What We Do

The Homeless Services Network of Central Florida is committed to the belief that we all need a safe place to call home.

We are working to make homelessness in Central Florida rare and brief by connecting people in need to stable housing and the services they need to remain housed. We do so by finding and providing rental assistance for affordable apartments and rental homes for people who have experienced homelessness, and connecting them to case managers for a variety of services — from mental-health counseling to job training to disability benefits. When funding allows, we also can provide prevention and diversion assistance to keep people from becoming unhoused. We also track critical data, apply for federal grants on behalf of dozens of partner agencies working on homelessness, and advocate for local, state and federal policy changes based on evidence of what works best for the people we serve.

The Homeless Services Network of Central Florida is designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as the lead agency on homelessness for our region — including Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties and the cities of Orlando, Kissimmee and Sanford. We are also the lead agency for the region’s Veteran’s Administration Supportive Services for Families grant program.

In addition, since 2019, we have served as the staff for the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness — a coalition of representatives from government, business, nonprofit and faith leaders working together to set policy and establish priorities for the homeless-response system in Central Florida.

We fund programs that provide rapid rehousing, long-term supportive housing, transitional housing, emergency housing, supportive services and ongoing case management for the men, women and children experiencing homelessness in our region.

As the lead agency, HSN does not operate a shelter itself. Rather, we coordinate the region’s response to homelessness, provide training, recruit landlords for homeless housing, manage a coordinated entry system for all individuals seeking help, track data through the Homeless Management Information System, provide expertise on legislative and policy changes, and apply for and monitor grant funding to all nonprofit partners in our region, known as the HUD Continuum of Care FL-507. Those partners provide direct crisis aid, recovery assistance and housing services.

Because our region has one of the worst affordable housing shortages in the nation, we often have to prioritize those least likely to be able to regain housing without assistance. This includes people with a serious disability, those who are elderly, and families with minor children. We also prioritize veterans, survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, and homeless youth and young adults without family support, ages 16 to 24, for temporary assistance while they stabilize their lives.

ABOUT THE DATA

HSN operates the region’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), a federally required database used to capture the information needed to link people experiencing homelessness with appropriate services and measure the outcomes. As the lead agency, HSN administers the contract with the CoC HMIS vendor (eccovia®) and provides oversight, quality assurance, HMIS training for all stakeholders, help desk support and required and requested reports.

HISTORY

Established in 1993 by a small group of community advocates, HSN was first led by Helaine Blum. Ms. Blum also co-founded Grand Ave. Economic Development Corp., which provides an affordable home for hundreds of formerly homeless Central Floridians. Subsequently, Marilyn Gordon and Cathy Jackson led the organization as it began to grow and diversify services throughout the tri-county area.

As regional leaders made a renewed commitment to tackle chronic homelessness in Central Florida in 2015, Martha Are joined HSN as chief executive officer. Previously from North Carolina, Ms. Are brought expertise in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care Program and a successful track record of implementing evidence-based strategies to combat homelessness.