A new plan to house more homeless people in Hillsborough County is set to be discussed Tuesday.



County officials want to re-purpose an old work release building in the Kenly Park area, near Orient Road and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, as a homeless shelter. However, the public will get to voice its opinion on the plan first.



A public meeting is being held today to discuss the issue.



Meanwhile, empty lockers and empty beds sit unused at the facility located at 1800 Orient Road. The facility could be transformed into a 175-bed emergency housing facility.



"Previously, this was the Hillsborough County Sheriff's (Office's) work release facility," said Felicia Crosby-Rucker, director of the county's homeless services. "Our goal is to convert this facility into an emergency housing facility for single men and women."



Crosby-Rucker said using the facility would only begin to address the homeless problem in the county.



She said Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative did a "point-in-time count" in February and identified 2,243 homeless people in the community.

If eventually approved, the shelter could open in the fall.



Today's meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Kenly Park, 3101 N. 66th St.



County staff will be at the meeting to talk about the proposal and answer questions from residents.

