The city of Orlando said Monday that it is considering purchasing a pair of adjoining properties in the Westfield neighborhood to build a new homeless shelter.
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The city said that it has the opportunity to buy the properties on West Washington Street between North Texas and Coburn avenues for a new “open access shelter,” which would be open 24/7 and provide housing to 250 people.
The facility would also provide other services, including access to employment opportunities and support for substance abuse and mental health.
The city said that it is entering a short-term lease with the option to buy the facility on or before September 2025.
Read: City of Orlando, Orange County eye possible joint homeless shelter location
“The goal is to complete this work earlier, with an anticipated acquisition in the spring of 2025,” the city said on its website.
It said that one of the properties, which costs $6 million, housed a private charter school that recently closed and is thus almost “move-in ready.”