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Places called home

By JON WILSON
Published February 7, 2007

1. MAHAFFEY THEATER: Bayshore Drive and shrubbery around the theater have drawn urban campers in the past. At present, the area is lightly used by the homeless, if at all.

2. FIRST AVENUE N: Bushes at the edge of a parking lot sometimes harbor street people.

3. SECTIONS OF UNUSED RAIL CORRIDOR: It can resemble a classic "hobo jungle," where a few set up semipermanent sleeping and cooking arrangements.

4. INDUSTRIAL AND WAREHOUSE DISTRICT: Makeshift shelters exist in industrial and warehouse areas.

5. BOOKER CREEK: A grotto below the street level provides an obscure hideaway.

6. ST. VINCENT DE PAUL: The social service agency provides food and lodging to homeless people.

7. TENT CITY #1: An encampment near St. Vincent de Paul.

8. TENT CITY #2: A newer encampment near the interstate on First Avenue N.

9. INTERSTATE 275 NEAR FIFTH AVENUE N: Has been a haven for homeless sleepers, but bushes recently have been trimmed and the covering canopy eliminated.

10. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. STREET N: Where there are woods, camps are likely to be found. There are spots in north St. Petersburg, some not far from residences and businesses, where clothing and refuse suggest they are used as camp sites.

11. PINELLAS TRAIL: Thick woods and mangroves near Cross Bayou show evidence of encampments and are another example suggesting homeless people are not confined to downtown.

Williams Park and the tent cities near downtown make homeless people highly visible. Many others, some in groups and some alone, prefer to maintain a lower profile. They may not even be part of official homeless counts, such as the one conducted more than a week ago, but they are part of reality in St. Petersburg and in some way affect life here. Last week, Neighborhood Times spent a couple of hours and found a few spots where the temporarily homeless and street life veterans may find an outdoor haven, or have done so in the recent past. The accompanying map is meant to suggest the issue is more complex than simply finding solutions for the tent city populations. (The map includes the tent cities and a social service agency for reference.)

[Last modified February 6, 2007, 21:25:13]