MELBOURNE, Fla. – There’s new pressure to replace a soup kitchen and start building apartments for people experiencing homelessness.
In Melbourne, where helping people who are homeless has become a big issue in recent years, the city council is calling on the Daily Bread outreach center to close within months, not two years, as previously expected.
The soup kitchen and day shelter has plans to open its next development, an affordable housing community called Providence Place, in 2027 on Apollo Boulevard.
For now, more than 100 people eat at the Daily Bread every day, like Maddie Moran who has concerns about ideas to close soon.
“We’re not gonna have somewhere where we can go get a hot meal, or a shower, or clothing,” Moran said. “Other places, you can get food like a food pantry, but not like the Bread.”
Executive director Dr. Jeffrey Njus said during a city council meeting Tuesday night that the Daily Bread will still plan to feed homeless people and provide hot showers too after they close but through mobile outreach like food trucks.
Njus told News 6 reporter James Sparvero earlier this month that Providence Place will house about 200 people in more than 100 rooms.
Tuesday, he gave a somber message about some of those he served who are no longer there.
“One of our clients, Jason, lied down on the train tracks and died,” Njus said. “And on Tuesday night, Jesse had a drug overdose and died. Then on Wednesday night, Nathan died on the train tracks. Three, what you might call, deaths of despair in one week.”
Moran said she understands both sides of the debate over closing the Daily Bread.
“They’re trying to take care of the people who have, I call it a ‘normal life’ - a house, a job,” she said. “I get where they’re coming from too ‘cause some people out here, they trash everything. They make a mess. They, you know, are doing drugs and whatnot, and it’s bad. It makes it hard for the rest of us.”
Whenever an agreement is reached at city hall on a closing date, News 6 and ClickOrlando.com will update this story.
The city has scheduled a public workshop seeking solutions about homelessness on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall council chamber.
Njus shared a statement on Facebook Wednesday about speeding up the closure of Daily Bread.
“In the coming months, we will ramp up our street outreach efforts even faster than initially planned to ensure no one is left behind during this transformation,” Njus said. “This includes hiring additional case managers, purchasing a second mobile unit, and a food truck to meet people where they are. Our immediate goal is to identify the 15-20 most vulnerable individuals and move them into transitional housing with case management to help them on their journey to stability.”
You can read the full statement below.
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