NOTE: This story originally appeared on the Osceola News-Gazette website.
It’s been a tough year for homeless services providers like the Salvation Army and Hope Partnership.
It’s a different “tough” than 2023, when an arsonist destroyed the Salvation Army’s downtown Kissimmee service station, which housed much of what the organization uses to provide support. Many of its fundraising and support systems were housed there, and its Orlando and Osceola County area commander, Maj. Ken Chapman said the building and its contents are “A total loss.”
They’ve been working out of the Church of the Nazarene on Mill Slough Road since the fire, Chapman said.
Fast forward to 2025, which has seen requests for the Salvation Army’s services in Osceola County grow by a healthy amount this year—the figure at the end of March was 38%. Add to that the passage of Florida House Bill 1365, which criminalized sleeping or camping in public spaces, and the challenge has grown exponentially for service providers like the Salvation Army and Chapman.
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Through April, there had neither been arrests, or official public complaints about homeless in public areas, in Osceola County. But Chapman said it’s a factor for those who are unhoused.
“Adding the potential for a criminal record creates another barrier for someone who is unsheltered,” Chapman said. “Our budget in Osceola County is now $3 million (annually). It wasn’t too long ago that it was $50,000. Osceola County is going to be the future of our area command.”
That future may be tied to housing, which homeless experts say is the major sticking point for those who are working and can afford rent or a mortgage, but don’t have the savings for “first month-last month”, security and utility deposits, or closing costs to get a loan.
Funded in part from grants allocated by Osceola County and U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, the Pathway of Hope program helps families get into a home and sustaining their living there. Since it debuted locally in mid-2022, Chapman said three families have completed the program and are now in homes, and about 20 others have started the process.
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He said he’s also working with government partners— the same local ones forced to enforce the camping ban by the Tallahassee leaders who passed it—to create a one-stop Emergency Resource Center, which may or may not include a shelter, where resources could be allocated. And while the Salvation Army has an ally in County Commissioner Peggy Choudhry, a $5 million grant from the County Commission would need to be matched by Salvation Army funds to be available, Chapman said.
He noted about efforts in Osceola County: “We have no resources there other than the cold night shelters for the weather.”
Hope Partnership, which works to find all Osceola County residents a safe place to come home, said it usually sees a dip in the number of clients it sees for its service days, like Hope Cares Day that offers showers, food and other dignity-providing assistance, after the new year.
“We did not see that dip this year,” said Chief Operations Officer Will Cooper, alluding to but not directly pointing to HB 1365 as the reason.
“The data says we’ve had a marginal increase in those we see, but my eyes tell me we definitely have new people experiencing homelessness seeking services, folks we’re seeing for the first time. With prices for housing and goods going up across the board, it’s understandable.”
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He said he’s heard secondhand stories of an increased police presence in public areas, like along U.S. Highway 192, moving the homeless along.
“I get a sense there’s more knowledge of (the camping ban law) and people are being more aware, and some are hiding from it,” Cooper said. “It’s definitely making it hard for those experiencing homelessness to find stability. Are you going to get arrested? Is your stuff going to be tossed out from where you left it when you’re away going to or trying to find work?
“People are concerned about where to go. If their homeless camps are getting shut down, where are they ending up?”
He said the next concern this year is a Congress motivated to trim down the budget, which would result in cuts to programs like Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Medicaid — which would directly affect Hope Partnership, Cooper said.
“We’re nervously watching while we continued to do the work to help keep people housed,” he said. “Our goal is to maintain services at the same level.”
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