Orlando residents create website to oppose proposed homeless shelter

There’s now an entire website dedicated to the fight against a proposed homeless shelter in the South-of-Downtown (SODO) District in Orlando.

It lays out residents’ arguments against the homeless shelter, citing research to back up their fears and encouraging people to speak up to city officials.

The proposal is for a 300-bed shelter with low-barrier entry, offering on-site services for employment, substance abuse, and mental health support.

But people living in the area fear that inviting more individuals experiencing homelessness into their neighborhood could worsen crime there.

Unlike other shelters that don’t allow people to stay during the day, this one would be open access—available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Residents in SODO worry the shelter's occupants won’t stay put and may instead walk the 0.8 miles to Wadeview Park, placing them near Blankner Elementary and Boone High School.

What they're saying:

SODO residents aren’t holding back in their criticism of the proposed shelter.

"It’s preposterous," said Octavian Cantilli. "It’s ludicrous."

"Terrible idea," added James Krawcyzk.

Krawcyzk and many others have voiced their concerns to the city, expressing fears about the shelter’s impact. However, he feels their input isn’t being considered and suspects the commissioners’ decision may already be made.

"They promised robust community engagement, and yet we aren’t getting it. And so as residents, we felt we had no choice but to speak out against it proactively because we don’t even know where they are in the process," he said.

The community’s issue isn’t with the concept of a shelter—many residents volunteer their time, energy, and money to support homeless individuals.

Their problem lies with the proposed location at a former work-release building on Kaley Street.

"I was shocked that they would pick the location that they did to try and put a homeless shelter in, given the neighborhoods, the residents, schools, churches, the things in the area," said Krawczyk. "It just seems like a totally illogical place to put a homeless shelter."

Residents also dislike the 300-bed shelter’s low-barrier entry, which allows people to bring pets, partners, and personal items.

Councilwoman Shan Rose, who proposed the site, said in November that there would be protections for the neighborhood.

"We want folks to know that we will provide security and we will provide safety measures to ensure that the community surrounding is safe," she told FOX 35.

Over the past two months, the City of Orlando says police were called out to Wadeview over 500 times for incidents such as burglary, criminal mischief, threats, and sexual battery.

Residents fear the shelter would exacerbate crime.

Octavian Cantilli, who has five children, says he’s already had several unpleasant encounters with homeless individuals in SODO.

"They yell at my kids, they yell at other neighbors. They leave horrible messes in the pavilions, including condoms and feces," said Cantilli. "Literally right in front of the sign at Wawa, there was a homeless man pants down masturbating."

That issue feeds into a point made by Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who voted to move forward with the shelter. She represents the SODO district.

"There are people hanging out in Delaney and Wadeview. This is to get them out of the neighborhood and into a facility," said Sheehan. "You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say, ‘Let people flop all over the sidewalk, and we don’t want to see them, but we don’t have a place to house them either.’"

What's next:

The shelter is currently in the discussion phase—not even the planning stage. The city is still assessing whether it’s economically feasible to fund the upgrades and renovations the building would require.

This is one of nearly two dozen sites the city considered for a new shelter.

SODO residents argue that people experiencing homelessness would benefit more from smaller shelters spread across Orange County. They also feel cities like Apopka and Winter Park should have their own shelters instead of adding 300 more beds in Orlando.

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the City of Orlando, members of the Orlando City Council and SODO residents.

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