ORLANDO, Fla. — A proposed shelter in the SoDo neighborhood of Orlando was dropped after backlash from the community.

The group Stop SoDo Shelter called the decision a win and on Wednesday they held a meeting to talk about potential solutions to their homeless dilemma.

What You Need To Know

  • Orlando canceled plans to convert the Orange County Work Release Center into a homeless shelter after community backlash

  • Community group Stop SoDo Shelter held several meetings and got hundreds to sign a petition to protest the shelter

  • The group held a town hall meeting on Wednesday to discuss possible viable solutions to their homeless dilemma

SoDo residents brought their questions and concerns to the experts working with those experiencing homelessness every day.

And it made for some difficult conversations that put the homeless dilemma into perspective, and highlighted possible and ongoing solutions to the problem.

Scattered all over the SoDo neighborhood are signs with the website StopSoDoShelter.com on them.

And, in part, because of this movement, the proposal was dropped.

It was a decision that Kathy and Paul Helsby were happy to learn about.

“I was relieved to find out that this proposition went down, but I still think we need to address our homeless population in the city,” the Helsbys said.

The Helsbys, who volunteer at shelters themselves, felt the proposed shelter for SoDo was not the right fit for the area and they believe there are better options out there.

“We need a smaller shelter, multiple ones maybe, but smaller and not so close to residential,” they said.

That’s why they attended a town hall meeting to discuss possible solutions.

Stop SoDo Shelter invited local officials, as well as nonprofit leaders serving those experiencing homelessness, but the conversation seemed to take a turn that those on the panel say they weren’t ready for.

“This is a hard issue to tackle. People around the country are trying to figure out how do we think about homelessness and I think this community was kind of caught in the crossfires of that,” explained Homeless Services Network Chief Operating Officer Brian Postlewait. “But I think in the end we were having some deep conversations about facts.”

Beyond the arguments, what seemed to be clear is that to solve this dilemma, it’s going to take the whole community.

“This was not a good solution, but there are solutions out there and I think the community needs to get together and work on it. And not just our community,” the Helsbys said. “Winter Park needs to have some beds, Maitland needs to have some beds, Belle Isle needs to have some beds. They can’t all be in Paramore.”

The conversation may not have gone as expected, but residents say it was insightful.

Stop SoDo Shelter stated these discussions will continue.