Sarasota News Leader
May 31, 2013
Page 9
cacy of the health and human services needs
of all citizens in Sarasota County through ...
integrated, effective and efficient delivery systems," its mission statement says.
Four to six hours after they had sobered up,
Sutton said, the people were back on the
streets. "They were still addicted to alcohol
and drugs," he added. They often became victims of crimes and they themselves commitCounty Administrator Randall Reid has asked
it to assist his staff and City of Sarasota staff ted petty crimes to support their addictions.
in developing an effective approach to han- Then, on Aug. 1, 2006, the CART Initiative
dling the county's homelessness issues.
began. According to an overview on the UniIn 2004, Sutton pointed out, city police found versity of South Florida College of Behavioral
about 1,000 people a year "who were so im- and Community Sciences website, the Sarasopaired in public that they couldn't care for ta County Community Alternatives Residential Treatment Initiative includes three phases:
themselves."
Although public impairment is not a crime, • Medically supervised detoxification and
substance abuse evaluation as an alterhe continued, the only place officers could
native to jail, provided by First Step of
take such people at the time was the Sarasota
Sarasota.
County Jail, which "became a revolving door."
Homeless people gathered under the shade of oaks in Five Points Park earlier this year. Photo by
Norman Schimmel
