Escambia County has $4.1 million to spend to help homeless and unsheltered people in the county. Opening Doors reports that its Point-in-Time survey counted 750 homeless people, only slightly up from the 2021 figure given to HUD (731).
Community Health Northwest Florida told the board last Thursday that it provided medical services to 5,226 homeless individuals last year and has already taken care of 7,600 in 2022.
United Way’s 2-1-1 report shows that they handled from Oct 2020-Sept 2021 calls from 10,676 individuals that were homeless or at imminent risk of losing shelter.
What’s the true scope of the problem in Escambia County?
Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh talks about how the board is trying to determine how many people are homeless in the county and then decide how to send $4.1 million to combat the problem.
Community Health Northwest Florida CEO Chandra Smiley discusses the rise of homeless and unsheltered in Escambia County–much, much higher than the numbers reported by the Opening Doors.