homelessness

At last month's Human Rights in the Americas Symposium at the University of Miami, panelists argued that homelessness should be addressed as a pressing human rights issue. Florida, they noted, is leading the way in criminalizing being without a place to sleep.

The solemn list of names spanned generations, ranging in age from 19 to 99, and included four U.S. military veterans.

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado is hosting a roundtable discussion Monday in Homestead with a group of city leaders to find ways to address the county's homelessness issue.

Dignity Village’s 10 apartments mark a milestone in CEO Monique Brown Faust’s 21-year pursuit to create homes for as many people as possible. Now, 67 people are off the streets, living in one of the apartments in Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach operated by her nonprofit.

President Donald Trump said he is removing emcampments from the nation's capital. Critics of this and a Florida ban public sleeping say it criminalizes homelessness and doesn't address the problem.

With free hot meals, showers and a friendly judge, the Fort Lauderdale Community Court is Broward's most unusual courtroom. The program began in 2019 as a jail diversion program for unhoused individuals charged with low-level nonviolent offenses, but has grown into a clearing house for homeless services — and is particularly valuable after camping bans were enacted.

Palm Beach County officials and nonprofits release an annual report showing less people without shelter, living in abandoned buildings, bus stops and parks. But experts warn there’s more behind the numbers.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) last week instructed local law enforcement in the Florida Keys to clear residents from a homeless camp in Marathon. The move comes as the city of Marathon faces a lawsuit citing a Florida law passed last year that bans public sleeping and camping.

Miami Beach Commissioner Joe Magazine has proposed paying $10 million to the county's Homeless Trust instead of taxing small businesses 1% on sales to fund homelessness programs.

In the midst of a feud over tax funding for Homeless Services, Miami-Dade County says Miami Beach needs to pay its fair share for services.

“The idea is to use this building to break that cycle and actually shrink over time, significantly, the homeless population," Judge Steve Leifman said about the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery, which is gearing up to open.

Florida's homeless population could be severely impacted by a law that goes into effect on Oct. 1. Although many cities already have ordinances that limit sleeping in public places, the new law stipulates that the unhoused be relocated to shelters, with law enforcement present to monitor them.