Brevard County will get about 60 homeless shelter beds come September, thanks to a new shelter bus program run by Cocoa nonprofit Matthew’s Hope.
The organization, a drop-in day center for the unhoused, recently took ownership of the first of three shelter buses and hopes to have them fully operational before the end of summer.
Executive Director Scott Billue said he’s been trying to get this program up and running for years.
Through a Florida grant and private donations, the organization was able to purchase and transform the buses into shelters. However, he said that it was the so-called “Florida Camping Ban” of 2024 — a law that forbids public camping or sleeping statewide — that really got things moving.
“It kind of put things in overdrive. And then we had an opportunity to talk with the Brevard Homeless Coalition of what it might look like to put these buses together. And the response was that, when you make it illegal for people to sleep outside, which is basically what the law does, how can we give them a safe, climate-controlled environment to get rest on occasion?” Billue said.
Using what’s known as an adaptive reuse approach, and inspired by Vero’s Dignity Bus program, the buses were purchased, gutted, and adapted, building a row of private sleeping pods stacked two high along each side. Each pod has privacy curtains, linens, and charging ports.
The first bus is currently being showcased across Brevard County. The goal, Billue said, is to show other cities and nonprofits how this model can help.
“The first bus is currently on tour, for lack of a better term, of a dog and pony show, sharing with various municipalities, churches, civic groups, what have you, that feel like they want to get behind our efforts, support in, one way or another,” he said. “
Billue met Wednesday with the Melbourne City Council to present the idea in hopes that they, and eventually other cities, will choose to invest in the program.
Originally, there were talks to make these shelter buses as low-barrier, emergency, drop-in locations, but Billue said his program is an even better idea that meets the needs of those it serves.
These buses, for now, will work on a reservation basis. Guests will need to sign up ahead of time and qualify. Billue said it needs to be people who are serious about doing whatever it takes to work their program and get out of homelessness.
“The bus comes in the evening, leaves in the morning, but it returns to the same nighttime location no less than three nights in a row. Science has proven that your body clock needs about three days to reset itself,” he said. “In addition to that, we have probably a couple 1,000 homeless people in Brevard County alone, and we've only got 60 beds. And so the idea is, the buses will move throughout the county.”
At Brevard Homeless Coalition, Senior Operations Manager Sarah Slone said that they look forward to working with Matthew’s Hope but stressed the importance of eventually getting a low-barrier, emergency, drop-in facility.
“Having a low barrier, emergency shelter option in our community is a vital component of any homeless response system. Being able to provide a safe sleep for a person or family while also providing the ability to connect to housing and other support service options can be a pathway toward self-reliance. For our law enforcement community, emergency shelter options, in some cases, can be an alternative to taking an unsheltered individual to jail – leading to cost savings and potential better outcomes for that person and, therefore, the community at large,” she said.
The buses will be maintained and operated mainly by Matthew’s Hope staff, but another opportunity they offer, Billue said, is the chance to offer the guests to work the shelter buses in exchange for payment credits that would go toward any fines or debt that could be holding them back from becoming housed again.
He said the program stands to build up morale overall among the homeless community in Brevard.
“We kind of cherry pick who is out there, and they're working and they're helping other people, and they have that real desire to get off the streets,” he said. “We're always looking for opportunities to move people forward to the next step, whatever that is for them.”
Billue said there’s still work to be done over the next 30 days before Matthew’s Hope can have all buses open to guests.
Lillian Hernández Caraballo is a Report for America corps member.
