Sixty homeless people can rest easier as beds reopen in Broward

Homeless people in Broward County had a better chance of sleeping indoors Tuesday night after an operator of two shelters agreed to re-open 60 overnight spots that had been suspended for financial reasons a week earlier.

The beds are at the Broward Outreach Centers in Hollywood and Pompano Beach, with 30 spots at each location.

The centers are run by Miami Rescue Mission, which is currently in negotiations with the county over a new contract for providing homeless services. In addition to the overnight beds, the centers run substance abuse, job training and other live-in programs for 128 individuals in Hollywood and 208 in Pompano Beach.

County officials said they weren’t aware the overnight beds weren’t available until they were told by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, although a Miami Rescue official provided an email sent to the county Oct. 9 notifying it of the decision.

After seeing the Sun Sentinel’s report Monday, Commissioner Mark Bogen went out to the Pompano center in his district to see the situation firsthand.

“I was very upset that people were being put out in the street when there was space,” Bogen said.

The cost for providing the 60 beds along with meals, showers and toiletries comes to about $47,000 a month, or $26.25 per bed per night, the center operators said.

Bogen spoke with Ron Brummitt, the president of Miami Rescue, to broker a resolution.

“He agreed to open it up and continue to talk to the county about the future,” Bogen said.

Brummitt, who has been frustrated with the pace of the contract negotiations, said he has never had the “ear of a commissioner” before.

“This is because of the direct intervention of Commissioner Bogen,” he said of the re-opening of the beds. “At least I know there’s another set of eyes overseeing the negotiations.”

Rebecca McGuire, the county’s acting human services administrator, said “there have been assurances worked out” and the county is “hoping the agreement will be done this week.”

But Brummitt is not convinced the county’s negotiating position has changed.

“We’ve been asking the county for help for almost three years,” Brummitt said. “We’ve gotten broken promises, delayed promises, bits and pieces here.”