The city of Jacksonville is taking a significant step to address homelessness among women. A new partnership between the city and the nonprofit Sulzbacher aims to provide 32 additional shelter beds for single women experiencing homelessness. This initiative comes in response to a noted increase in unhoused women in Duval County over the last two years.
The Jacksonville City Council recently voted unanimously to authorize $413,900 for Sulzbacher to convert office space at its Downtown center into dormitory space. This funding will support the creation of a safe haven for women who are often vulnerable on the streets.
Addressing the Rising Need
Brian Snow, president of housing and human services for Sulzbacher, highlighted the urgency of the situation. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department’s PATH team has observed a rise in the number of unhoused single women in the area. Snow emphasized the importance of getting these women off the streets to protect them from victimization.
“We really started as a community saying, ‘Hey, we need to get these women off the streets’ because we know that all single women are victimized in some form or fashion on the street,” Snow told Jacksonville Today. Sulzbacher works closely with the JFRD task force to provide round-the-clock assistance, ensuring that women can find shelter and services at any time of the day or night.
Funding Allocation and Program Goals
The allocated funds will be used to cover various aspects of the program. Of the total amount, $392,501 will be reimbursed to Sulzbacher at $1,022 per month to pay for operating expenses. These expenses include frontline advocates and case managers who ensure that shelter residents have access to basic needs and essential services.
Additionally, $21,400 will be allocated for equipment such as computers, beds, linens, foot lockers, and security cameras. The program aims to link at least 90% of the clients to benefits, housing resources, and healthcare. Snow estimates that it will take 60 days for the new dormitory to be operational and start accepting women after the agreement with the city is signed.
Broader Efforts to Combat Homelessness
The City Council also voted unanimously to appropriate $150,000 to the Salvation Army for its Homeless to Work program. This initiative provides secure housing accommodations along with workforce and career development opportunities. The Changing Homelessness’ latest Point in Time Count, released earlier this year, shows a 14% increase in people experiencing homelessness in Northeast Florida since the prior year. However,
Snow, who has worked for Sulzbacher for 23 years, attributes much of the increase in unhoused women to economic pressures, particularly the rising cost of rental housing. “Based on everything that we can tell right now — and there’s been an increase in families as well — it appears that a lot of it has to do with the rental rate,” Snow said. “A lot of these have been first-time homeless folks. They’re people that could no longer afford the rental rate and really just didn’t have a support system like some of the rest of us to fall back on — family.”
