Guest Author
I have the best job in Miami. Every day, I come to work with incredible people – staff, volunteers, Board members, and the Brothers of the Order of St. John of God — to make an extraordinary system even better. That system is Camillus House, and the mission we’re on is clear: to end homelessness.
Camillus House has been Miami’s cathedral of compassion since 1960. What began as a response to Cuban refugees seeking a better life has evolved, just like our city, into a lifeline for thousands across all walks of life. We’ve moved far beyond soup kitchens and shelter beds.
Today, Camillus House is a comprehensive system of care, spanning 11 sites across Miami-Dade County, housing more than 1,600 individuals each night and serving thousands more annually.
Our services include permanent supported housing, residential substance use treatment, mental health services, primary care through our sister organization Camillus Health Concern, rental assistance, support for survivors of human trafficking and veterans, food, clothing, and shelter.
But among all we’ve learned through our 65 years of service, two truths stand out above all: housing is the great stabilizer, and mental health support is the missing link.
Let me explain.
Housing, first and foremost, changes everything. It reduces emergency room visits, arrests, and police encounters. It creates space for recovery, for reconnection with family, for finding work or stability. Yet too often, we focus only on the visible crisis – tents, street encampments, or people in crisis – without asking what’s driving it.
Here’s the truth: nearly 90% of the individuals we engage who are experiencing homelessness also suffer from mental illness or substance use disorder. Many of them will reject help, even water or food. We know this firsthand. Our outreach teams spend months — sometimes years — building trust with those who have lost all connections and community. And even when they accept housing, they often decompensate quickly without mental health support.
That’s where the real challenge lies.
Florida ranks 43rd in the country in access to mental health care, and 46th in per capita spending at just under $40. We also rank among the highest states for uninsured individuals with mental illness. That’s a perfect storm for what we’re facing in Miami-Dade.
While housing remains essential, it alone is not enough. Permanent supportive housing does not mandate that residents receive care, and many who desperately need treatment never access it. That is why Camillus House developed and operates one of the largest and most successful treatment systems in South Florida for people who are homeless with mental illness and substance use disorders. We are the only organization in the region with that kind of dedicated mental health infrastructure. But we cannot meet this challenge alone.
Our funding comes from a fragile patchwork of sources: federal grants from SAMHSA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, limited state support, generous private donors, and our local partners. We do what we can, but the need far outweighs the resources.
It’s time for Miami-Dade to take new, bold steps forward.
We are calling on local leaders to prioritize and expand investments in housing, mental health treatment, and substance use recovery, not just emergency response or temporary solutions. The Food and Beverage Tax, designed to address homelessness and the needs of individuals with special health challenges, should be strategically directed toward these proven interventions. Not just housing alone, but treatment! We have infrastructure. We have the know-how. We have the results.
What we need now is collective will.
Miami has always been a city of transformation — of possibility. Camillus House is transforming, too, refocusing every part of our mission to meet the deeper needs of this moment. We are building more housing, expanding behavioral health treatment, and integrating services to meet people where they are. But we cannot do it alone.
We need the public, our partners in business and philanthropy, and especially our elected officials to stand with us. We need to stop managing homelessness and start ending it.
Because housing without healing is not enough. And healing without housing doesn’t last.
Let’s give our community both.
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Eddie Gloria serves as CEO of Camillus House, a leading South Florida nonprofit working to end homelessness through a comprehensive continuum of housing and support services. With over 24 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, he has overseen integrated care systems that address the root causes of homelessness.
