Fort Myers city council to reconsider moving homeless to Salvation Army

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Fort Myers city council failed to address the homeless issue during a meeting on Monday. A homeless camp has grown at Lions Park. (CREDIT: WINK News)

Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson will once again try to win approval for a plan to move homeless people from Lions Park to the Salvation Army.

Anderson hopes a presentation from a Cape Coral council member can convince city leaders to approve his plan during their meeting on Monday.

Cape Coral Councilwoman Jennifer Nelson said she was disappointed to learn Fort Myers city leaders voted against the proposal in a 3-4 vote during their last meeting.

She wrote them all an email explaining why she thinks they should reconsider.

The proposal’s goal was to help the homeless in partnership with Lee County and the Salvation Army. It would bring 30 to 35 willing people living in the city’s parks to a fenced-in area on the Salvation Army’s property to house them in tents and connect them to city services for 90 days, with the goal of finding permanent housing.

“It is a Band-Aid solution but we have to do something,” Nelson said. “We can’t allow this to continue. It is not safe. It is not safe for the vulnerable population of the homeless. I think that we have an opportunity here to solve an issue quickly.”

Tune into WINK News to see how the council votes. Their meeting starts at 4:30 p.m.

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