South Florida Homeless Shelter Packing Up, Moving North
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FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - Moving day can be hectic, and when you're packing up a hundred homeless people and closing down a shelter, it's even more of a chore.
Homeless advocate Sean Cononie is closing down the "Homeless Voice Shelter" on North Federal Highway in Hollywood. The city paid Cononie nearly $5 million for his property and made him promise that he won't return to purchase another property in the city.
Now everyone's heading to Haines City, minutes from Disney World.
"It's a new adventure," said shelter resident Bonnie Ireland.
About a hundred people from the shelter boarded two buses, preparing for the three and a half hour ride.
Ken Smith has high hope. When CBS4's Ted Scouten asked Smith what he thinks awaits him at the new location, he answered, "A better light."
The homeless are going from a shelter to a low income hotel. Cononie bought a 125 room property on several acres. The idea is that nobody gets a free ride there, they pay a small fee for room and board.
"Basically it's a low income hotel where people can stay, zero dollars to 24 dollars per night—that includes three meals per day," said Cononie. "And residents will learn a skill. Part of the hotel would be for people from the Homeless Voice and part will operate like a traditional hotel."
Cononie said the homeless will be running the hotel, "laundry, room services, kitchen services, front desk, security, maintenance, reservations."
Cononie's hoping his new venture will lead to changes on how the homeless are housed.
The Homeless Voice Shelter will be completely out of its Hollywood building by Monday.
The city plans to knock down the building and then sell the land for redevelopment.