Broward County is experiencing a surge in its homeless population.
The county official in charge of monitoring the population of unhoused individuals said Monday that number is up by about 500 people compared to this time last year. The increase is being driven by several factors, primarily the cost of living in South Florida.
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WATCH HERE“Absolutely the high cost of housing, we probably get 20 to 30 phone calls a week, plus another 10 to 20 emails from people evicted now because their rent went up from say, $800, which they used to be able to afford, to 12, 14, 15-hundred for a one bedroom, and you think of someone who’s elderly, someone on a fixed income, there’s absolutely no way they can afford that,” said Dr. Rebecca McGuire, who runs the county’s Housing Options and Support Division.
McGuire said there are an estimated 1,500 to 1,700 people living on the streets of Broward County right now, with another 600 in shelters. McGuire was part of a panel discussion Monday about homelessness organized by Congressman Jared Moskowitz.
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“Really what we’re seeing not just in Broward County but we’re seeing it in communities across the country," said Moskowitz, Democrat of Parkland. "I travel back and forth between here and DC and I see similar picture of tents all over Broward and I see them in DC."
The homeless population presents a challenge to the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Department. Fire Chief Stephen Gollan said when people see someone lying on the sidewalk or on the side of the road, they often call 911, assuming that person needs help.
“We get 911 calls for individuals that may not necessarily want help, we have to respond to all of those calls, even though we may have been out on that same subject multiple times in one day,” Gollan said. “Some of those individuals create almost three, four, five calls in a single day for our units to go out to.”
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Gollan said the city has helped the situation by creating the Mobile Integrated Response Team, which is called in on some of those calls dealing with homeless people. The team’s job is to help those who want the assistance by providing resources designed to get them off the streets.
The county is about to open a brand-new apartment building, located next door to the homeless outreach center, with units reserved for homeless families and workforce housing. It’s not a cure, but the new building will make a dent in the problem.
