Homeless

Magie Cook couldn’t have predicted where her life was going to take her. She began in a Mexican orphanage and soon after found herself homeless.

There are over 28,000 Floridians experiencing homelessness. That number comes from the 2025 Point-in-Time, or PIT, Count conducted by the Florida Department of Children and Families.

St. Matthew's House residents are featured in an exhibit of portraits titled "Faces Beyond Homelessness." Artist Wendy Wagner of Naples used chalk, charcoal and graphite to illustrate 10 current or former residents.

Homeless advocates are having a tough time getting the unhoused to participate in the annual homeless count

The Point-in-Time count is done annually across the country each year. It's vital to receiving funds to combat homelessness

The Point-in-Time Count is done annually and tied to federal funding.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday supported legislation that seeks to prevent homeless people from sleeping in public places such as streets, sidewalks and parks, as a Senate committee moved forward with the proposal.“I think what we're envisioning is providing some support for counties for additional sheltering, providing some financial support for both substance abuse (programs) and mental health,” DeSantis said during a news conference in Miami Beach, as he stood behind a podium that said: “Don't Allow Florida to become San Francisco.”

Thousands of outreach workers fan out each January in search of the homeless. The situation is such, officials said, that the resulting numbers will not be positive.

A Senate committee Monday backed a proposal that would prevent counties and cities from allowing people to sleep or camp on public property without permits.Bill sponsor Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, called his proposal (SB 1530) a way to address a mental-health crisis in the state and to assist the “chronically homeless.”

This annual Point-in-Time survey is meant to give social service groups a better understanding of those experiencing homelessness.