housing codes, it will still be wrong. It will just be a back door maneuver to do the same thing after the fact.

This was first not approved by James Scarola, Hillsborough County land use master. He reversed himself, and now it appears that there are those on the commission going through extraordinary measures to get this project done. Why?

I have thoroughly reviewed all aspects of this proposal. It does not look pretty. I find it to be just be a cash $ cow for the Catholic Charities to enrich its coffers by taking advantage of homeless people and their situation. It is my conclusion, that this project does absolutely nothing to end the homeless problem in Hillsborough County.

I feel this because;

1. It’s a disguise and slick way to convert land that they own that they had practically abandoned into instant moo-la $$. This parcel has little or no commercial development value and it floods.  The property in the Pinellas project is of similar little or no commercial value.

This similar Cash Cow, in the Pinellas project, Pinellas Hope, raked in $2,415,277 from 10/08-09/09.

They are spending $201,274 per month.

The Catholic Charities own considerable real estate in both counties. This parcel is the least desirable of all their real estate holdings in Hillsborough County.

How much will the Catholic Charity rake in from Hillsborough County?

2. It destroys home values. It’s a disaster for home values in the immediate neighborhoods. Real estate could decline by another 25%.
  It could also discourage retail shopping for the immediate area. Its down from the Seminole Casino, Net Park, Steak N Shake and Sun Coast Credit Union.

3. It no way solves the homeless issue because going by their own model ‘ Pinellas Hope’, in Clearwater, they have a failure rate 84%. That is of all the people entering the Pup Tent city there and going through their so so services, 84% were again homeless after 6 months.

4. According to The National Alliance to End Homelessness,

a. “It seems that anyway you slice it, tent cities are a lose-lose for everyone”.
b. “Study after study, program after programs have proven that housing is the right answer. In fact , several studies have shown that providing permanent supportive housing to the chronic homeless- the most likely to stay homeless after the recession- not only get these people safely off the streets, but turns out to be more cost-effective for tax payers.”

5. Expose the family orientated neighborhoods to the   criminal elements. At the Pinellas project, there are numerous police reports. These reports even include people being arrested for possession of 7,000 images child pornography, rape and murder.
 
Within a 3 miles radius of that proposed site there are 8 schools with over young 3,000 children, 13 neighborhoods, and students attending Tampa Bay Area Tech.

6. The proposed site is almost 11 miles from downtown, where 94% of homeless services and programs are located, where temporary day labor companies come to get workers, and there is limited transit service at the site.

7. The Homeless coalitions (with 65 member organizations) oppose this plan.

8. There will be no long term treatment for the homeless.

9. The Pup tents will subject to rain, flood and high winds.

10. Pup tent city would doom the economic developmental potential and new commerce on East Hillsborough Avenue from 56th Street Eastward to Faulkenburg Road.

11. And sadly enough, the Pup Tent City evironment gives Catholic Charties an easy exit and way out from the project for what ever reason. Especially when the Moo-la $ stops. They will just simply pack up their tents and move on, just like a circus. There is nothing to permenantly tie them to long term community development.

We must all ask ourselves these questions;
Can an apartment building with 250 units be bought and operated for $200,000 per month? Why is not the Catholic Clarities seeking out foreclosed properties to buy at discounts for the homeless to live in? Should the taxpayers in Hillsborough County support a project that has an 84% failure rate in Pinellas County?

I am not in any way denying that the Catholic Charities don’t have noble intents in helping the homeless somewhere else. But this particular project does not appear to help homeless. It helps Catholic Charities and its pocket.

I think pup tents should be use for things like emergency housing after natural disasters, housing for firefighters, camping trips, and overflows and temporary stays at border areas.

The Pinellas facility looks like an animal shelter. It robs people of the basic destinies, self esteem, and essential long term services to end their homelessness.

I ask that the Commissions at least postpone this decision until all the independent facts are known.

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