Ron Book, Chairman of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, continues to make a significant impact on the lives of countless individuals facing homelessness in South Florida. His unwavering dedication has been instrumental in providing shelter, resources, and support to those in need.
While recent data shows a decrease in the unsheltered homeless population in Miami Beach, concerns remain about the potential displacement of individuals to neighboring areas, including Miami. Book’s leadership has been crucial in addressing these challenges and advocating for comprehensive solutions.
A recent report from the Homeless Trust revealed a decline in the unsheltered population in Miami Beach, dropping from 152 individuals last August to 132 today. However, this trend was accompanied by a rise in the homeless population in the City of Miami, increasing from 534 to 619, prompting concern from Homeless Trust.
While acknowledging the need for further analysis, Book raised the possibility that increased enforcement of outdoor sleeping restrictions in Miami Beach could be contributing to a migration of homeless individuals to Miami.
“I think it’s too early to answer that, but clearly there’s a population shifting from the Beach,” Book said.
The data compared the unsheltered homeless population in August 2023 and August 2024. The countywide total increased from 980 to 1,004 individuals during this period. While the number of people staying in homeless shelters remains unchanged at 2,740 (as of last August), the overall trend indicates a growing need for resources.
“Our shelters are bursting at the seams,” Book said.
The Homeless Trust conducts two annual counts of the unsheltered and sheltered population, one in January and another in August. To track changes over time, the organization focuses on comparing August counts from different years. In January 2024, Miami had 631 unsheltered individuals, while Miami Beach had 154. Although Miami’s unsheltered population decreased slightly between January and August, Book believes that the overall trend indicates a slight 2% increase.
“The bottom line is, the City of Miami area clearly had the only real increase,” Book said.
A woman, visibly distressed by the challenges of homelessness, shares her concerns with Ron Book, Chairman of the Homeless Trust. The encounter took place during a recent count of the unsheltered population in Miami Beach, where the Homeless Trust and city officials canvassed Lincoln Road Mall.
Meanwhile, Miami Beach police have made over 200 arrests for illegal camping since the revised ordinance went into effect last October. This ordinance requires police to offer shelter to individuals experiencing homelessness before making an arrest. Although there are no shelters in Miami Beach itself, the city has contracts for more than 95 beds at shelters in Miami.
In July, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner launched Operation Summer Relief, an initiative aimed at eliminating homelessness on the city’s streets by August.
Mayor Meiner has described the city’s approach to homelessness as compassionate and tough, emphasizing the opportunity for individuals to accept shelter and services. However, homeless advocates have criticized the city’s approach, arguing that it lacks permanent affordable housing and that arrests contribute to the ongoing cycle of homelessness.
“You can’t arrest your way out of homelessness,” Book said.
Miami officials are closely watching Miami Beach’s aggressive approach to homelessness and considering its potential impact on their own city.
Miami City Commissioner Damian Pardo, whose district includes downtown, emphasized the need for a collaborative regional effort to address homelessness. “This should be a regional issue, and we should approach it with regional policy,” Pardo stated. “Simply relocating the problem to different parts of the area doesn’t solve anything.”
Pardo advocated for municipalities to work together rather than acting independently. However, he acknowledged that he lacked sufficient information about Miami Beach’s policies to determine their specific impact on Miami’s homeless population.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who pledged to address homelessness in his State of the City address, expressed satisfaction with the recent decline in the city’s homeless population. Suarez announced that the city has allocated $2 million and plans to allocate another $2 million to support organizations serving homeless individuals, in addition to its regular budget.
Suarez attributed the decrease in the homeless population to the city’s measures, noting a decline from 631 individuals in January to 619 in August. He expressed a commitment to ongoing monitoring and collaboration with other municipalities to address homelessness effectively.
A Miami Beach spokesperson did not respond to questions about the recent Homeless Trust data. Last week, Miami Beach City Manager Eric Carpenter told the Herald that the city was working to find a balance between the needs of the homeless population and the rest of the city. He stated that the city was offering individuals every opportunity to accept services and improve their circumstances.
The Homeless Trust’s point-in-time counts are considered the most reliable estimate of the county’s homeless population, although the process has limitations. Last Thursday, Homeless Trust staff, city officials, and police formed teams to conduct the count. In Miami Beach, the teams were instructed to identify homeless individuals based on their judgment and expertise, rather than directly questioning them, in order to streamline the process.
“The goal is to make sure we are counting everybody that’s out there,” Book told workers who gathered at Miami Beach’s Homeless Outreach office in South Beach before the count.
While Miami-Dade County’s unsheltered population is significant, it pales in comparison to many other large metropolitan areas. For instance, a recent count in San Francisco revealed over 50,000 unsheltered individuals, despite having a population less than one-third of Miami-Dade County, and in Los Angeles almost 79,000.
However, a new Florida law is placing added pressure on local governments throughout the State to further reduce their unsheltered populations. Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1365 into law in March, prohibiting cities and counties from allowing people to sleep or camp in public spaces starting October 1.
Under the new law, individuals, businesses, and the Attorney General can sue local governments to force them to remove homeless people from the streets beginning January 1. As an alternative, communities can establish designated camps away from residential areas and businesses, with approval from the Department of Children and Families. These camps would be required to offer security, sanitation, and behavioral health services to their residents.
Ron Book, a prominent Tallahassee lobbyist and the longtime Chairman of the Homeless Trust, is encouraging State leaders to further address homelessness. However, he later expressed concerns about the new law’s potential impact, particularly regarding the establishment of mass encampments, stating that “The encampment law is not a good law,” Book said. “We don’t think it’s good, and we don’t like it.”
