JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A passionate community leader is pushing for increased funding to support the homeless, or as he calls them, “shelter-challenged citizens,” in America.
John Wyche said on his birthday that he realized the need for action. With a background as a retired Air Force Major, he feels a strong sense of duty to help.
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“It’s about caring,” he said. “If nobody’s going to do it, somebody’s got to do it, [and] it’s going to be me.”
To tackle the issue, he has contacted hotel owners, private landlords, and others outside the status quo. Hotel owners have embraced the initiative, offering properties and trailers for feeding and providing services.
Wyche stressed the importance of utilizing available capacity in hotels to provide shelter and services.
“With the hotels, there’s a fee, but there’s a reduced fee because, again, these owners are in business, but they reduce their fee drastically to help with the capacity and the need,” Wyche explained.
While hotels charge a reduced fee for shelter, Wyche believes the city should allocate funds to support these efforts, arguing that providing shelter in hotels is a better alternative to criminalizing homelessness.
He has partnered with hotels, including those owned by a group from Atlanta, to develop a model that can be exported to other locations and highlighted the need for the city council to allocate more than $1.3 million and explore opportunities beyond traditional organizations.
“One of my ownership groups is out of Atlanta, and they own hotels throughout the southeast,” Wyche said. “They’ve said, ‘We get this model down. We can export this model to other places.’”
The initiative has already helped several individuals and families, with private landlords and boarding houses providing assistance.
Additionally, Wyche and his wife have personally funded transportation and meals for those in need and has partnered with a nonprofit led by a disabled veteran to open new housing units.
The community leader’s efforts have garnered significant attention on social media, with thousands reaching out to support the cause. He has received offers from investors willing to build tiny homes if the city provides space.
Finally, Wyche called for community members to attend city council meetings and advocate for increased funding for the homeless.
“We can do this,” he says. “They need us, and they are like us. They’re not invisible.”