Treasure Island takes steps to end homelessness

Beach town's foundation to end homelessness

Treasure Island is taking steps to help people experiencing homelessness in the city. Leaders are forming a non-profit foundation to find long-term solutions to living on the streets.

TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. - Treasure Island is taking steps to help people experiencing homelessness in the city. Leaders are forming a non-profit foundation to find long-term solutions to living on the streets. 

Take a walk or drive down Gulf Boulevard in Treasure Island, and you will likely spot a homeless person.

"We call these folks are residents without addresses, so they're a part of the community," said Treasure Island Fire Chief Trip Barrs. "As such, we want to help them just like we would anyone else."

Officials say the numbers typically stay between 10-12 people, but there was an uptick in emails and calls since the homeless population is in a high visibility area.

"There ends up being EMS calls, ambulance calls, taking time off the street for to take people that are indigent on the street," Treasure Island Police Chief John Barkley said.

First responders know many of the homeless by name, and say the arrests and transports to the hospital is money not going towards a real solution.

"Some of them have some mental health issues, somehow some substance abuse problems, so we want to make sure we point them in the right direction and get them in the right program," said Barkley.

Last month, the City Commission gave the green light to create a non-profit homeless intervention foundation, with the goal of attacking those root causes and getting folks off the streets.

"We've received a $10,000 donation to kick-start the foundation from a citizen," Barrs said. "And we're hoping to partner with other agencies and maybe get a social worker out here to help us out."      

The foundation will be citizen based and citizen driven, with members appointed by the commission.

"If they want to be helped, we want to help them. We want to offer them the right services," added Barkley.

Right now leaders are working to get the nonprofit officially established through the State. They hope to have it up and running sometime this spring.