Homeless Crisis

Cities across Florida’s Space Coast, particularly Palm Bay and Melbourne, are actively addressing the rise of homeless camps in vacant lots.

A local homeless outreach group, in collaboration with the City of Orlando, is proposing an innovative solution to address homelessness.

There’s now an entire website dedicated to the fight against a proposed homeless shelter in the South-of-Downtown District in Orlando.

Communities in Central Florida, including Orange County and the City of Kissimmee, are moving forward with measures to comply with a new state law banning street sleeping.

There are thousands of people in Central Florida experiencing homelessness, and even more on the brink of becoming homeless. Now, all of their lives just got more complicated.

Public camping is now illegal in Florida, but some residents say the new state law hasn’t done much to clean up homeless camps on the Space Coast.

Homelessness remains a major challenge for U.S. veterans, leaving thousands without stable housing. Among them is 76-year-old Vietnam veteran Michael Smith.

Orlando’s City Council has decided to take the first steps toward a possible new homeless shelter.

A new law is now in effect in Florida, banning sleeping or camping in public, and saying people can sue counties that don’t stop public sleeping.

The City of Orlando is exploring a solution to its growing homeless crisis with a proposal to lease a 21,000-square-foot building on West Washington St. to serve as an "Open Access Shelter."

The order makes clear that the decision to remove the encampments remains in the hands of local authorities.

Orange County leaders are grappling with the financial implications of House Bill 1365, set to take effect in October. The new law mandates that counties and cities prevent people from camping and sleeping in public spaces, instead providing designated areas for the homeless.

In one week, the city of Melbourne cleaned up 17 tons of trash at a huge homeless camp.

Sanford Mayor Art Woodruff said a bill sitting on Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk to ban camping in public is unfair. DeSantis could sign off on a crackdown on public camping any day now. He backed the bill, and both state legislature chambers gave it the green light.

Florida lawmakers are expected to vote on a bill Friday that would ban camping in public spaces. Some critics of the bill say it targets homeless people. House members debated the bill on the house floor Thursday.

A new bill proposed to help with Florida's homeless crisis is backed by Governor DeSantis, but is under scrutiny by some homeless advocates.

In Apopka, Tiffany Miller has found temporary shelter in a tent along State Road 436, facing eviction due to being on private property.