By Kiara Velez, Interning Correspondent for The Apopka Voice
Homelessness in Apopka has become harder as a new state law, effective January 1st, prohibits public camping and sleeping, and potentially criminalizes homelessness. As local advocates scramble for solutions, Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson is at the center of efforts to address the growing crisis.
But are those efforts effective?
According to Pastor David Schorejs of the Next Step Foundation, Nelson, who is a board member on the foundation, has consistently presented various solutions to the city's homelessness problem, but many of these plans have failed due to local opposition, funding challenges, and other logistical hurdles.
According to its Facebook page, the Next Step Foundation is collaborating with community partners in developing a comprehensive plan to help address homelessness and related issues, but Nelson's involvement in this effort has been under scrutiny, partially due to a misunderstanding of Nelson's resignation status on the board. According to Shorejs, Nelson has considered resigning so that his political opponents do not use his membership on the board as a means to disparage the efforts of the Foundation. However, he has not resigned.
"Throughout this process, the mayor has presented or discussed a number of options for consideration, but all of them have fallen through," Shorejs said. "Truth is, there are many reasons why. Unfortunately, there is a lack of desire as a foundation to help meet the needs of those who are helpless and hopeless without creating additional problems. We have not yet discovered how to do that".
Shorejs may not know how, but he does know what is needed to combat homelessness in Apopka.
"The hope is that the Foundation, in partnership with other entities could come up with a viable solution that would provide a safe, controlled, temporary, and in some cases permanent shelter for those who need a place to stay. We need someone to donate either 1) a facility that could be retrofitted to act as a Drop in/ temporary shelter or 2) a piece of land that would be suitable, and the funding to build a facility that would meet the needs."
Next Step also announced a partnership with Sharity, Inc., of Winter Park. According to its website, Sharity services include strategic planning, fundraising, nonprofit operations and management, monitoring and evaluation, and legal and policy analysis. Its work products include fully implemented strategic plans, successful fundraising campaigns, peer reviewed and published research, and public policy change.
Sharity will be called upon to an operational plan, but after its assessment, Next Step will look to the City Council for support.
"It's up to the City Commissioners," Shorejs said. "We've met with Commissioner (Alexander) Smith, who supports the effort. I've requested meetings with the others but haven't received confirmation. We believe there is available money and intellectual integrity in the city of Apopka that could help answer this problem," said Schorejs.
