It's the little things sometimes that make a place feel like home. Things like cold water and keys.

  • Housing Fire program designed to reduce homelessness
  • Program began in 2014 by Florida Hospital, other entities
  • 163 people have been housed since the program began
  • Groups celebrated the program's success on Thursday

Ann Anderson said it's things like those two items, among other things, that made her realize she's no longer on the streets.

"It took me a couple days to really realize," she said. "I keep forgetting to lock the door because I didn't lock the door in so long."

Anderson and 163 other people, formerly classified as chronically homeless, are now being helped by the Housing First program, which provides a home, support services and case managers to people who have been homeless.

Florida Hospital, the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness and others celebrated the program's success Thursday.

"Ignoring the homeless is immoral," said Eddie Soler, of Adventist Health Systems. "Ignoring the homeless doesn't solve the problem. In fact, it guarantees this vicious cycle."

Housing First is also helping cut down on medical expenses. Before the program began, Florida Hospital tracked 100 homeless people in Central Florida who visited the hospital most frequently. The charges almost totaled $15 million.

"This saves money in public services, hospital ED visits, emergency department visits and all the social services that you think of is much better handled when they are in a home and someone is taking care of their case management needs," said Mike Griffin, of Adventist Health System. "Once they get housed — once they get comfortable — they actually do the things they need to do to become productive citizens. We have put people into rehab programs, we have gotten people educated with GEDs — those types of things."

There are at least 1,000 chronically homeless still needing help around the Orlando area.

Anderson said she thinks being homeless is a life that no one should endure.

"Every day you wake up and you don't know what you are doing, where you are going, where you are going to eat, where you are going to shower, if you are going to eat," Anderson said.

To keep the program going, Florida Hospital and Central Florida Commission on Homelessness are urging area businesses to get involved.

To learn more about the program and how to help, go to rethinkhomelessness.org.