Florida housing initiative halts due to training homeless on squatting practices

A housing program in Florida closed its doors after one of its clients refused to leave, citing laws on “squatting,” according to a report.

The program, Matthew’s Hope, operating in Winter Garden, Florida, stopped operations when one of the people in its transitional housing community broke its rules and refused to leave, according to ClickOrlando.com.

The client, who identified himself as Dennis Dewan, told local news, “You have to have an eviction notice from the courts,” and claimed the program owed him money for work performed during the program.

“I’m not leaving until I get my money,” he said.

Scott Billue, who founded the program 14 years ago, said the clients have been “coaching” each other on how to squat.

“We literally have had a small group — an effective group — training each other, if you will, and coaching each other on how to squat,” he said, according to the report.

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Billue added that he contacted the police but claimed the police department refused to remove the client. When contacted by the outlet, the department reportedly sent a written statement that said, in part, “Matthew’s Hope allowed these people to live in these residential units in exchange for services or work they do for Matthew’s Hope. To our knowledge, Matthew’s Hope has not sought an eviction through the judicial process.”

The report further suggests police will have the power to remove the tenants after July 1, when HB 621, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), goes into effect. The bill would make refusing to leave a property after being told to vacate a second-degree felony.