NAPLES, Fla. — Volunteers and outreach workers gathered at Sugden Regional Park on Friday as part of an annual effort to assess the state of homelessness in Collier County.
The event, organized by the Southwest Florida Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, aims to provide a snapshot of the region’s unhoused population while offering critical resources to those in need.
"So today, we have folks here that are getting a haircut, we have healthcare, we have mental healthcare, we have domestic violence providers here today, and then we have teams that are out on the streets," said Michael Overway, the coalition’s executive director.
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Alongside the coalition’s outreach, Warrior Homes of Collier focused on locating and assisting homeless veterans. The organization's founder, Dale Mullin, said his team scoured the area, but found only a handful of empty tents by midday.
"We want to locate them, find them help, whatever their needs are, and every veteran has a different need," Mullin said.
According to Mullin, not all veterans are willing to seek shelter.
"Every veteran doesn't want to be housed. About 10% of the veteran population chooses to remain homeless and live outside shelter," he said. "But those that have an interest in living in shelter—we try to scoop them up."
The homeless coalition says the region is seeing shifting trends in homelessness, largely driven by rising housing costs and a shortage of affordable rent.
"Last year to this year, there's been a definite change in who was experiencing homelessness for the first time," Overway said. "We're seeing a lot more senior citizens out on the streets, and we have a lot more single parents, particularly living in their cars."
The 2024 count identified 660 homeless individuals in Collier County, including 96 veterans. The coalition expects updated numbers from this year’s survey to be released in March.
"It's definitely a housing crisis, and the question we are asking is how to address it," Overway said. "These survey counts help us gather a lot of that information."