What is Gainesvilles homeless population?
Between the masses of students and graduates walking down University Avenue there are many struggling to survive. Although it is easy to scoff at the man begging for a dollar in the midst of rush hour traffic, homelessness is a prevalent issue in Gainesville, one that has drawn a lot of attention in recent months. According to the 2007 Annual Report on Homeless Conditions in Florida, there are approximately 1,000 homeless individuals in Alachua County. Combining all shelters and transitional programs in the county, there are about 350 beds available to the homeless community on any given night. As a result, more than 600 individuals are without shelter every night. Contrary to popular belief, only a moderate percentage of the total homeless population in Gainesville consists of middle-aged males. “Most people perceive the homeless to be 40-year-old males panhandling on the side of the road,” Lee Smith said, the facilities manager at St. Francis House, a local homeless shelter and soup
