Homelessness

State funds accepted Tuesday by Lee County are for housing and services for people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.

A controversial proposal designed to prevent homeless people from sleeping in public places while requiring local governments to address the issue is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis.The Republican-controlled Senate on Tuesday voted 27-12 along party lines to pass the bill (HB 1365), which would bar cities and counties from allowing people to sleep at places such as public buildings and in public rights of way. The House approved the bill last week, and DeSantis has voiced support for it.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday supported legislation that seeks to prevent homeless people from sleeping in public places such as streets, sidewalks and parks, as a Senate committee moved forward with the proposal.“I think what we're envisioning is providing some support for counties for additional sheltering, providing some financial support for both substance abuse (programs) and mental health,” DeSantis said during a news conference in Miami Beach, as he stood behind a podium that said: “Don't Allow Florida to become San Francisco.”

Thousands of outreach workers fan out each January in search of the homeless. The situation is such, officials said, that the resulting numbers will not be positive.

A Senate committee Monday backed a proposal that would prevent counties and cities from allowing people to sleep or camp on public property without permits.Bill sponsor Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, called his proposal (SB 1530) a way to address a mental-health crisis in the state and to assist the “chronically homeless.”

This annual Point-in-Time survey is meant to give social service groups a better understanding of those experiencing homelessness.

An 11-year-old boy who moved from Pennsylvania to Naples a month ago has expanded on an idea he started five years ago up north. Now he's working with local nonprofits to collect winter essentials for local homeless people.

The Salvation Army, Fort Myers Area Command was awarded $2.5M from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund Grant to help Fort Myers families find safe shelter, housing and stability.Fund grants $117.55 million to 38 nonprofits across the U.S. making measurable progress on reducing family homelessness.

On one day every January, a Point-in-Time — or PIT — Count is conducted in counties to document the number of people who are experiencing homelessness on a single night. The PIT Count in Collier County this past January found a 230% increase in the number of people over the age of 60 who were homeless as compared to the previous year. So, we check in with the CEO of St. Matthew’s House in Naples, to get a sense of what they’re facing.

A community-wide survey to gather information on what Southwest Floridians found to be the most pressing need identified affordable housing and homelessness as the top concerns.