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CARE urges St. Augustine to fund drop-in center phases and a 'dignity bus' in next budget
Summary
Vicky Pepper of CARE praised the city's drop-in day center plan, urged funding to finish phase 1 and progress on phase 2 wraparound services, and requested budget allocation for a mobile 'Dignity bus.' She said such services help people keep employment and address root causes of homelessness.
Vicky Pepper, speaking as a resident and on behalf of Community Advocates for Racial Equity (CARE), told the city commission she supports the city's plan for a drop-in day center for people experiencing homelessness and urged budget allocations to complete construction and operation of the project's phases.
"CARE particularly appreciates that the city has found the funding and decided to proceed to finalize in all construction aspects of phase 1 of the project before moving Dining with Dignity to the new site," Pepper said. She described phase 1 as addressing immediate needs and called planned phase 2's space for community partners and wraparound services 'vital to addressing root causes such as training, mental-health and substance-use support, employment assistance and financial literacy.
Why it matters: Pepper said access to showers, laundry and hygiene services can be critical for people who are unsheltered but maintain employment, and she asked the commission to budget for completion and operation of phase 1, significant progress toward phase 2 and funding for a mobile service vehicle she called a "Dignity bus."
Details from the comment
- CARE's mission and ask: Pepper described CARE as "an informal independent civic action group" focused on serving Black and other underserved communities in St. Johns County. She asked the commission to include funding in next year's budget for final construction and operation of phase 1, additional funding to advance phase 2, and funds to acquire and operate a Dignity bus, potentially in partnership with a local church or nonprofit.
- Rationale: Pepper said the continuum-of-care experience shows many unsheltered people have jobs and that hygiene and service access directly affect their ability to remain employed. She framed the Dignity bus as a complementary tool for outreach and services.
- Status: These were public comments and requests submitted during the special budget meeting. Pepper said she would also speak on the topic at the commission's regular meeting. The commission did not take formal action during this special meeting on CARE's funding requests.
Next steps
Pepper said she planned to raise the topic again at the regular meeting. The finance director noted budget workshops are scheduled for Aug. 28 and Aug. 29 (if needed) where staff and commissioners will review funding priorities and fee proposals.
