Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/289950
Retired Judge Frank Brenner said a facility will draw homeless people from "everywhere." "You can't unscramble an egg," he added. "If we do this wrong, we will deal with the reper- cussions for decades." "We have been trying to rebuild north Sarasota for years," said Andrea Singer, who emphasized her worries about an increase in crimes such as sexual assault and drug sales. "A homeless shelter is not the solution [here]. My recommendation is to build it in a cow pasture somewhere." "We are already saturated with challenges," Lori Sykora said of north Sarasota neighborhoods, including the Rosemary District. "The spill- over, I feel, would personally affect our safety," Sykora added, referring to shelter residents. Not everyone was opposed to the project, however. Diana Hamilton, a former City Commission candidate, said some of the com- ments made it seem as though the homeless would take over the area near a shelter like zombies in a TV show. "When I hear people talking about this, I get a picture of Walking Dead: zombies going up walls," Hamilton added. "I wonder if we could not have done a better job of speaking to these fears, having one-on-one conversa- tions with people." "Please make it happen," Steve McAllister told the commissioners in a plea for the shelter. "This is an emotional topic," County Commission Chairman Charles Hines said at Homelessness consultant Robert Marbut awaits the start of the discussion. Photo by Norman Schimmel Sarasota News Leader April 4, 2014 Page 12