School District Leaders Meet with Committee to Address Homeless issue

This article first appeared on the WFTV-Channel 9 website.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Local leaders met Friday to come up with solutions to Central Florida’s growing number of homeless families.

The Family Homelessness Committee invited school district leaders to talk about the homeless students in an effort to identify the issues facing children who are homeless.

Community leaders said at least 13,000 children in Central Florida are homeless and that number is just a starting point.

That staggering number comes from data compiled by school districts.

It doesn’t include children who don’t attend school because they are too young or not enrolled.

Long-time community leader Dick Batchelor heads the Family Homelessness Committee.

He said focusing on children is one way to attack the complex homeless problem.

“I think it’s getting worse because we haven’t addressed it properly yet,” Batchelor said.

Homeless children face an uncertain future, and Batchelor said it’s time for leaders in Central Florida to step up.