MELBOURNE, Fla. — Officials in Melbourne say they are working toward the eventual closing of the downtown day shelter and soup kitchen, The Daily Bread.

The facility had been subject to numerous complaints from residents about trespassing, threats of violence and they feel unsafe outside their homes, especially along Fee Avenue and the surrounding neighborhood.

Within three months, city leaders say they want to come up with a mutual plan with the nonprofit, something that initially was going to be a two-year process to correlate with the completion of an affordable housing project in 2027.

“We’ve been planning for this transition to happen,” Daily Bread executive director Jeff Nyus said. “We knew it was going to happen, and to be asked to accelerate it is a challenge, but our only concern is to do this in such a way that we can still support the most vulnerable in our community.”

But questions remain on where the people who use the current facility will go.

“There will be a dispersion of people, there will be no reason for people to continue hanging around this neighborhood,” Nyus said. “Which I think is healthy for people experiencing homelessness and find your pathway out.”

For now, Daily Bread will be helping as many as they can with temporary shelter like hotels as they shift focus to affordable long-term housing.

“(We are) dedicated to people coming out of homelessness, with the supportive services that they need to be successful, in a way that’s not going to be disruptive to the neighborhood,” Nyus said.

Current volunteers at the soup kitchen say they are disappointed over the planned closure, but want to help in the next steps.

“Kindness, you have to show kindness every day. Without it, the world is not going to be a good place,” said Beverly Semovoski.

Melbourne city council members also passed a resolution declaring a state of emergency in regard to the city’s homeless crisis on Tuesday.

A council workshop on the homeless issues is coming up on Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m.