MELBOURNE, Fla. – It’s been a problem some say has gotten worse in recent years, now once again, Melbourne is talking about what to do about the homeless population.
At a city council meeting Tuesday night, Mayor Paul Alfrey made a call for help.
The city said it’s providing homeless services while other Brevard County communities are not.
“We’re paying, and no other city is stepping up to the plate,” Mayor Alfrey said. “It’s time for other people to step up, and it’s time for people to take accountability. And that’s everybody,” he said.
Dr. Jeffrey Njus, the executive director of Melbourne’s soup kitchen, the Daily Bread, spoke during the council meeting too.
Njus said Melbourne is the only city supporting his cause. “It makes me proud of Melbourne,” he told New 6 reporter James Sparvero during another busy lunch at Daily Bread Wednesday. “Homelessness is a challenge that every community is facing, and I’m proud of Melbourne for stepping up and saying what can we do about it,” Njus said.
Melbourne’s long-term plan is housing for the homeless.
Inside its cafeteria, Njus said Daily Bread serves 150 people every day, but those men, women, and children can’t sleep there.“We know that we can do more and more is needed,” Njus said. “People get a shower here and other resources, but what they really need is housing. And we’ve got a plan working with partners at the city of Melbourne and others in the community to provide that at Providence Place,” he continued.
Providence Place on Apollo Boulevard will be Daily Bread’s replacement.
The property will have more than 100 rooms and on Wednesday, Njus updated News 6 that he hopes to break ground this fall and then open Providence Place in 2027.
Also from Tuesday night’s council meeting, Melbourne council members talked about hosting a workshop on homeless solutions.
As of Wednesday, the city said it had not scheduled the meeting yet.
Stick with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for updates to the time and location.
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