A couple of years ago, Fort Lauderdale’s sex offender residency restriction (SORR) was declared unconstitutional.
In response, the Ft. Lauderdale City Commissioners voted to lessen their SORR to try and make it pass constitutional muster. Despite warnings that the new ordinance still didn’t go far enough to have an impact, the new SORR was enacted.
Now, one year later, a subcommittee of the Broward County Criminal Justice Reentry Coalition that is responsible for examining and making recommendations on Sex Offender Housing Issues, found that despite loosening the restrictions, the number of homeless registrants has actually INCREASED during the past year. “While the percentage of transients did go down by a small amount (from 47.6% of the registrant population in August 2018 to 45.2%, currently) the actual number of homeless registrants in Ft. Lauderdale increased (from 252 then to 269 now).” the Report found.
As for the entire County of Broward, “the registrant population increased by only 1.8% in the last 14 months, the homeless registrant population increased by 3.98%. As we warned previously, with a growing registrant population and a diminishing supply of compliant housing, the numbers will continue to grow rapidly.”
The letter (which can be read here) was sent in response to the Coronavirus pandemic and the Subcommittee’s pleas to the League of Cities to suspend the residency restrictions during this period, where schools, parks and playgrounds are closed anyhow. A member of the Subcommittee followed up with Ft. Lauderdale commissioners but has received no response.
I feel that this is a step in the right direction however, it is still VERY difficult for sex offenders (myself included) to get any kind of housing because of my label. When prospective landlords look into your past and see your label, they never go any further than that. They don’t for one understand the difference between sex offender and sexual predator. The people need to be educated on the difference. I feel that the year of the offense should be put on the website of when the offense occurred. Mine happened in 1986, when you get the answer no from these companies you would think it just happened yesterday as they look at you with disgust.
The time the offense happened and the explanation of the title needs to be conveyed to the public. A simple urinating in public should not be looked at the same way as someone who has molested a minor(s), rape etc.
Florida punishes sex offenders by making them live under a bridge and in homeless camps without bathrooms so that Covid can spread through all of Florida since there is no access to fresh water to wash hands.
Wonder what the homeless population percentage of non sexual criminals is. Under 5 percent probably. But this isn’t punishment now. These guys probably can’t find adequate work due to their status.
The very fact that a municipality or county passes legislation which exceeds the state registration requirements should be seen as prima facie evidence of punishment.
DUH – the reason that there are MORE homeless registrants is that they have made it virtually impossible to get a job of any significance and even if you could get a minimum wage job GOOD LUCK PAYING RENT!
Those forced to live under the Unconstitutional classification of “sex offender” are forced into homelessness and poverty!
Simple as that!
You are in California. Here in Florida we have SORRs. That’s the main reason people are homeless. Studies have identified that as the cause.
What is SORR?
Sex Offender Residency Restriction (SORR)
From what I have read and heard our ‘bureaucratic leaders’ couldn’t care less about the Constitution and as far as they are concerned…Constitution be damned. We know what such attitudes have lead to in the past.
Did they really expect the homeless registrant problem would be solved by removing only bus stops from their restrictions? It strikes me as something done just to claim to have done something, knowing it wouldn’t make a difference.