Bedbug Infestation Closes Homeless Shelter
Friday, January 13, 2012
By: Nicole Creston

January 13, 2012 | WMFE - A downtown Orlando homeless shelter is temporarily closing its doors, just as colder temperatures move in the area. Officials from the Salvation Army men's facility say an infestation of bedbugs is forcing them to shut down for about a week.

Resources to help Central Florida’s homeless are generally stretched thin and sleeping space at a premium, says Muffett Robinson of the Coalition for the Homeless, but her facility and others are stepping in as the Salvation Army battles the bedbugs.

Robinson says the Coalition is ready with shelter, mats and blankets for the 75 men displaced by the infestation, even as it braces for an influx of people looking to escape frigid weekend temperatures. Overnight lows are expected to plunge into the 30s.

“When it gets cold, we all usually take in more people than normal, so it is not a wonderful time for this to happen, even more so than usual,” she says. “But we do have space here.”

Salvation Army officials say it will cost about $15,000 to treat the building for bedbugs, and they’re asking the public for help to pay for the service.