Cool and breezy for your Thursday afternoonStudents react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University
the weather authority Cool and breezy for your Thursday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking cold morning conditions before temperatures warm up to the low 70s this Thursday.
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
the weather authority Cool and breezy for your Thursday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking cold morning conditions before temperatures warm up to the low 70s this Thursday.
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Ian.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
LABELLE City of LaBelle under precautionary boil water notice A water main break has the City of Labelle under a precautionary boil water notice.
ESTERO FGCU student wins ice dancing national championship FGCU sophomore Lucas Appel wins his second US Senior Solo Dance National Championship in three years.
How many homeless people live in Lee County? Right now, the Lee County Homeless Coalition is spearheading a headcount to find out. It’s part of a nationwide mandate and it happens during the last ten days of January every year. WINK News Investigative Reporter Celine McArthur shows you how it’s done in Lee County, where the information goes, and what happens with that data The mission of the PIT count, or point in time count, is to track down all the homeless people – in and out of shelters – to find out how serious the problems are right now and why. The feds then use that data to determine how much federal money local programs can get moving forward. The pit count is a significant undertaking that requires a lot of volunteers, including students at Florida Gulf Coast University. 24-year-old Crystal Jean is a first-year student in the social work program at FGCU. She says she knew as a kid she wanted to be a social worker. MORE: Click here for coverage in The Working Homeless series “I had a social worker as a child, and she really did impact me greatly as a kid. And I didn’t realize that she was a social worker. But I knew I wanted to do what she did. So, I kind of just did some research and put two and two together,” says Jean. The issue of homelessness is also personal. She recently discovered her father had become homeless. “I was shocked. I was very shocked,” says Jean. “I didn’t know… you couldn’t tell.” She tells us he was homeless in a different part of Florida, and, “he came here to our family, and we didn’t realize all the situation that was going on at the time.” But she knew what needed to happen next. “They’re normal people who need help and need love and need services,” says Jean. Professor Tom Felke says the homeless situation in Southwest Florida is getting worse. “I think the other thing that concerns me is I’m worried about what the public reaction to visible homelessness is going to look like,” says Felke. “People generally don’t want to see things that make them uncomfortable. I mean, that makes sense. But in this case, this is not something you can just push back into the shadows. This is something that actually needs to be addressed.” That has Jean wondering. “I think that our public officers are probably not doing enough,” says Jean. “If someone is a convicted felon, for example, what are we doing to provide resources for these people to be reintegrated in society? And for them to have the appropriate literacy skills? To have a job or to have housing services?” She hit the streets as a volunteer in the Lee County annual PIT count to learn more. On this morning, there aren’t many homeless in her designated area, which surrounds the Downtown Fort Myers public library. “I’m a little sad about it. I really am, because I really want to, you know, speak to some people and you know, get to know their story,” says Jean. We caught up with Fort Myers police officer Ryan Beiner, who’s on the Homeless Outreach Team to find out why that might be. “It depends on the weather. It depends on the day,” says Officer Beiner. “People have been moving around lately a lot, going to new places, due to enforcement measures.” Jean did get to spend some time with Officer Beiner to get a snapshot of how he works with the homeless. “Going back into the places where some of these individuals sleep… it’s hard not to cry about it because it’s just… I didn’t know that that was the type of conditions that some of these individuals actually have, like, these are their everyday lives, While brief, this was a career experience she won’t soon forget. “He’s actually been in the field, what I’m learning about, he’s done it for years. And just seeing that we have officers that are actually trying to help our communities,” says Jean. “He’s a social worker in disguise as an officer.” The Lee Count PIT count lasts for three days, and the results won’t be available until at least April. When we get out hands on the data, we will share it on-air, and right here on winknews.com. You too can weigh in on this conversation. Email celine.mcarthur@winknews.com.