{"id":409652,"date":"2026-09-24T21:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T21:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/409652\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T21:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T21:32:13","slug":"407-connect-shelters-260-people-via-bus-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/409652\/","title":{"rendered":"407 Connect shelters 260 people via bus initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 Orlando\u2019s 407 Connect program has helped 169 people move from homelessness to stable housing since its launch in August 2025<\/a>, putting the three-year initiative ahead of its original pace.<\/p>\n

The city partnered with the Community Redevelopment Agency and Christian Service Center on the program, which combines overnight shelter, case management and help covering barriers such as move-in costs and rental assistance.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

407 Connect Bus (WFTV)<\/p>\n

The initiative was initially expected to help 407 people find housing over three years. So far, 260 people have received shelter and case-management services, bringing them important support along the way.<\/p>\n

407 Connect offers climate-controlled buses with comfortable sleeping pods, providing a safe and welcoming place to stay overnight for up to 42 people. <\/p>\n

Each bus is equipped with restrooms, storage, charging stations, and onboard security to help ensure a comfortable experience.<\/p>\n

Twelve people moved into housing last week, and five more were scheduled to move in this week, officials said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA safe place to sleep should be the beginning of a path to housing, not the end of the conversation,\u201d Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.<\/p>\n

City officials plan to share the program\u2019s shelter-bus model and housing strategies with other local governments as 407 Connect enters its next phase.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here<\/a> to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

TOP STORIES FROM WFTV CHANNEL 9<\/p>\n

\u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 Orlando\u2019s 407 Connect program has helped 169 people move from homelessness to stable housing since…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":409653,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[139,141,140],"class_list":["post-409652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/409653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}