| What: |
The Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County is hosting a Day of
Service for local leaders to serve dinner to the clients of the
Senator Philip D. Lewis Homeless Resource Center.
|
| Who: |
Palm Beach County Mayor Robert Weinroth
West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James
Palm Beach Gardens Vice Mayor Rachelle Litt
Katrina Long Robinson, Vice Chair of Palm Beach County’s Homeless
Advisory Council
Michelle McGovern, Chair of the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach
County Ball
|
| Date: | Tuesday, May 31, 2022 |
| Where: |
The Senator Philip D. Lewis Center, 1000 45th St., West Palm Beach,
FL 33407
|
| Time: | 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm |
| Why: |
The Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County’s mission of raising
awareness of homelessness and motivating a community-wide response
is especially important and events like this play an important role
in this undertaking.
|
The County’s Community Services Department recently released the results
of the annual Point-In-Time count which involves over 200 county staff
members and community volunteers. In a 24-hour period, over 200 county
staff members and community volunteers count homeless persons in
locations such as wooded areas, parking lots, bus stops, abandoned
buildings, parks, and stationary places (i.e., food pantries, soup
kitchens, and libraries). Individuals and families sleeping in their
cars and in local shelters were also included in the count.
Surveyors identified 1,404 individuals and families as homeless. This
marked a 7% decrease in the number of homeless individuals counted in
2020. While the overall percentage is down, there are double-digit
upticks with seniors, youth and families.
Additionally, while the overall number of unsheltered individuals
decreased by 14.7%, the number of sheltered individuals increased by
9.5%.
Homelessness remains a strategic priority for Palm Beach County and
partnering agencies. Since 2020, the county’s Community Services
Department and Homeless and Housing Alliance spent more than $110
million on prevention services which include:
- remove a large encampment of homeless individuals from John Prince Park
- increase the amount of local resources allocated from the federal government
- enhance collaboration with local housing authorities
- enhance the coordinated entry system to quickly identify and serve homeless individuals
- expand the Rapid Rehousing Program and landlord recruitment initiative
- expand temporary shelter and hotel capacity
The county opened the 125-bed shelter (Lewis Center Annex) in June 2020
and a 42-bed facility in the city of Pahokee in January 2021. The County
recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for another Homeless Resource
Center that will be located in the Lake Worth Beach area. This 74-bed
facility will provide interim shelter for individuals and families as
they transition into more permanent housing opportunities. The County is
also working with the West Palm Beach Housing Authority to build 17
Cottage Homes that will be used as transitional housing for homeless
families.
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