Need Homeless Assistance? The Homeless Services Network of Central Florida is committed to the belief that everyone deserves a safe place to call home. The Homeless Services Network of Central Florida is designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as the lead agency on homelessness for our region — including Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties and the cities of Orlando, Kissimmee and Sanford. We are also the lead agency for the region’s Veteran’s Administration Supportive Services for Families grant program.
Housing First is a homeless assistance approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, thus ending their homelessness and serving as a platform from which they can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life. This approach is guided by the belief that people need basic necessities like food and a place to live before attending to anything less critical, such as getting a job, budgeting properly, or attending to substance use issues. Additionally, Housing First is based on the theory that individual choice is valuable in housing selection and supportive service participation, and that exercising that choice is likely to make a client more successful in remaining housed and improving their life.