City and County Hire Homeless Consultant

The City of Sarasota and Sarasota County contracted with Dr. Robert Marbut, Jr., a nationally renowned homeless expert, to develop a strategic action plan to evaluate and improve the efficiency and organization of homeless service providers throughout Sarasota County.  Dr. Marbut will begin work in Sarasota this week.

“We’re looking forward to several months of engagement with Dr. Marbut,” City Manager Tom Barwin said.  “With so many organizations working together, from government to nonprofits and, hopefully, the private sector, I’m optimistic some significant positive impact will come from this effort.  I’d like to thank the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune for moving the dialogue forward to reach this point.”

“Homelessness is a community issue and with help from Dr. Marbut, our municipalities and the many non-profit, faith based and human service organizations, we are looking forward to coming up with a long-term plan to address it,” said Randall Reid, Sarasota County Administrator.

The scope of work during Dr. Marbut’s four month contract is divided into phases:

 1. Inventory
- Conduct on-site visits of all homeless services in Sarasota County

 2. Needs Assessment
- Assessment of the types of services and capacity needed in Sarasota County

 3. Gap Analysis
- Analysis of the gap between the inventory of services versus the actual needs, including possible recommendations for new facilities with potential sites considered

4. Strategic Framing
- In-person meetings with government staff, elected leaders, civic groups, faith based entities, business leaders and homeless individuals

 5. Preparing a Draft Strategic Action Plan
- A draft plan will be provided to the City of Sarasota and Sarasota County for review

6. Comment and Best Practice
- One-on-one briefings with government staff, elected leaders, civic groups, faith based entities, business leaders and other agencies

 7. Complete and Present Action Plan
- Submit final plan to the City and County, including presentations to the City Commission and County Board of Commissioners

 “Dr. Marbut will be a welcome and timely addition to the City of Sarasota's call to action for solutions to our chronic homelessness problem,” said City Commissioner Suzanne Atwell, a licensed mental health counselor.   “Our community is now ready to embrace his expertise and experience in bringing everyone to the table.”

Payment for services rendered will not exceed $40,300 with that amount equally split between the City of Sarasota and Sarasota County.

For more information contact City Manager Tom Barwin:  941-954-4102.  To learn more about Dr. Marbut visit www.MarbutConsulting.com