The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound effect on the lives of Americans. Over 1.1 million people died in the United States from COVID-19, and it devastated the US economy for months. But through the concerted efforts of elected officials, healthcare workers, and many other Americans, the pandemic was finally brought under control.
Homelessness is the next epidemic the US must face in the coming years.
Last summer, at an Apopka City Council meeting, Matthew's Hope Ministries reported more than 450 homeless individuals from Apopka are currently using their services. City officials were confronted by homeless individuals, community leaders, and non-profit organizations looking to find answers to the growing homelessness affecting Apopka.
To date, the City has not responded to the homelessness issue in any significant way.
In this 4-part series, The Apopka Voice examines homelessness nationwide and locally with the goal of narrowing the focus and shedding light on what can benefit the homeless population for the trauma they face every day and to eradicate homelessness locally.
Yes, it's a lofty goal, but one that needs to be undertaken.
Throughout this series, we met with individuals who tackle the situation head-on every day. What choices do people face when they become homeless? Why do they remain homeless? What limits are there for those who offer help and outreach?
This exploration is intended to gain much-needed insight into what Apopka faces in the fight against homelessness now and in the future.
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Like many communities, homelessness is an emerging issue facing Apopka. It's not something that happened overnight, but more than likely, it's only going to get worse until there is a plan to manage the problem.
But what are the solutions?
Is it primarily a police matter? Is a lack of affordable housing at the core? Would a homeless shelter in Apopka help?
Does Apopka have a plan?
The Apopka Voice talked to the elected officials who are ultimately charged with managing homelessness in the city. But unfortunately, it seems as though they have no plan nor the data to implement a solution either in the short or long term.
How many homeless people are there in Apopka? That's the most basic information about any issue. But what is the best answer available?
Unfortunately, there isn't a reliable figure.
That surprising revelation became clear in an interview with Brian Postlewait, Chief Operating Officer at Homeless Services Network of Central Florida. The discussion revealed that Apopka does not have any service providers participating in tracking or sharing data, nor is the City's staff. However, he does have homeless people from Apopka zip codes seeking help for their services.
"We are the only agency managing and collecting this type of data in Central Florida. It is really important that Apopka area providers connect with us to contribute to better community information about people experiencing homelessness."
Commissioner Kyle Becker acknowledges there is a lack of data and no plan to fight homelessness in Apopka.
"Right now, if you were to point to a city program, we don't really have much of anything," he said. "When it comes to homelessness, I honestly don't think there's a normal playbook for how cities or people or organizations address homelessness. I mean, there are definitely organizations that have proven that they're effective at servicing the homeless population. So is there a magic formula that a city can provide? I don't know. It's something that we have to work on and explore. But, again, it's all about showing people that there's a benefit to everyone in the community if you address it."
Becker believes if Apopka were to invest in a program, it would be better to bring on someone already servicing the homeless community effectively.
"I think a lot of times, you'll get certain elected officials or government officials that take a very pristine look at what government services we should or shouldn't be providing," he said. "But, if anything is impacting the health of our city, we should have some sort of plan in place to address it. I mean, homeless is no different. Bring all the stakeholders to the table that do these things, and come up with a plan of attack that we can maybe not lead the effort, but we can definitely be a vested interest partner in that in that endeavor."
Becker endorsed Matthew's Hope Ministries as an effective homeless service based in Winter Garden but is all too familiar with Apopka.
"When someone walks through the door, they know all facets of what they need to do to service that person at that time. And they can do it at their location. My desire is if the city is going to use hard-dollar resources to support this issue, we want to invest in programs that are well run like Matthew's Hope because they're established, they've proven that they can do this... so if they wanted a brick and mortar location here in Apopka, which they said that they do because they serve as the Apopkas population through a van and trailer at this point, that's where I think the money would be better spent."
Commissioner Nick Nesta is also unaware of any programs or plans in place to combat homelessness in Apopka.
"I don't think Apopka has a process setup for this," Nesta said. "I think the focus has been to point them in the direction of where that need is. So if they need x, send them there... if they need that, direct them to that point. So I don't think there's a process or a set way in place.
Nesta also believes that accurate homeless figures for Apopka needs to be in place to understand the scope of the issue.
"I think it's it's such a multi-faceted thing that even if we do put numbers to it, I'd be scared that they wouldn't be even close to accurate because I know we have an insane amount, and a very high amount of students locally that are home challenged, whether it's their living in cars or in hotels, motels, just homeless in general, or living in the forest. Because there are so many people we don't know about."
Commissioner Diane Velazquez is also concerned about the level of homelessness in Apopka and also confirms there is no plan coming from the Council.
"Yes, the homeless are a concern to our residents," Velazquez said. "The loitering at retail and commercial sites; aggressive panhandling on the streets, in the parking lots and entrances to local businesses; sleeping and/or taking up residence at bus stops and the homeless camps, the list goes on. It has become a nuisance, as well as creating an unsafe environment and unsanitary conditions for the homeless and the residents. It also negatively impacts businesses because their customers stop going to the business in order to avoid the homeless."
She further attests that there is no plan to address homelessness in Apopka.
"The truth of this matter and to my knowledge, the City Council does not have anything in place for us, as commissioners, to address this growing problem. We rely on the Apopka Police Department to handle the homeless problem."
Although he did not respond to calls and emails from The Apopka Voice for this article, Mayor Bryan Nelson made a statement about homelessness last summer.
In 2022, Nelson responded to a question he received from Spectrum News 13 after a group of concerned citizens at a City Council meeting made their concerns known about homelessness.
Nelson said the city was working on a plan to streamline access to services for the homeless, as well as a plan to build an affordable housing complex that would include about 100 affordable homes, some specifically for seniors.
“A really nice mix of homes for people — first-time home buyers or for people who are obviously in need of something that they can afford,” he said.
Nelson said the affordable housing complex would be located on land just east of the Gilliam Training Center off East Cleveland Street in Apopka.
Editor's Note: Commissioner Alexander Smith was contacted for comment about this article by phone and email but did not respond in time for publication.
In part four of this series, The Apopka Voice provides solutions to the emerging issue of homelessness in Apopka. How are other cities dealing with it? Can Apopka mimic or implement any of their successful ideas? Should this be a part of the upcoming Apopka budget for fiscal year 2023-24?
For Part One, go here.
For Part Two, go here.
