- April 25, 2024
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Updated 5:02 p.m. April 2
Flagler County continues to seek options for helping individual homeless people, as well as finding a long-term solution for homelessness as a whole, but with how much success? It depends on whom you ask.
Mike Cocchiola, president of the Palm Coast Democratic Club, addressed the County Commission in a public comment on April 1. He said cleaning up the woods behind the library is a “small start.”
“I will give it more attention as soon as we clear the deck on some of the more pressing issues that we have.”
Jerry Cameron, interim county administrator
“Even though you clean the woods, they are still homeless,” he said. “I want to see a plan from the county to start a process of dealing with it.”
Legally, the county can’t tell the homeless to move unless it also provides a safe alternative to sleeping in the woods, according to Interim County Administrator Jerry Cameron.
“We are working with homeless people to place them in facilities that do exist,” he said. “Our social services outreach is doing all they can. … The long-term solution is to find a community partner, and we are addressing that.”
But, given the complications of the Plantation Bay water situation and the Sheriff’s Operations Center, it’s not the top priority. “I will give it more attention as soon as we clear the deck on some of the more pressing issues that we have,” Cameron said.
“It’s often overlooked how much Janet Nickels does and how much she helps,” said Commissioner Greg Hansen, referring to the director of the county’s Human Services Division. He added: “She can help those — and does help those — that want the help.”
Commissioner Charlie Ericksen Jr. also responded and was unhappy with recent comments made by Commissioner Joe Mullins, though Mullins was not named (he was absent from the April 1 meeting).
“We had a meeting where certain comments were made that the churches didn’t have any business helping the homeless, and I thought that was a bad choice of words,” Ericksen said.
Over the years as he has observed the Sheltering Tree, at the First United Methodist Church of Bunnell, more and more families need help, as opposed to just single men who are homeless, Ericksen said.
Thanks to county staff, along with Flagler Cares Executive Director Carrie Baird, “I think we’re making some progress, but it’s hard to measure,” Ericksen said.
That wasn’t enough for Denise Calderwood, a volunteer with Family Matters of Flagler.
“My phone’s been ringing off the hook,” said Calderwood, who said she has been functioning as a case manager for many of the homeless people in the area. “I’ve had nothing but negative comments about Flagler County social services. … They have a great way of ignoring people.”
A press release sent by the county last month details many of the efforts of the Human Services Division, led by Nickels. The division organizes a Homeless Outreach Team that meets with people in need at the library twice a month. The team consists of the Flagler County Health Department Outreach Nurse, SMA Healthcare, the Volusia-Flagler County Coalition for the Homeless, the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), and the Flagler County Division of Human Services. See the box for more details of the county's efforts.
Calderwood remains critical. She accused the County Commissioners on April 1 of putting their “heads in the sand.” “You are responsible,” she said. “If it keeps happening, there will be other action.”
