Engagement center opens

Karla Greenway, the CEO of Interfaith Emergency Services, right, and Ned Giroux, the manager of the Engagement Center, left, pose for a photo as they welcome people for an open house of the new Interfaith Emergency Services Help Center in the Engagement Center in Ocala, Fla. on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The new Help Center is made up of the Engagement Center and Social Services where multiple agencies will come together to help homeless people. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.

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Posted November 20, 2024 | By Susan Smiley-Height, susan@magnoliamediaco.com

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Blessing others is a hallmark of the nonprofit Interfaith Emergency Services. On Nov. 13, to help further the numerous programs offered, officials and guests gathered to bless the agency’s new engagement center. An open house was held later that day.

The 6,500-square-foot, single-story, $1.6 million facility at 108 N. Pine Ave. will provide an array of services for those in need in the community, with a focus on the homeless.

The “Gazette” did a Q&A with Karla Greenway, CEO of IES, to learn more:

What are the main services offered? Basic needs such as showers, clothing, food, shoes; assistance with obtaining birth certificates and government issued I.D.; activities to help with socialization and communication skills; access to mail, phones and computers; individual case-management to create a plan for obtaining income, housing, health services and other needs; and a soft job skills training program.

How will the center mesh with other IES programs? The clients will have access to our shower and clothing ministry, food pantry and medication assistance, and some may eventually become housed through our supportive housing program or moved into our shelter for women and children.

Who else is involved? Partner agencies will come to this location to provide literacy and GED services, recovery and addiction services, employment services, mental health and well-being services. We welcome partners in Marion County that have services from which this population can benefit to offer them at this location.

How will the center help with challenges countywide? One of the biggest challenges that keeps individuals homeless is the ability to consistently access services and to have help navigating the many barriers that keep them homeless. Until now, this population had to go from agency to agency to receive services. This will allow them to have one central location where they can be served, eliminating the barrier that lack of transportation causes them.

As our partner agencies Wear Gloves and Saving Mercy provide opportunities for shelter and housing, we hope to be a conduit that helps individuals move from the streets to housing, with the necessary income and life skills they need to sustain.

It is our hope to change lives and reduce the number of homeless individuals in our county.

Is the center fully functional now? Yes, it is. We are accepting new members to come in for services daily. We are using a membership structure to promote a sense of belonging to the clients who come for help.

The new Engagement Center was financed in part by a $600,000 community development block grant through Marion County Community Services, IES funds and an anonymous private benefactor, according to Greenway.

To learn more, go to iesmarion.org