Suncoast Neighbors Oppose Recovery Center and Church Homeless Services in Their Areas

A protest in September urged Manatee County commissioners to shut down a drug recovery center after a former client attempted to break into a neighborhood home. In Sarasota County, neighbors of a church offering homeless services complained to local officials that clients were defecating in their yards and sleeping under their porches. Those complaints led to a code violation earlier this year and orders for the church to stop its service operations.

In both cases, residents behind the complaints said they have no problem with the social work the organizations do, and some said they applaud it. They said, however, that allowing the services in their own neighborhoods had created a dangerous environment for their communities.

The disputes have raised questions about how local governments balance neighborhood safety with the need for social services, and whether zoning rules make it hard for organizations to operate. In Sarasota County, social service operations are allowed in just four types of zoning districts, which cover about 20% of the land under county jurisdiction. Even in those districts, providers must obtain special approval from county commissioners. In Manatee County, where zoning rules are less restrictive, neighbors of the drug recovery center said commissioners made a mistake by allowing the facility to operate in their community. The center’s new leadership has since acknowledged shortcomings in its previous procedures.

Social science researchers said the problem is common across the country. Communities rely on social services to care for vulnerable members of society, including people dealing with substance use disorders and homelessness, but concerns about public safety and neighborhood well-being can often drive those services out. When complaints accumulate, local governments find it increasingly difficult to strike the right balance.

Jon Thaxton, a director with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and a former Sarasota County commissioner, compared the friction to a game of whack-a-mole. The problem, he said, will usually resurface in another neighborhood that does not want to deal with it either. “The reason we have this problem is we’re trying to sweep these people under the rug rather than supply them with the services they need,” Thaxton said.

The search for shelter space has a long record of difficulty. In 2014, a plan for a large homeless shelter funded by both the city of Sarasota and the county was abandoned after officials failed to find a location. Consultants and staff identified several properties in and out of the county, but government leaders ultimately rejected all of them after facing opposition from constituents living near each site.

Earlier this year, the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness, a nonprofit that coordinates homelessness services, moved some operations into a co-work space in Manatee County. The move came after several months of trying to find a landlord willing to rent to the organization. The group has a central office in Sarasota but wanted a second location closer to its Manatee County partners. “We’re not even in the direct service business. We’re not a shelter. We’re not a rapid rehousing provider. We’re pretty much administrative,” said Taylor Neighbors, the organization’s CEO. “It was really disheartening … how difficult it was just to find a place to rent, and some of the perceptions that some landlords had.” Welcoming strangers is a hard test when landlords hesitate to rent to the organizations that serve them (Matthew 25:35).

Neighbors said public perception is a constant challenge for social service providers. When complaints escalate to government action, she said, she encourages local leaders to look for ways to promote public safety without shutting down services. “You’re not going to please everybody,” Neighbors said. “That’s just the world we live in, but how do we come to that common ground and support one another?”

Margi Nanney has lived in Oneco for 40 years. “Our county commissioners made a huge mistake when they allowed that to happen in our neighborhood. That would never happen in Lakewood Ranch, or Heritage Harbor, or any of these other places. But they let it happen in Oneco,” Nanney said. “This neighborhood’s never been the same, and we’re not going to stop until we get it closed.”

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