Homeless veterans could have a place to stay in St. Johns County if idea becomes reality

Jacksonville, FL — Bill Dudley, Veterans Council chairman, wants to turn the temporary Veterans Affairs Clinic on Southpark Boulevard into a shelter for homeless veterans.

Dudley, a veteran himself, sees how much homeless veterans struggle, because St. Johns County has no dedicated shelter just for them.

“We have to ask them to go up to Duval County, up to Jacksonville or down to Volusia County, which has homeless shelters there,” he said.

Dudley said on average, there are about 38 homeless veterans living in St. Johns County, mostly in homeless camps.

He came up with the idea of repurposing the temporary VA clinic into a homeless shelter for veterans.

“I said, ‘You know what’s going to happen with this facility once the VA vacates,’” Dudley said.

The VA’s permanent St. Johns County clinic is under construction off State Road 207 and won’t be ready until 2021.

Dudley believes the Southpark Boulevard location is perfect because it’s not in a residential neighborhood.

“A lot of people think it’s a great idea; [they say] let’s build a homeless shelter, but not in my backyard,” Dudley said.

Dudley’s idea is in its infancy stage, but he’s already gotten a lot of support.

His focus will be pushing the VA to get on board and help make this idea happen.

The hope is to not only house homeless vets, but also to give them the boost they need to get their lives back on track.

“It’s also working with them to try to get them into the VA program, because a lot of them are not taking advantage of the VA,” he said.