ABSTRACT
The reality of Central Florida has been created both by its myth and by its metaphor. "When people tell the story of Orlando's stunning transformation from swamp and sinkhole to 21st century metropolis, they begin, inevitably, with the man and the mouse. The mouse is Mickey, the man Walt Disney". The chapter deals with those who are at the very bottom of the barrel—Central Florida's substantial homeless population. It focuses on patterns of shelter utilization among Orlando's homeless men and amounts to an important replication of Culhane's findings in all particulars. Like many cities, Orlando has a large stratum of homeless people who are shelter-resistant and treatment-aversive who find places to live outside the conventional shelter system. The chapter discusses volunteerism in homeless service agencies and contains quotations from several people who volunteered over the years to help out with the research.
