No Solution in Sight in Palm Beach County

Shuffled all over the county, Mary Stewart tells of her experience trying to find shelter in PBC — including being told to go as far as Belle Glade.

By Mary Stewart

Homelessness has risen throughout the country due to the pandemic, but almost nowhere more than the Sunshine State. As of May 2022, Florida had the third highest rate of homelessness in the U.S. — a total of 27,487 residents who lacked a fixed residence with almost half of them being unsheltered.

Many cities and counties throughout the U.S. have started to enforce camping bans despite the national housing crisis. Although Palm Beach County doesn't currently ban encampments, they have continued to enforce their strict trespassing laws by running homeless people out of their camps without providing many alternatives.

Recently, law enforcement ran my homeless friends out of their camps behind the Publix shopping plaza in Greenacres. Initially, the issue was with those who were sleeping on the shopping center property. My friends picked up every single piece of garbage hoping that would make a difference. But it didn't.

One friend was placed in a halfway house through the Changing Lives of Boca outreach ministry. Another friend had a steady job and was trying to save money for an apartment. He simply moved his camp behind the fence. My friend Dilo worked very hard on setting up his camp and thought that he was fine because he wasn't camping on Publix property. He was wrong.

Just a few days later, a work crew began tearing down the woods behind the shopping plaza, claiming that a nearby apartment complex received approval to expand their development. Dilo was crushed. He moved everything that he could carry to a vacant lot across the street.

My other friend moved his camp back to where it originally was and told me that he was hoping to be in an apartment within the next two weeks but that most available units were beyond his price range. The following day, his camp was torn down and his meager belongings discarded.

It's not necessarily unreasonable for law enforcement to force the homeless out of their camps if the property owner complains. But where do you expect someone to sleep if they can't afford the increased cost of living? So far, there doesn't seem to be an answer to this question. Even the homeless outreach workers are frustrated by the lack of options for their clients.

Palm Beach County offers homeless residents up to 90 days of shelter at the Lewis Center followed by placement through Rapid Rehousing. I personally notified the Homeless Outreach Team about the situation in Greenacres, but my friends insisted that no one had come out to assess them for homeless services.

Tanisha of PBC Homeless Outreach stated that she did tell the caseworker assigned to Greenacres and that the caseworker went out there to offer assistance but the local homeless crew wasn't around that day. She gave me a phone number to pass on to my friends so they can be assessed for services, but some of them don't have a phone.

Although many of my friends are willing to seek help, they have some valid reservations. Rapid Rehousing has been struggling to find affordable permanent residences for the homeless unless the client is willing to move to the sugar cane fields in Belle Glade.

I became homeless again after fleeing an abusive marriage and am currently working with Rapid Rehousing. My caseworker identified my credit score and income level as being barriers to placement. I improved my credit rating, but she said she still couldn't find me an apartment because my income needed to be two to three times the rental amount.

Wait a minute! The cheapest one bedroom rentals cost $1400 to $1800 per month. So what they're telling me is that they're unable to provide assistance unless I earn $3000 to $5000 per month? If I made that much money, I wouldn't need housing assistance!

However, my caseworker said that she could probably find me a place in Belle Glade.This recommendation seems to be the norm. I know a homeless couple who was told the same thing from Rapid Rehousing. Both of them have jobs, but they have a recent eviction on their credit. Apparently, the only landlords willing to rent to them are in Belle Glade.

My initial assumption was that the County was just trying to get rid of the homeless by shipping us out west, but Vanessa of Rapid Rehousing explained that the problem is actually the insanely expensive rent and strict rental requirements. She told me that some rental units are still going for only $900 to $1000 per month in Belle Glade, which is half the average cost of rent for the eastern section of the County.

She offered the alternative of moving into a halfway house. While it would be a break from the mosquitoes, halfway houses aren't a long-term housing solution. Most halfway houses charge at least $200 per week, and you don't even have your own bedroom. If you drink a beer, violate curfew, or have too many write ups, you get kicked out and forfeit your rent.

Now, I have heard a few halfway house success stories, but have never lasted long in one myself. Personally, I'd rather spend my money on paying taxes and reinstating my license than waste it on a temporary place of residence.

When I suggested a halfway house to Dilo, he responded, "Those places sound like a gimmick to me. After so long, you have to start paying rent yourself for sharing a bedroom. Plus, you have to follow rules and live with other addicts who steal your stuff. It's not worth it."

Vanessa also suggested renting a room. I'm going to consider that option, but after having a few nightmarish roommate experiences, I don't really like the idea of sharing an apartment with someone who I don't already know and have a rapport with.

Additionally, my SSI benefits may be reduced for accepting housing assistance. Yep. It's called receiving help from another source. I'm trying to pay off my court costs and panhandling fines to have my license reinstated. Moving indoors could actually inhibit me from reaching my goals.

However, most homeless people I know, myself included, would agree to move into their own apartment if that option was offered. But with the increased cost of living, that simply isn't feasible. Case workers are trying their best to help the homeless, but it seems as though their hands are tied.

Law enforcement has been running the homeless out of their encampments for years. It's nothing new. As the saying out here goes, "All good camps come to an end." However, it's cruel to ban camping during a housing crisis. The reality is that not everyone can afford the increased cost of living, and the assistance programs are struggling to place clients in affordable units.

Dilo's new camp is a sad-looking replica of the camp he had previously built. He's more than willing to seek help and get off the street. "I'd like to go into the Lewis Center", he told me, "but they want everyone to move to Belle Glade. Who wants to live out there?"