news release

Thanks to the funding provided in a public/private partnership between the City of Orlando’s Community Redevelopment Agency, and The Christian Service Center for the Homeless in Orlando, The Source in Vero Beach has added two more Dignity Buses to their fleet.

The first three Dignity Buses are currently operating in Vero Beach for the 30-year-old non-profit that services the poor and homeless in Indian River County.  The nightly occupancy offers a total of 55 beds (or sleeping pods as they are named). Woonsocket, Rhode Island has been operating Dignity Bus #4, and Dignity Bus is operating in Kankakee County, Illinois, both retrofitted by The Source since 2023.

The pair of buses has officially been introduced to the Orlando community by the Downtown Development Board/Community Redevelopment Agency during a public ceremony which was held on Orange Avenue in front of Orlando’s City Hall on Wednesday morning, August 20.  The two buses were ready to be occupied by 21 individuals on a nightly basis beginning the evening of the event. While the crowd gathered nearby, remarks were made by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “We simply can’t push homeless aside and wish the issue will go away. We have to address it, we have to be a part of the solution.” Others in attendance included representatives from The Christian Service Center, The City of Orlando, representatives from The Source and a wide array of local media.

 “This event celebrates the launch of 407 Connect, the city’s newest initiative to provide safe overnight accommodations and support services for unsheltered residents,” states Carla Cox, Director of Operations for the Christian Service Center for the Homeless. “In partnership with the Christian Service Center, this effort utilizes two custom-designed ‘Dignity Buses’ that will offer secure, overnight refuge for up to 42 individuals each night – while also connecting them with case management and long-term housing resources. This is another important step in addressing homelessness in our city.”

Tony Zorbaugh agrees. “The Source couldn’t be any prouder than to service our neighbors in Orlando with two buses to help accomplish their goals for sheltering the homeless. We know first-hand, the difference it makes in the community to do positive programs for our most vulnerable neighbors. We pray this valuable initiative will spread its way through the state of Florida and put us on the map as a creative, forward thinking state on an issue that has run rampant throughout the country. We believe if you think big, it can happen.”

One of the two Orlando’s buses is ADA compliant, complete with a handicapped lift on the vehicle. With experience under their belts, the “bus builders” have made some slight modifications with the shoe storage that is typically situated in the rear of each bus; that is to construct enough space under each bed to store passenger shoes, thus allowing space for an additional bed than the former buses that have been refurbished. Other tweaks have allowed for wider aisles than the previously designed 45-foot motor coaches. They provide a custom-made climate-controlled interior, individual sleeping pods with privacy curtains, a USB port, an individual light, a lockable door, a private bathroom facility, under-bus storage, pet pods for companion animals, monitored CCTV surveillance and the most up-to-date HVAC systems.

It took the team of The Source’s “bus builders” some creative thinking towards offering not just a place to rest, but a path towards stability and healing. What began in 2021, during the peak of the pandemic, became a blueprint of experience, with a keen understanding of the community that would be utilizing this temporary “bed on wheels,” and how a Dignity Bus could essentially change the future for these passengers. Like Vero Beach, FL, Woonsocket, RI and Kankakee County, IL, and now Orlando, FL.  

I am Ministries, DBA The Source, a trusted symbol of hope, is a Christian social outreach ministry that has been empowering communities into a lifestyle of service for the homeless since 1995. Founded in Indian River County, the organization serves its homeless neighbors through a myriad of core programs and services that instill a sense of community. For more information on The Source and Dignity Bus, contact Executive Director Anthony Zorbaugh or Development Director Jonathan Orozco at 772-564-0202, or visit www.iamthesource.org . For more information on Orlando’s 407 Connect Buses, contact Eric Gray, Executive Director at 407-425.2523 ext. 244, or Carla Cox Development Director at ext 232.

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