The only shelter in east Orange County has shut down operations — now the building is up for sale.
Orlando’s Covenant House is a resource center for young adults experiencing homelessness, ages 18-24. Its building is located off Colonial Drive near State Road 436.
While the organization still provides resources to homeless youth, its emergency shelter is now closed.
The property is up for $1.9 million. Local activists and community leaders are worried about losing it to a private commercial investment.
The staff at Homeless Service Network of Central Florida has been trying to find a way to save the facility since first learning about its need.
CEO Martha Are said they’re doing all they can.
“Homeless Services Network is in conversation with several of our community partners in the private and nonprofit sectors, and in conversation with jurisdictional representatives to try and identify a strategy, so that we can keep that location as part of our homeless response system,” she said.
She said what makes the situation so dire is the property’s location, as it solely serves a community system to aid homelessness in that area.
If efforts can manage to save the shelter, it might reopen for everyone in need, not just young adults, Are said, as the main point is to retain it.
“Ideally, we don’t want to lose a shelter, especially because that’s the only shelter in east Orange County. So, it’s an important resource for that part of the county,” she said. “This project has served a unique need of emergency shelter for our homeless youth.”
According to Are, the community was just awarded a HUD grant called Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program that will bring in approximately $4 million a year to help support youth and young adults experiencing homelessness.
Lillian Hernández Caraballo is a Report for America corps member.
