Cruz, a key figure behind Orlando’s homeless diversion and prevention program, joined the Lakeland nonprofit in April
Tag: homelessness
Posted inHousing, Social Services
Salvation Army Doubling Shelter Housing for Families
In March 2021, Carlinys Rodriguez and her two sons, ages 7 and 8, were kicked out of their home by a family member and she thought they had nowhere to go. But she found her way to the Salvation Army’s George W. Jenkins Community of Hope neighborhood off Kathleen Road, a 49-acre, family-friendly neighborhood that […]
Posted inHousing, Social Services
Mayor: Lakeland Is ‘5,000 Residences Short’ for a City Its Size
Skyrocketing home values and rental rates are issues across Central Florida but rising housing costs in Lakeland are particularly acute because it is “5,000 residences short” for a city its size, Mayor Bill Mutz said at a forum on housing and homelessness.
Posted inHousing, Social Services
Video and Photos: Lakeland Homelessness Forum
Here are photos and partial video from “Humanity, Housing and Homelessness,” a forum held Thursday evening at Catapult Lakeland. An article about the forum will be added later today.
Posted inActivism, Social Services
Thursday Forum Will Discuss Solutions to Homelessness in Lakeland
Solutions for the 3,700-plus Polk County public school students classified as homeless — living in shelters, budget motels, dangerously compromised dwellings or sofa-surfing with friends and family — will be among the topics discussed Thursday at a Lakeland forum on homelessness and affordable housing.
Posted inActivism
Commissioners Pledge to Add Housing for Homeless Kids
At a rousing faith-based rally Tuesday night, four Lakeland city commissioners pledged to reach a goal of adding 500 housing units for families with homeless children by 2023. Mayor Bill Mutz and commissioners Stephanie Madden, Justin Troller and Phillip Walker drew cheers for their pledges from the approximately 1,400 participants at the 19th annual Nehemiah […]
Posted inCity Hall
Mutz: Plan Would Reduce Lakeland’s Homeless Population
Mayor Bill Mutz is convinced that four steps recommended by a local steering committee will significantly reduce homelessness in Lakeland. On Friday morning, he tried to convince his colleagues on the City Commission that the plan needs the city’s financial backing, but several of them questioned whether government should take the lead on the homeless […]
Posted inNeighborhoods
Homelessness Project Seeks Business Community Advocates
The consultant devising a homelessness strategy for the city of Lakeland is looking for a few good business people to serve on a steering committee to fine-tune and promote a solution. Susan Pourciau of the Tallahassee-based Florida Housing Coalition gave an update last week on the six months she’s spent in Lakeland and said the […]
Posted inNeighborhoods, Public Safety
City Commission Refocuses on Crimes by Homeless People
The frustrations of an elderly woman who feels confined to her house by neighborhood crime has sparked new attention to homeless people by city officials.