JSO started enforcing Jacksonville’s state-mandated ban on public sleeping and camping on Nov. 1.
We’re getting our first look at not only how many arrests have been made, but how the sheriff’s office is leveraging alternative interventions.
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Before any arrests were made, Sheriff T.K. Waters began beefing up funding for a program designed to give homeless individuals an alternative to jail.
Waters recently diverted an additional $117,000 to the Homeward Bound program: a nearly 700% increase compared to its past funding level.
“If you’re a JSO officer, you don’t really want to arrest someone in need that’s just camping on the street. You want to get them somewhere,” said Jake Gordon, CEO of Downtown Vison, Inc.
Gordon explained the Homeward Bound program is a partnership between the nonprofit and the sheriff’s office.
The goal: Identify a place where a homeless person in Jacksonville has a better support system and pay for their trip back home.