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Daytona's Homeless In Emergency Shelter After City Disbands Camp

A homeless encampment in Daytona Beach. Photo: Renata Sago.
A homeless encampment in Daytona Beach. Photo: Renata Sago.

City officials said the lawn in front of the building was starting to attract more and more of the area’s homeless, and under a city ordinance, they had the right to stay there. To legally disband the camp, the city had to find an alternative place for them to go. With shelter beds full and parks closed, no options were available.

City commissioner Pam Woods said she and others scrambled to find beds.

"The physical condition for some of the homeless there, it was deteriorating very quickly," Woods said. "From a public safety standpoint, we needed to get the beds as quickly as we could and get them moved out of there."

The homeless camp formed more than a month ago, after the city closed the two parks where the homeless slept.

"People that had pets went into hotels," said Woods. "People that had disabilities to the point of where they couldn’t go into the shelter were also put in motels. We had collaborated with the hospital so that anyone who needed to go to the hospital could go.”

About 80 homeless people were placed in shelter with help from the Salvation Army, Halifax Urban Ministries, and other local partners.