ORLANDO, Fla. – Local residents are expressing concerns over a recent agreement that would transform a building along Kaley Avenue into a low-barrier homeless shelter.
Under the deal, the city of Orlando will lease the property from Orange County for $1 a year for seven years, with plans to cover all upgrades, maintenance, and operating expenses.
Residents in the area, including homeowner Kyle Steele, are voicing opposition to the project. Steele, who bought his townhouse in the SoDo neighborhood three years ago, says he’s worried about the impact on the community.
“This is our home, this is our investment. This is the community we chose to live in. We liked all the redevelopment that was going on,” Steele said.
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Steele also said that the neighborhood already experiences issues with homelessness.
“We already experience that in many ways,” Steele said. “At 7-Eleven, we have a homeless population struggling from mental health and drug addiction. Packages all the time get lifted.”
Steele’s neighbor, Beth Coffey, echoed his concerns and plans to submit a letter of opposition to city officials. Coffey questioned the effectiveness of the shelter in addressing Orlando’s homelessness crisis.
“The fact that it won’t work to solve the housing crisis in Central Florida. It’s not going to help the homeless,” Coffey said.
Coffey also pointed to a broader issue of not enough affordable housing, which she believes contributes to the growing homeless population.
“Any community with a homeless shelter would like to know why here,” Coffey said. “The bigger question is why we have so much.”
The shelter would also be near a hospital, prompting Orlando Health to issue a statement on Friday.
“Orlando Health’s top priority is the health and safety of our patients and team members. We have numerous concerns with the proposed placement of a 300-bed, low-barrier homeless shelter in close proximity to our campus and to the thousands of homes and families located in this area. We ask that commissioners abide by language in the Interlocal Agreement that stipulates no decision will be made until after the City conducts appropriate community engagement and reaches community consensus.”