FLORENCE, Ky. — Florence residents have been expressing frustrations about a homeless encampment they started noticing this week outside of a local soup kitchen.
The executive director of the nonprofit said she believes the problem has been resolved, but she thinks it underscores a bigger problem: a lack of housing in Boone county.
If this doesn’t look like a homeless encampment, that’s because it’s not.
At a Florence City Council meeting, residents voiced concerns about the homeless encampment that had been forming in the parking lot outside of the Mary Rose Mission.
Executive Director Cindy Carris said she was just as surprised as anyone.
“One of our volunteers came in earlier in the week and said, ‘Hey there was somebody sleeping in a sleeping bag right outside the door.’ And I was like, are you kidding me? No sooner do we start to address that problem, and then with the Ring camera we found out who it was and said you cannot do that, you cannot sleep here. Then I get a call from the police saying, ‘Hey there’s people making tents,’ and all of this escalated within about 48 hours. We found out people were camping here,” Carris said. “Another volunteer said, ‘Oh yeah, I’ve seen that too before.’ And I’m joking like, ‘Why didn’t you tell me? I mean, I would’ve tried to put a stop to it,’ or tell them, ‘No, you cannot stay here.’”
Carris and other volunteers give out a free meal to anyone who wants one seven days a week between 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. After that, they’re gone for the night. And there are no beds.
Now, Carris said she’s working with police, who are patrolling the parking lot and telling people they need to go somewhere else, like the Welcome House shelter, for example.
Carris said it’s always a hard conversation.
“We do try and help, but honestly housing, there is none. There is not a shelter out here in Boone County. They are working toward that from what I understand,” she said. “It’s so hard when you have a young woman say, ‘I’m afraid. Where do I go?’ And what do you tell her? It’s easy to do when it’s a name or a number on a paper. But to look at somebody face to face is devastating to do.”
She said she has a great respect for her neighbors, and wouldn’t want to do anything to break that respect. But she also hopes they can have some compassion.
“Most people look at our guests and they shun and they cross the street, and they go the other way. So they get to come here and get treated like the child of God that they are.”
Carris says she hopes this can put more of a spotlight on the need for housing, and accelerate efforts to get a shelter built.
Florence Mayor Dr. Julie Metzger Aubuchon said the city is working to create a Human Services Administrator role. The city will hire for this position in the next few months. Aubuchon sent the following statement:
“Florence is taking significant steps in addressing the pressing issue of homelessness. Recognizing that this issue is not unique to Florence, we understand that it is a regional challenge that requires collaborative efforts. Homelessness transcends city boundaries; therefore, we are committed to working closely with the Boone County Fiscal Court, neighboring municipalities and the Northern Kentucky region as a whole to make progress on this critical issue.”
Aubuchon said the new Human Services Administrator will engage with regional stakeholders including nonprofits, community leaders and government entities to create a unified approach to addressing homelessness.
“By working collaboratively, we can leverage resources to create a regional framework for comprehensive strategies that address the root causes of homelessness while providing support and opportunities for those in need,” Aubuchon’s statement continued. “I am confident that through our collaborative efforts, we will foster empathy and make a tangible difference in the lives of our residents experiencing homelessness and create a region that is inclusive, supportive, and resilient.”