Homelessness
The National Coalition for the Homeless cited Gainesville as the 5th meanest city in the USA for the city's criminalization of homelessness in the Coalition's two most recent reports (in 2004 and 2009), the latter time for its meal limit ordinance. Gainesville has a number of ordinances that target the homeless, including an anti-panhandling measure, restrictions on feeding free meals to the hungry, and a measure illegalizing sleeping outdoors on public property. In 2005, the Alachua Board of County Commissioners and the Gainesville City Commission responded by issuing a written "Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness"; however, the plan has never been implemented and in 2010 "A Needs Assessment of Unsheltered Homeless Individuals In Gainesville, Florida" was presented to a joint meeting of Gainesville and Alachua County Commissions.
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