Homeless shelter may move to make way for Magic complex

  • Allen Harden, CEO of Orlando Union Rescue Mission, in front of the organization's Mens Division, on W. Central Blvd in downtown Orlando, Wednesday, August 13, 2013.
Allen Harden, CEO of Orlando Union Rescue Mission, in front… (Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel )
August 14, 2013|By Mark Schlueb, Orlando Sentinel


The Magic already are negotiating to buy Orlando police headquarters and a city-owned parking garage near their home court at the Amway Center, with plans to knock them down and build on the site. They're also now in talks with the Orlando Union Rescue Mission to buy its emergency shelter.

"We are on the same block. They would definitely like to have the property," said mission CEO Allen Harden, who expects to meet with representatives of the Magic on Thursday.

The mission has a larger campus on Washington Street, but the organization is probably best known for its men's division building next to the police station, where it provides food, shelter, showers and clothing seven days a week. A 30-foot, metal-and-neon cross atop the building is an official city landmark.

The faith-based charity was founded in 1948 and bought the property now used for its men's shelter in the early 1960s. The main building is a former hotel, and adjacent properties have been added through the years.

The Orlando Magic have proposed a $100 million entertainment complex that would include the team's corporate headquarters, a hotel and conference center, and dining and retail space.

Initially, the team was only interested in the public-parking garage across the street from the arena. But the Magic's consultants told them the project would be more feasible if they controlled the entire block, so the city granted the Magic a purchase option on the aging police station, too. The only remaining parcels on the block belong to the mission.

Magic officials wouldn't share any details of their talks with the charity.

"Negotiations are progressing," spokesman Joel Glass said.

Through the years, some city officials have objected to the number of social-service agencies in Parramore. But no one expects the mission to close its doors.

One proposal would have the charity build a new shelter on property a few blocks south, adjacent to the East-West Expressway. The land was the site of the run-down Haitian Oaks apartment complex until the city bought the property for $1 million two years ago and tore down the buildings.

"It is the city's desire that the Orlando Union Rescue Mission be able to continue providing their services," city spokeswoman Heather Fagan said. "The details of what that looks like are still being discussed."

Harden said one thing is non-negotiable: If the shelter does move, its iconic rooftop cross is coming along.

The mission has approval to serve 120 people at its current facility. Fifty of those are enrolled in a residential program where they are coached and mentored into self-sufficiency. The other 70 beds provide emergency shelter on a night-to-night basis.

Harden said the mission is open to the notion of moving, which would provide an opportunity to add an additional 30 beds and operate more efficiently. But the decision will come down to money. The charity receives no government funding, relying only on donations from individuals, churches and corporations.

Its administrators pride themselves on the organization's policy of carrying no debt. A campaign to raise enough money to build a new facility could take more time than the Magic are willing to wait.

Harden said the mission saves the government money by helping residents from homelessness to self-sufficiency. City officials and Magic executives should consider that value as they talk about building a new entertainment complex and other venues, he said.

"They want the property, and we want to move," Harden said. "At the end of the day, the only question is, 'Who pays for what? How much do they pay, how much does the mission pay, and can we afford to do it?"

From the mission's perspective, big-money player contracts bring less value to Orlando than the shelter's work.

"They need to understand that we don't have millions of dollars for this," said Vince Hall, director of the Men's Division. "We don't have to move. I don't think they would use eminent domain to take the property."

mschlueb@tribune.com or 407-420-5417

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