Palm Beach County declared Nov. 16'20, 2025 National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and used the proclamation event to detail county coordination to meet urgent needs amid a temporary pause or delay in SNAP benefits.

Staff noted Florida ranks fourth nationally in homeless population and that the county's point-in-time homeless count identified more than 1,500 individuals this year; the county's food-insecurity rate was reported above 12% during discussion. The proclamation emphasized drivers of homelessness including the lack of affordable housing, high rents and barriers such as eviction or criminal backgrounds.

James Green, director of Community Services, reminded residents about immediate resources, telling listeners they could "Google Palm Beach County food finder map or go to unitedwaypbc.com/hunger" to access an interactive GIS app listing food distribution and partner sites in real time. Representatives from the Palm Beach County Food Bank said they would continue emergency distributions and post resources at pbcfoodbank.org during EBT/SNAP delays.

Staff announced a Nov. 12 workshop to evaluate recent law changes (including public camping ordinances) and review an upcoming homeless-plan renewal process. Board members encouraged broader public awareness of local resources and partnerships meant to blunt short-term federal disruptions and long-term drivers of homelessness.