Local advocates say the number of people experiencing homelessness in Osceola County was significantly undercounted in Central Florida’s census this year – and a nonprofit run by Kissimmee’s mayor is getting some of the blame.
Volunteers for the annual Point-in-Time homeless count, conducted in January and released in June, reportedly were unable to tally the homeless when they showed up at Kissimmee’s Church and Community Assistance Program. The program, a nonprofit founded by Mayor Olga Gonzalez, is a primary place for people in need in Osceola County to receive services, including hot meals.
In an interview, Gonzalez insisted volunteers were not prevented from entering and counting, but would not clarify what happened.
But three leaders of organizations that work with the homeless told the Orlando Sentinel that a Kissimmee non-profit blocked the count, and Eric Gray, executive director of the Christian Service Center for Central Florida, identified the Church and Community Assistance Program. Gray’s volunteers were the ones assigned to tally the homeless there, he said.
The problem contributed to an oddity of the 2024 region-wide count: While the total count of homeless individuals jumped by 23 percent region-wide to nearly 2,800 – and the number of those living outside of shelters more than doubled – the tally for Osceola County dipped by one percent.
Advocates say Osceola’s official total of 343 homeless is not reflective of reality, though the incident does underscore what many advocates say is Osceola County’s reluctance to grapple with homelessness.
“I can’t say how much this might have impacted numbers but it is odd for any program to not want to be included in the PIT count,” Gray said by text message. “We’re hopeful that we can convince more leaders in Osceola County to invest in homeless solutions and shelters soon.”
The county has only a small number of shelter beds available to women and children and none for men – although its first full-service facility is under construction. A Salvation Army outpost that provided services to the unhoused population burned down last fall, and the group was rebuffed in its efforts to provide a temporary center while it seeks to rebuild.
Martha Are, CEO of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, said she believes the Salvation Army issue also contributed to the undercount, because it eliminated another place where people experiencing homelessness could gather.
In the interview with the Sentinel, Gonzalez made a blanket denial of the criticism of her program, but did not address specifically why it would not have participated in the count.
“That was not so true and you know what I don’t have to defend myself … I don’t have a reason to lie, I don’t benefit from this in any way,” she said. “If they want to blame me for the Point-in-Time Count then let them blame me.”
The federally sanctioned Point-in-Time count is the primary way homeless individuals are tallied in Central Florida and across the nation, and becomes a basis for government funding allocations. Volunteers fan out on a particular day in January – this year it was Jan. 22 – to tally those in shelters, transitional housing, and outdoors.
The count is typically considered an underrepresentation of actual numbers — some homeless encampments are deep in the woods and counting those living in cars is difficult.
Still, advocates say Osceola’s 2024 count was especially lacking.
Gonzalez said she agrees the count is low and there are “lots more homeless that need to be accounted for” in the area. “There were a few discrepancies that could have been avoided and we could have seen the amount that really is but when there’s not unity, things won’t come out right,” she said. “I’d rather not go into it.”
Local nonprofits are worried that the inaccurate count may harm their ability to help the homeless. It could mean less money for street outreach, homelessness prevention services and emergency shelters through federal programs such as the Emergency Solutions Grant, among others, they say.
“Because the higher the number the more access you’d have to funds,” said Capt. Ken Chapman, the Salvation Army’s area commander.. “So if the Point-in-Time Count is not accurate it does greatly affect the future of the community.”
Chapman said the Salvation Army has seen requests for services rise by 38% over the course of this year in Orange and Osceola, with more of that increase coming in Osceola.
Are said she hopes to work more closely alongside local nonprofit leaders before next year’s count.
“We want all the organizations in a community to be willing to participate fully,” she said. “We will be having some conversations earlier to try and make sure that there’s not a challenge again next year.”
Staff writer Ryan Gillespie contributed to this report.
