The Orlando region’s bout with homelessness has hit a critical point, with the number of people sleeping outside or in cars more than doubling from last year, according to the Homeless Services Network.
In the annual Point-In-Time count, 2,883 people were found to be homeless on Jan. 22 in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties, with 1,201 of them considered unsheltered. That’s up from 587 unsheltered last year and 426 the year before.
“Homelessness in our community, which was actually declining leading up to the pandemic, is now not just rising, it is soaring,” said Martha Are the CEO of the Homeless Services Network. “It’s not like a steady stream of people, it’s a raging river of people who are asking for help.”
The count is an effort to gain a snapshot of a region’s homeless population, though it is considered an undercount because people sleeping in cars are difficult to tally, and some encampments are hidden deep in the woods.
Are said the rise is a reflection of steep increases in housing costs far outpacing wage growth, and a severe shortage of affordable housing.
“Our challenge is that as quickly as we move people into housing, more people are becoming homeless. And that is because of our housing market,” she said. “It’s not for any other reason…it’s not because we’ve had a sudden increase in numbers of people with mental illness, it’s not because we’ve had a sudden increase in numbers of people who had catastrophic health crisis, it’s not because we’ve had a sudden increase in people who have lost their jobs. It is because we’ve had a sudden increase in rents.”
For example, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Orlando region was $1,264 in 2019, and has since climbed to $2,011 per month, according to RentData.org. That $747 per month hike is an increase of 59%.
The Point-In-Time count also found the number of the region’s homeless who were in shelters rose slightly from 1,671 last year to 1,683 this year, though shelter capacity dipped in the same time frame due to a renovation at the Salvation Army and the Covenant House shuttering its shelter for youth.
Going forward, the region’s homeless count may be further impacted by a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year, which requires cities and counties to enforce public camping bans, while also encouraging sanctioned encampments to usher all of a county’s unsheltered population to a secured area where they can sleep. There’s no indication that any of Central Florida’s counties are considering opening such an encampment.
Though many are also awaiting a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court – which could come this month – in a case weighing whether camping bans can be considered a violation of the 8th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which outlaws cruel and unusual punishments.
Among those hit hardest in Central Florida’s current crisis, Are said, are seniors, and more specifically, elderly women. The count found 719 people over the age of 55 are homeless, with most being women. More than half of homeless seniors weren’t in shelter.
Data shows the vast majority of people – about 73% – were counted in Orange County, where the bulk of shelter beds and service agencies are located in Orlando. The county saw a 29% increase year over year. Homelessness grew the fastest in Seminole County, however, with about a 61% increase from last year.
In Osceola, the count found about the same number of people as last year, though Are said volunteers had greater access issues there than in Orange and Seminole.
“We as a community have reached a point where we cannot afford to not do more,” she said. “The need is serious.”
