House Bill 1365, in effect October 1, prohibits people from sleeping in public places.
Arnold Mattsom says he is lucky to find shelter at St. Matthews House.
"I was living in Naples. I had a good job, but housing was very expensive," he said, recounting the experience that led him to homelessness.
He moved to Fort Myers to save money and says his truck broke down shortly after.
"I would stay in hotels, burning through all my money. Next thing you know, I was living in my truck and I ended up homeless," Mattsom said.
It's something many people are facing, with rising housing costs, and now another hurricane.
Steve Brooder is the CEO at St. Matthew's House
"We have waitlists every day here," Brooder said.
He says their 150 beds in Naples and 33 beds in Immokalee are full most nights.
The organization has been made aware of 165 women living in their cars and others facing homelessness - some living in the woods.
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"We had a 69% increase in 2024 over 2023 for un-sheltered individuals," Brooder said.
The bill notes it is the responsibility of Florida's counties to point homeless individuals in the direction of shelter and housing services. If they're full, it specifies a county can designate a space it owns to help house people.
In the meantime, how do the counties keep people from sleeping in public?
"How will that enforcement take shape? We don't know yet," Brooder said.
The Collier County Sheriff's Office says, "We will enforce the law as detailed in the statute as we always do."
"It can happen to anyone. It''s easy to say oh that could never be me, but it very well could be," Mattsom says.
