St. Francis House, a shelter established in 1980, opens its doors to unsheltered homeless and food insecure individuals every day from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
But Friday morning’s assistance looked a bit different.
Instead of the usual 50 people who typically line up for food and resources, around 100 people showed up to the shelter’s inaugural World Homeless Day event. They were not there to celebrate the internationally recognized day, but to spread awareness in hopes of alleviating homelessness around the world and preventing individuals from becoming unhoused.
In North Florida, 887 individuals were identified as experiencing homelessness, according to the 2025 Point-in-Time Count. Of those, 746 people were located in Alachua County.
Event organizers, volunteers and attendees walked throughout downtown Gainesville holding posters with messages that shine a light on the complexity of homelessness.
“Shelter is a right, not a privilege” and “The solution to homelessness begins with kindness” were among the messages shared throughout the route.
“We wanted their voices to be highlighted and to be heard,” said Tracey Brown, the director of housing at St. Francis House. “It's a community problem, and we want to bring awareness to that and make sure that we're addressing the issues that are at hand.”
During the event, numerous vendors provided products and services to ease the needs of the attendees. From free haircuts to barbeque platters, the community joined together to support those coming into the shelter, said Nancy Short, the director of community relations at St. Francis House.
Her husband, John, provided some of the food during the event, cooking pulled pork and macaroni and cheese. Along with his wife, the 61-year-old co-owner of Smoking Fatties BBQ and More cooked the meat for 12 hours.
“Just helping out the community is invaluable,” John Short said. “I wish more people would do this.”
The most important task for St. Francis House staff and volunteers was to ensure that the unsheltered homeless felt appreciated and cared for, said Lauri Schiffbauer, the executive director of St. Francis House.
And for attendees like unhoused Alan Crittendon, the staff accomplished its goals.
“It's been a great help. You get your ID, you get food, you get clothing and you can get you a good fresh shower, you know what I'm saying?” he said. “They had a few things that sometimes St. Francis might be low on with donations.”
Crittendon, who has size 13 feet, was able to get socks that fit him, which he said can be hard to find.
The shelter also provided other necessities with the help of donations from the community. Hygiene bags filled with body wash, toothpaste, deodorant and other materials were passed out throughout the day, with an emphasis on unsheltered homeless who do not have the advantage of staying overnight at St. Francis House.
“People that are in the street obviously are living with what they can carry,” Schiffbauer said. “Having a nice sturdy bag to put stuff in is a very helpful gift for them.”
Of the 887 people in North Florida experiencing homelessness, over half are unsheltered (451).
But the event went further than just providing resources for those in need. By educating the community through the World Homeless Day event, Schiffbauer said the hope is that there is more awareness on homelessness and the importance of transitioning the individuals into permanent housing.
“The whole purpose of people coming into shelter is to get them permanently housed,” she said. “About 96% of the folks that we serve in shelters end up in permanent housing.”
And the impact is not just on one person. Ninety-two percent of families remain in permanent housing a year after they complete the program, according to the shelter’s 2024 annual report.
But the shelter is not alone in its call for awareness. Elected officials like Alachua County Sheriff Chad Scott showed up to the event in an effort to empower the homeless community.
“I think it goes a long way when people see the person that they elected into the community out here,” Scott said. “I took an oath to serve and protect all people, and that's why I'm here.”
With the event raising awareness for homeless individuals across Alachua and the world, Nancy Short said she hopes that such recognition can continue past just World Homeless Day.
“It just makes you humble and you realize that we need to raise more awareness,” Short said. “This isn’t something that you just drive by on Main Street every now and then. There's real stuff happening behind those doors.”
For Schiffbauer, it starts with looking at homeless individuals as people, not another statistic.
“The first thing you can do when you see a homeless person on the street is to say ‘hello,’” she said. “Don't look the other way, don't look down, just say ‘hi.’ Remember that there's a real person standing in front of you.”