Flames from shelter fire illuminated the needs of homeless people
Leaders throughout Central Florida can be rightfully proud of the rapid, effective and efficient response to the Wednesday afternoon blaze that left the area’s biggest overnight homeless shelter a soggy, scorched mess.
By the time firefighters cleared the scene at the 237-bed downtown shelter, operated by the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, local homeless advocates and community leaders were on the phone. The calls weren’t just limited to people inside the greater Orlando community. Neighboring counties also participated, along with state and local emergency-management and law-enforcement leaders.
“People ran toward the crisis,” said Lisa Portelli, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer’s senior adviser on homelessness and social services. Others say that Portelli, along with Martha Are of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida and Allison Krall and Trinette Nation of the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida,carried the torch for much of that run: Portelli was the one who lined up space in two local churches — downtown Shiloh Baptist Church and All Saints Episcopal Church in Winter Park — where the majority of the men ended up Wednesday night. Thanks to emergency management officials, cots were available before there was a good place to put them.
The job of finding alternative shelter was only the start, however. As the Sentinel’s Ryan Gillespie and Amanda Rabines have reported, a massive collaboration between multiple nonprofits and governmental entities helped displaced shelter residents get to work via the Lynx bus system, get showers, do laundry and access other services they will need while they await the re-opening of the shelter.
From the outside, it may look as if the greater Orlando community was incredibly lucky to have so many resources activated quickly. But local leaders made their own good fortune. The tight coordination between homeless service groups, governments and the faith community existed long before this emergency, and that network
was invaluable in a crisis — as it has been before, and will almost certainly be again.
Lessons learned
That doesn’t mean there’s no room to improve. Among the changes that would make a difference:
■ Rapid access to an emergency cash reserve for homeless services should be a top priority for House and Senate leaders, and there’s still time to tuck a relatively small sum into the 2024-25 budget as a “break glass in case of emergency” fund that homeless services groups can tap to place homeless people into easy-access options such as hotel rooms (with the clear expectation that the groups will be able to produce receipts later). Such an appropriation would be barely a rounding error in the state’s $115 billion budget, but could be invaluable to communities across the state when homeless services are disrupted by weather or other crises.
■ The Orlando fire points out the inherent danger of a bill that would hamstring local officials’ ability to quickly respond to homeless-service emergencies and establish alternative accommodation (how? what does the bill say?). If lawmakers don’t drop the legislation, they should at least amend it to
expand the emergency escape clause, which currently only kicks in when the governor has declared an emergency.
■ Some communities still lack the tight coordination and network of personal relationships that helped Orlando officials respond so quickly; in some regions, that kind of communication can even by stymied by turf-guarding and grudges. Providing guidance on emergency planning — including establishing a checklist of community partners that can be called upon in emergency situations — would cost almost nothing but ensure swift action in a crisis.
None of these would be difficult to establish. They should be a priority for state and local governments — and particularly, for Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers.
Longer-term needs
The flames’ flicker should also illuminate a deeper desperation here in Central Florida. Even before Wednesday’s fire, this region was being doused with a metaphorical fire-hose blast of need.
Over the past five years, the Orlando area unsheltered homeless population has increased by 75%, and after last month’s annual count of homeless residents is tabulated, the total is expected to continue along the path toward desperation.
The final answer, obviously, is to find long-term housing for everyone. That’s a nearly impossible task when it comes to homeless people, including hundreds struggling with severe disabling conditions who will need additional support.
That doesn’t erase the also-critical need for short-term but secure shelter space that is open 24 hours a day and doesn’t set high barriers for entry. Distributing such shelters throughout the community would reduce the chance that hundreds of displaced shelter residents would suddenly need an alternative and give homeless people better access to jobs that could help them achieve self-sufficiency. It would also reduce the impact of a highly visible concentration of homeless people in downtown Orlando. City and county officials have proven they can be trusted to avoid an out-of-sight, out-of-mind philosophy.
Finding these solutions should be a statewide priority, starting with an inventory of innovative ways to house homeless people with minimal impact on surrounding neighborhoods. Efforts such as Volusia County’s Hope Place that provides longterm shelter for families with children and unaccompanioed minors, on the campus of a vacated middle school in Holly Hill, are worth consideration here.
“The fire — and the need to suddenly find a place to live for 237 men — is as an immediate crisis on top of an ongoing crisis,” Homeless Services Network CEO Martha Are said. “It underscores the desperate need to invest in housing for our most vulnerable residents.”
Amen. That’s a position no flame can melt, and one that should illuminate the opportunity to deal with homelessness more effectively and compassionately across Florida.