It is becoming increasingly difficult for many people in Central Florida to be able to obtain essentials such as food, shelter, and a variety of other necessities, according to experts.
The watchdog team at Spectrum News 13 is conducting an in-depth investigation into groups such as the Second Harvest Food Bank and the financial resources that Orange County and the city of Orlando provide to these individuals and organizations.
Second Harvest Food Bank has been Devoy Johnson’s home away from home for the past 22 years. He has been there for a whole decade.
Immediately after graduating from high school, Johnson stated, “I liked the mission, so I decided to stick with it.”
He stated that the mission is really significant for one primary purpose, which is to assist people all around Central Florida who are in a critical situation.
“Seeing the impact we have here in Central Florida to help alleviate hunger is a great feeling on a daily basis,” Johnson said. “It is a great feeling.”
He stated that it is not only about reducing suffering caused by hunger, but also about assisting in the prevention of people from being homeless in the first place. Johnson explained that the provision of free food eliminates an additional expense and a load on the financial front.
An amount of five million dollars was provided to the organization by the American Rescue and Assistance Act during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Our partnership with Orange County has been kind of a true example of public, private partnership, and what is possible the major part of the funding that we got started during the pandemic when we were as a community struggling,” Third Harvest Chief Development Officer Gregg Higgerrson said. “Our partnership with Orange County has been a true example of public-private partnership.”
After conducting an in-depth analysis of the data from Orange County, Spectrum News discovered that the Second Harvest Food Bank has been given around $7.5 million over the course of the past three fiscal years together.
About $6.3 million was allocated to the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida for the purpose of providing case management and supportive services to assist in focusing on the growth of individuals or families.
Additionally, $4 million was allocated for rapid rehousing, which aims to assist in having people into homes as quickly as possible, housing intervention, and an Orange County-coordinated entry system that assists in tracking the progress of those who are receiving services.
It was during the epidemic that Higgerson stated that there was an abnormally high demand for resources, which is why his group received five million dollars for the fiscal year 2022-2023.
There was a correlation between the rise in the number of homeless people in Orange County and the increase in the requirements for financial assistance.
The expected number of people who are homeless in the state of Florida has increased from 1,162 in 2021 to 2,090 so far in 2024, as stated by the Florida Department of Health. It was noted by Higgerson that during those key years of the pandemic, every dollar was significant.
“We were forced to up our game here at Second Harvest Food Bank, and we went from serving 150,000 meals a day to serving 300,000 meals a day very quickly,” said Higgerson. “We could not have done that without a significant influx of support very quickly.”
Regarding the Homeless Services Network, county officials have stated that it is excessively expensive for HSN to deliver the services that they offer to the people who live in the county.
In addition, authorities from the county stated that a stringent oversight procedure is followed by all nonprofit partners that receive financing from the county.
According to Lisa Klier-Graham, who is the division manager for Mental Health and Homelessness in Orange County, “We certainly check the agency.” “It is a very fair process; it is a stringent procurement process, and after the fact, once a contract is in place, we have annual audits,” the speaker said.
Monthly audits, program outcomes, and outcome measurements are all things that are checked by coordinators and monitors on a monthly basis during our organization.
In order to ensure that the services that we are paying for are being provided to the appropriate individuals, they hold meetings on a regular basis.
Although Orange County is also offering financial assistance to organizations, the city of Orlando is also doing so. The city of Orlando contributes approximately $4.5 million annually to organizations that assist persons who are homeless.
Moreover, Spectrum News investigated these figures and discovered that the city had contributed more than $600,000 to the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida over the course of the previous three fiscal years. Additionally, the Harbor House of Central Florida was awarded around 600,000.
According to Lisa Portelli, who serves as a senior advisor to the mayor of Orlando for homelessness and social services, the city also has a stringent system for oversight.
In his statement, Portelli stated that “all of the contracts that the city provides in grants have performance measures and deliverables that are required.”
According to Portelli, the city’s funds are also partially comprised of federal pass-through dollars, and the resources available to the city alter depending on the need of the community.
More than one hundred thousand dollars in funding was approved by the city of Orlando earlier this year for the Coalition for the Homeless in order to assist with the expanding needs of the community.
In addition, Johnson stated that there is an increasing need for the food services that are offered by the Second Harvest Food Bank.
It was said by him that he is optimistic that the funds would continue to keep up with the increasing demand. For the time being, Johnson has stated that he will continue to do what he can to assist the residents of Orange County.
“We deliver food to seven different counties here in Central Florida, and I just love the way that everyone appreciates what we do,” he added. These counties are located in the state of Florida.