As you read this, 1,520 individuals are experiencing homelessness in Palm Beach County, according to our most recent annual count. Roughly two-thirds of those are living unsheltered — in cars, on sidewalks or in parks. While this year’s count showed a 28% decrease from the previous one, that doesn’t tell the whole story. Last year’s numbers rose 15%, and year-to-year counts are influenced by many factors, including changes in enforcement and reporting. The real measure remains how many of our neighbors have safe, stable housing.
Since Oct. 1, 2024, Florida’s new public camping law (HB 1365) has empowered law enforcement to issue fines, make arrests and forcibly remove people found camping or congregating in public spaces. It also allows residents to sue local governments that do not enforce this ban. While well-intended, the result has been fear and displacement, making it harder to engage people in services. If people are hiding, we cannot connect them to housing, health care or employment resources.
The primary driver of homelessness in Palm Beach County remains the severe shortage of affordable housing paired with rapidly rising rents and stagnant wages. Approximately 70% of those counted this year were experiencing homelessness for the first time, directly reflecting mounting economic pressure on working households.
At the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County, we serve as proud members of our county’s Continuum of Care, a federal designation that coordinates housing and services for people experiencing homelessness. Our independent 501(c)(3) was founded nearly 40 years ago with one mission: to make homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring. That mission is our sole purpose because despite our community’s best efforts, homelessness still persists and, in some ways, grows.
Our work is data-driven and collaborative. We direct resources where they produce measurable results: supporting shelter, rapid rehousing, supportive services, coordinated outreach, and when appropriate, law enforcement partnerships tied to housing solutions.
One example of this collaboration is the Mayor’s Ball. Despite its name, the event is not about honoring any individual officeholder. It is defined in our contract with the county as a public-purpose fundraiser supporting the implementation of the Community Plan to End Homelessness. For more than a decade, it has brought together municipal leaders and community partners to demonstrate unified commitment to this shared priority.
Recently, a separate nonprofit was formed under the exact same name as our contractually defined annual fundraiser, the Mayor’s Ball, an event we are obligated to host under our agreement with the county and one that directly funds housing and services in our community. The announcement created significant confusion and had the potential to divert donor support from the work the Homeless Coalition is entrusted to carry out. The organization has since dissolved, and we remain focused on protecting the integrity of the mission we support.
Ending homelessness requires more than goodwill. It demands structure, strategy, transparency and sustained collaboration. It requires that public, private and nonprofit partners act in good faith and remain aligned around measurable outcomes.
This work is bigger than any single organization; it depends on collaboration, responsible stewardship and public trust. As the county’s designated partner in this effort, we take seriously our obligation to safeguard the resources and responsibilities entrusted to us. When our community works together with clarity and shared purpose, we prove that community is not just a word — it is a solution.
Alexandria Ayala is CEO of the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County.