City Launches Enhanced Homelessness Response

Homelessness remains one of Fort Lauderdale's most complex and pressing issues. While the City has invested in outreach, enforcement, and supportive programs, we continue to see a significant number of individuals experiencing homelessness across our community.

In the past year, City programs sheltered more than 80 people, helped 18 people secure housing, and reunited 41 individuals with family members. Police outreach officers alone facilitated 34 reunifications. Officers also issued 137 Notices to Appear (NTAs) related to homelessness, including violations such as public camping and trespassing. An NTA is similar to an arrest but, instead of being taken to jail, the individual is required to appear in Community Court. This approach upholds the law while offering alternatives that connect people directly to services and case management.

While the progress is real, the City is committed to strengthening and expanding our response. To achieve this, we're bringing all City resources together into one coordinated team. This unified approach ensures that people in crisis are met with compassion, connected to services faster, and given a real path toward housing and stability, while also reducing repeated police calls, hospital visits, and the impacts on neighborhoods and businesses.

Next Phase: A Unified and Comprehensive Approach

Beginning October 1, with the start of the new fiscal year, the City will reorganize and expand its homelessness response structure. With seven new staff members joining the team, neighbors will see more outreach on the streets, more medical and mental health support available on the spot and more direct follow-up to connect people to housing. To make this possible, instead of working separately, City staff will instead work as an integrated team grouped into three key areas: Street Engagement, Intensive Outreach, and Program Services. This ensures whether they meet a police officer, medical personnel or a caseworker, their information and needs will move with them across the system.

Stronger Enforcement and Accountability

The restructured approach strengthens enforcement as a core part of the City's strategy. Police officers, Park Rangers, and co-responders will be consistently present in public spaces to ensure ordinances are followed, deter unlawful activity, and address behaviors that negatively impact neighborhoods and businesses. Enforcement actions will be paired with real-time offers of services. We aim to make it clear that while camping, trespassing, and public safety violations will not be tolerated, assistance is available for those willing to accept help.

The reorganized team is structured into three focus areas:

• Street Engagement: Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) officers and their sergeant will be joined by three new Park Rangers from the Police Department. This group represents those directly engaging with people experiencing homelessness daily. They will also work alongside community partners that provide street outreach to maintain strong connections and leverage resources.
• Intensive Outreach: The Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) Lieutenant and Community Health Coordinator from Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue will be joined by a Nurse Practitioner, a co-responder group embedded with Police teams, and two case managers from Housing and Community Development. They will be supported by a team of Police psychologists. This multidisciplinary team addresses root causes and barriers, mental health, substance use, medical needs, or access to identification, ensuring individuals receive comprehensive, ongoing support. The goal is to divert individuals away from repeated hospital visits or arrests and toward meaningful, lasting connections to services.
• Program Services: The Homeless Initiatives Program Manager, Community Court Coordinator, and Senior Administrative Aide will now be formally aligned under Housing and Community Development. This will allow them to focus on coordination, case tracking, and ensuring supportive programs connect residents to housing and resources. We're coordinating services so people don't get bounced from one office to another.

Keeping You Informed

As this enhanced model rolls out, the City will keep the Commission and the public informed by sharing regular updates, including data on engagements, Community Court, shelter placements, housing placements, and how the City's efforts are working.

This is about building a more compassionate, effective system, one that gives people a path off the streets and strengthens the quality of life in our neighborhoods.