The measure would create a new state office on homelessness, along with a council of appointed volunteers, who would develop and coordinate a statewide plan for preventing and responding to homelessness. It would double the bonding authority of the state Housing Finance Corp. and require it to account for serving the needs of Florida's homeless. The measure rightly emphasizes local flexibility. As McKay, who has a degree in social welfare, recognizes, the conditions that lead to homelessness are varied, and tackling them takes a multifaceted and often localized approach. In some areas of Florida, the waiting list for federal housing vouchers is more than three years long.
Some counties have no homeless-shelter beds.
Though Florida's homeless population is often hidden, it is not faceless. Most of the homeless in Florida are state residents. Some have substance-abuse or mental problems. Many are families. St. Petersburg Times.