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Updated: 7:36 PM Feb 15, 2012
Homeless Shelter Planned for Jackson County
Marianna- The Panama City Rescue Mission has been at the center of controversy for years now, but a homeless shelter in the works in Jackson County seems to be getting a lot of support.
Posted: 5:18 PM Feb 15, 2012Reporter: Bryan Anderson Email Address: Bryan.Anderson@wjhg.com Jackson County Homeless Shelter');">  |
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8 Comments 
Marianna- A new homeless shelter could soon be coming to Jackson County.
"Hopefully within the next six months," said Jackson County Community Emergency Shelters Program Director Aida Spina.
Spina said the idea first came about last year.
"This is an issue that can affect any of us," said Spina.
She said there are as many as one hundred people in the area right now with nowhere to live.
"We have a lot of misplaced families, broken homes, foreclosure, unemployment," said Spina.
The group is looking at three possible locations. One is in Grand Ridge, another in Alford, the third is off Magnolia Road just outside Marianna.
Residents living off Magnolia Road said they support the idea.
"Being such close proximity with I-10 I think it's a good thing," said Jackson County resident Matilda Anderson.
"It's a great idea for this community. We definitely need something like that," said Jackson County resident Brenda Russell.
Russell said her only concern is attracting vagrants.
"It would worry me," said Russell.
Vagrancy has been a heated topic at Panama City's Rescue Mission in Bay County, and even though this homeless shelter will be working with it, Spina assured residents vagrants won't be a problem here.
"This is not just a feeding location. This is a program established to end the homelessness," said Spina.
If you'd like to learn more, you can attend one of the group's advisory meetings. The next one is Friday February 17th at 11:00 a.m. at the Evangel Worship Center in Marianna.
Latest Comments
Nope! You are telling it as if your biased opinion is true! Just for your information there are “drunks, drug addicts, mental patients off their meds, and sexual perverts” that have homes but where is your righteous indignation and crusade against them? Answer: the homeless are an easy target so you focus on them. Your compassion is selective and conditional which makes it false. True compassion isn’t something doled out to those you deem worthy. True compassion is something that happens to you when you see a fellow human being in need and it doesn’t discriminate against even the ones who don’t deserve it. We all will reap what we sow!
Just telling it like it is...and will be in Jackson County. Compassion is for those who are homeless through no fault of their own. For the bums, vagrants, drug addicts, and drunks...you reap what you sow. Maybe sleeping in the gutters will make you rethink your lifestyle choice.
Why not establish homeless families in repossessed bank homes with a stipulation for upkeep and showing in the future? Low-cost tools could be furnished along with a minimum of services. Goodwill furniture and appliances could be donated with the stipulation that aggressive job hunting be commensurate with occupation. I can shoot holes in the complicated idea all day, but shelter money devoted to homes and community cooperation with banks to make the idea work would reap more benefits. Efforts to combat this economy's chaff with more innovative ideas and focused energies could form the nucleus of a program worthy of caring Christian people. Certainly it would involve area churches working as labor and brains to make it happen for the dignity of us all.
