Early next month the Urban Rest Stop will open downtown, inside the main campus of the Sulzbacher Center.
The Sulzbacher is Jacksonville’s largest provider of services for the homeless.
The Sulzbacher recently opened up Sulzbacher Village for women and children. That addition created surplus space for their newest mission, The Urban Rest Stop.
It will be a daytime site where Jacksonville’s homeless population may have a hot shower, wash their clothes and have use of a library, all in one convenient stop. Mental health resources will also be made available.
Jacksonville has tried similar programs in the past that ended in failure. Those programs did not have strong allies within local, government.
The Urban Rest Stop does.
Mayor Lenny Curry and Sheriff Mike Williams are backing the Urban Rest Stop.
The Curry administration is providing the Sulzbacher Center with $125,000 to renovate the facility into the Urban Rest Stop.
Sheriff Williams will station an off-duty JSO officer at the rest stop to ensure the safety of all who use the rest stop.