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Letter to the editor

Homeless haven is said to be working

A second center for tough cases is planned.

By JON WILSON
Published June 17, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - Open informally for about six months, a haven for the chronically homeless is making a positive difference in its clients' lives, the center's leaders said last week.

During a formal dedication ceremony at the Boley Centers' Safe Haven, Boley director Gary MacMath said the haven is at capacity with 25 clients.

At the same time, he said Boley has plans for a second center in the midcounty area. Boley has not disclosed the site.

The haven at 555 31st St. S is Pinellas County's first. It took years to become a reality as officials fought to find a site and the money to develop and operate it.

"Believe me, " he told a gathering of about 50 local officials and other guests, "it was challenging to find community acceptance."

The center is in an old nursing home that had been empty and boarded up. Government grants are providing most of the operating expenses.

To be eligible to stay at the center, clients must have been on the street for at least a year, or have had four episodes of homelessness in the past three years. They are usually considered "hard core" homeless people who also are coping with addiction or other health issues.

MacMath said the Safe Haven has served 35 people since its November "soft" opening.

Of those, 16 are still in the programs, six have been reunited with their families and remain off the streets, and 10 are participating in self-sufficiency activities. Of the 10, eight are working full or part time, one is taking vocational rehabilitation training, and one is earning a high school diploma.

Boley has been in operation about 37 years. It is credited with being the Southeast's largest residential program for people with psychiatric disabilities.

Another 143 units are in the works, MacMath said, including 18 under construction behind the Wal-Mart on 34th Street S. Eight of those will be for homeless people.

Meanwhile, a mobile home park in the Lealman area near Haines Road will be converted to 43 modular homes, 15 for the homeless.

Altogether, Boley has $14-million worth of new housing in development, MacMath said.

[Last modified June 16, 2007, 21:18:54]