Under the Interstate 4 overpass in downtown Orlando, you will discover homeless people who have camped out there for the night on a daily basis.
In the morning, you will see officers reminding these individuals that they need to move as well because the downtown area is shifting.
We accompanied them as they distributed fliers to individuals just prior to the arrival of Hurricane Milton. The posters informed individuals that they needed to seek shelter and get out from the storm as soon as possible.
We had a conversation with a woman who stated that she had been homeless ever since the pandemic and that she typically sleeps in the park.
However, she stated that she attempted to take cover because it was pouring, but officers assisted her in locating the shelter so that she could stay there for the next few nights.
Additionally, these officers are not your typical officers who are on patrol. They are a part of a specialist unit that has been specifically allocated to our city’s homeless population. Their mission is to check under these overpasses, in front of convenience stores, and in the encampments.
They do everything in their power to ensure that the homeless people are not only according to the rules, but that they are also doing okay. Officer Mike Lanfersiek is in charge of the unit.
“The people that are in this unit were handpicked specifically because it is a really good mix of officers who have a lot of time in the department and who have been here for a long time as well as brand-new officers, but they all are genuinely compassionate and have empathy and just really want to make a difference,” Lanfersiek said. “They could not be more different from one another.”
According to him, this is one of the ways that the police is attempting to free up other officers within the agency so that they may respond to other calls and to boost response times when homeless people require assistance.
Lanfersiek responded, “I think having shelters, having places, not just some place for the night, but just long-term solutions where, you know, getting people back on their feet and then working through it and finding a long-term solution, a long-term place.” This was in response to the question of what the most significant challenge is.
In addition, he stated that the situation has become even more dire as a result of the scarcity of reasonably priced housing. I believe that things have been getting better as of late.
Although I believe that we are making a positive influence, it is important to note that the issue is not unique to Orlando. All around the country. Simply said, the cost, the cost of power, and so on and so forth.
Because the cost of an apartment or even anything that might be considered a starter home is so exorbitant at the moment, there are a great deal of obstacles that stand in the way of having a secure place to reside.