Myths of Homelessness Part 10: “They Aren’t From Here”

The Reality: In the boardroom, when a local market struggles, smart leaders don’t dismiss it by blaming “out-of-towners”—they dig into who’s actually affected and why. In Putnam County, the “Magnet Myth”—the notion that people currently or will flock here from elsewhere to access services or milder conditions—is a persistent distraction. It ignores clear evidence: Our unhoused neighbors are overwhelmingly our own residents, with deep local roots. (This ties into Part 1 on employment myths and Part 9 on diverse local demographics like families and seniors.)

I lived in Putnam County for 13 years before I became homeless. I built my business here. My wife was cremated here. When I lost everything and ended up living in my van, people asked me, “Why don’t you just move somewhere cheaper?” The answer was simple: This was home. My clients were here. My medical providers who knew my history were here. The geography I knew—where I could park safely, where I could access resources—was here. Starting over in a new county would have meant abandoning the few threads of stability I still had. Most people experiencing homelessness face this same calculation: leaving means losing everything that might help you climb back out.

The “Magnet” Theory vs. Local Reality

The belief persists that resources like the R.I.S.E. Initiative will draw unhoused people from surrounding counties or states. Frontline experience and data paint a different picture:

• Deep Local Roots: The vast majority experiencing homelessness in Putnam County (and similar communities) were already residents here when they lost housing. They have family ties, work histories, and connections in Palatka, Interlachen, and surrounding areas. National studies consistently show 70-90%+ became homeless in the community where they were already living—often after years or decades there—not by migrating for services.
• Lack of Mobility: Relocation is expensive and logistically impossible in survival mode. Without funds for gas, bus fare, deposits, or moving, people stay where their limited support network exists. Research debunks the “flocking” idea: There’s no strong correlation between generous services and in-migration; barriers like poverty and ties to jobs/family keep most people local.
• The “Home” Factor: People want to remain where they’re known. Staying in Putnam preserves access to familiar resources, even if strained—echoing why “just move somewhere cheaper” rarely works.

“Why Don’t They Just Move Somewhere Cheaper?”

This common critique overlooks poverty’s operational realities:

• The Cost of Poverty: Moving demands security deposits, first/last month’s rent, and transport—barriers that trap people in place. When you’re living paycheck to paycheck or surviving on gig work, you don’t have $3,000+ for relocation costs.
• The Employment Anchor: As covered in Part 1, many (~40% nationally) are working. Relocating risks losing jobs, transportation, childcare, or community supports—trading one crisis for another. If you’re working at a local business or have regular gig routes, moving to a new county means starting your income stream from zero.
• The Support Vacuum: New counties mean isolation, fewer connections, and higher chronic homelessness risk. The church that gives you a hot meal on Monday through Friday, the case manager who knows your situation, the medical clinic where they have your records—all of that disappears when you cross county lines.

“Won’t Building R.I.S.E. Attract Homeless People from Other Counties?”

This is one of the most common objections we hear: “If we build it, they will come.” It’s based on fear, not data.

What the Research Shows:

• Services Don’t Create Migration: Multiple studies show that homeless service availability does not drive significant in-migration. People don’t research which counties have the best shelters and relocate there—they stay where they already have connections, even if services are limited. A comprehensive review of “magnet effect” claims found no evidence that generous services attract homeless populations from other areas.
• Weather Myths Are Overblown: Yes, Florida’s climate is milder than northern states, but weather-driven migration is vastly overstated. The majority of people experiencing homelessness in Florida were already Florida residents when they lost housing. Cross-state migration for weather is rare—survival on the streets is brutal regardless of temperature.
• Visible Homelessness ≠ New Arrivals: When communities open new shelters or services, visible street homelessness often decreases  because people move indoors. What looks like “attracting more homeless people” is actually revealing the existing population that was hidden in cars, woods, and doubled-up situations—as we discussed in Part 7 about the Invisible 90%.

What Actually Happens:

Communities that open well-designed facilities see:

• Decreased visible homelessness (people move from streets/camps into facilities)
• Reduced emergency costs (fewer ER visits, police calls, jail cycles)
• Better outcomes (stable addresses enable employment, benefits access, permanent housing placement)

The fear is that R.I.S.E. will become a “regional magnet.” The reality is that R.I.S.E. will serve the people already here—the 532 homeless students in Putnam County schools, the working families living in vehicles, the seniors on fixed incomes, the veterans who served our country. These aren’t hypothetical future arrivals. They’re our current neighbors.

The R.I.S.E. Local Focus

R.I.S.E. is designed explicitly for Putnam’s people—not as a regional magnet.

• Phase 1 (Day Center): Centralized case management and skills training keep our local workforce stable and connected. It’s a resource for people already living here, with priority given to Putnam County residents.
• Phase 2 (Shelter): When operational, residency verification and local prioritization will ensure we’re serving our own community first—not becoming a dumping ground for other counties’ failures.
• Resource Accessibility: Strategic placement near essential services overcomes transportation barriers in our rural county, helping residents rebuild in their home community without needing to relocate.

The Bottom Line

Telling our neighbors to “go elsewhere” isn’t a solution—it’s shifting responsibility and ignoring data. Exporting crises to neighboring counties’ ERs or streets costs more long-term. And fearing that we’ll “attract more” by building R.I.S.E. misunderstands both the data and the crisis we already have.

R.I.S.E. invests in Putnam’s own residents, turning local stability into community strength. Real solutions address root causes here, not myths of migration.

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