More than 100 people gathered in Fort Myers Monday night for the Lee Homeless Coalition’s 24th Annual Vigil for the Homeless.
On the steps of the Lee County Courthouse, 27 candles were lit in honor of people who died in the county this year while experiencing homelessness.
Lee Homeless Coalition board member Therese Everly said the total number of deaths might be closer to thirty.
“They were somebody’s husband, somebody’s wife, brother, sister--they are a part of our community so that’s why we’re here tonight to give them respect, but also to try to bring awareness to the plight of the homeless in Lee County, to try to end homelessness in Lee County,” Everly said.
Everly said homelessness is more prevalent than people think.
“I think so much today in the 2020 culture people look at social media, people only talk about the positive side of their lives,” Everly said. “But if you really sit and have an authentic, genuine conversation with the vast majority of Lee County, they may be one paycheck away, or know someone in their family that’s been affected, or on the verge of homelessness, especially now, with the covid crisis.”
.@LeeHomeless coalition members light candles in honor of those who passed away in the county this year while experiencing homelessness. pic.twitter.com/m7T5dxTpkg
— Andrea Perdomo (@am_perdomo) December 21, 2020
Sean Hartman of Cape Coral said he came to the vigil to show support for finding a solution for ending homelessness in the county.
“I have been concerned about the homeless issue for a while, I actually was briefly homeless in 2009,” Everly said. “It's one of those issues that isn’t really addressed too often here locally, but should be, so that's the main reason why I am here.”
Alejandro Serebryakov said he’s been dealing with homelessness over the last two years. He said he supports all local efforts to bring awareness to the issue.
“There are a lot of homeless individuals who do end up dead either through drug abuse or some misfortune, and it kind of irked me,” Serebryakov said. “So I’m out here to help my protesting friends as well as trying to grasp [what] the board, the committee or the City of Fort Myers is trying to do for us.”
The newly elected City of Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson stood in the crowd holding a candle that had been blown out by the wind.
“[Those experiencing homelessness] are fellow humans and it's a sad situation that’s going on and everyone here is very sensitive to their plight,” Anderson said. “The question of course is, ‘what are the solutions?’ And they are very complex.”
Anderson said a task force dedicated to addressing homelessness in the city is nearly finished being assembled.
“I’m looking for people who can come to the table, and have solutions that are reasonable, they’re actionable, but most importantly they’re sustainable,” Anderson said.
In 2019, the U-S Interagency Council on Homelessness released a report estimating 28,328 people in Florida experience homelessness on any given day.
