County pursues new homelessness project

The Sarasota County Commission considered a proposal to help fund a Harvest House homelessness project at today’s meeting.

Harvest House Tranitional Centers, a Sarasota social service and homeless provider, sent a letter to both the City of Sarasota on Sept. 4, asking it to consider helping the organization with a housing project. The organization had raised the funds to purchase nine duplexes and one single-family home on Dr. Martin Luther King Way, between Tuttle and Chester Avenues. However the organization needed about $400,000 to renovate the units, and had asked the county for this amount.

The organization requested that the city consider contributing $150,000 towards the renovation project.

The city commission denied the request with little comment during the special meeting on Sept. 9, not even slating the topic for discussion on a future agenda.

Commissioner Nora Patterson asked if there was money from another source that could be used to help Harvest House’s request. She suggested seeing if the city or a private philanthropy would match the county’s funding.

“They weren’t very kind to Harvest House during that meeting,” said Commissioner Christine Robinson. She said she doubted the city would be willing to match any funds.

Commissioner Carolyn Mason suggested the board wait until the current fiscal year ended in a few weeks and find out what left over funds could be used to help the organization.

The board requested that the county administration compile an idea of funds that might get left over, and also reach out to Harvest House to see what the organization could accomplish with less funding than the $400,000 it had requested originally.