Help on the way for local homeless population

Dignitaries and officials shovel dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony held Dec. 18, 2024, for Mercy Village, a 79-unit affordable and supportive housing complex to be built in northwest Ocala. [Photo by Andy Fillmore]

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Posted December 22, 2024 | By Andy Fillmore, [email protected]

An affordable housing project aimed at helping people experiencing homelessness took a major step forward on Dec. 18 when local officials took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for Mercy Village, a two-phase, 79-unit complex in northwest Ocala.

The project, expected to be fully completed in about a year, will include a 59-unit apartment building backed by Miami-based nonprofit Carrfour Supportive Housing. There also will be 10 duplexes funded by a grant requested by Marion County Community Services homelessness prevention services or case management to help with the total of 79 units provided by Ocala nonprofit Saving Mercy Corporation.

“Mercy Village will offer a mix of supportive services and affordable housing, aiming to address the critical shortage of permanent housing for those experiencing homelessness or facing housing insecurity,” Penny Beehler, executive director of Saving Mercy, stated in a press release.

Ocala City Councilmember Jim Hilty Sr., on hand for the groundbreaking, called the project “a huge step” in addressing homelessness here.

Karla Greenway, CEO of Interfaith Emergency Services, an Ocala provider of essential services for those in need, will partner with the housing outreach.

“This project is what we’ve been hoping for and praying for. It’s a game changer and will provide appropriate housing for those in need,” Greenway said at the groundbreaking.

Both phases of the project—Phase One the apartment building and Phase Two the duplexes—will be built on a portion of the 10-acre parcel at 3601 W. Silver Springs Blvd., which now houses Saving Mercy Corp., a faith-based nonprofit that provides “wrap-around services” to chronically homeless persons, according to the organization’s website.

People in need are referred to Saving Mercy by various agencies and churches and by word-of-mouth. The organization’s vision is to “break the cycle of homelessness by providing not only a place to live but also the resources and support needed for long-term success,” according to the website.

Permanent supportive housing, the group states, offers “long-term, stable living environment combined with supportive services tailored to individual needs” and is an “one of the most effective solutions for combating homelessness.”

Carrfour Supportive Housing, which has developed and managed supportive housing for more than 10,000 homeless persons since 1993, will build and oversee the 59 one- and two-bedroom unit apartment complex, according to Sandra Newson, Carrfour’s vice president of Resident Services, who attended the groundbreaking.

The Phase One apartment building is expected to be completed by December 2025.

Newson explained in an email that the roughly $23 million construction and capital funding needed for the apartment building was secured from sources including the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, Low Income Tax Credit and State Apartment Incentive Loan.

“Carrfour is partnering with Saving Mercy and will be the developer and operator (manage the property). Saving Mercy will take the lead on the onsite supportive services for the residents,” she wrote.

“Staff and board members from Saving Mercy and city officials came to Miami and toured some of Carrfour’s development several years ago. When they were ready to develop, they reached out to us and we successfully submitted a tax credit application for FHFC (Florida Housing Finance Corporation) in 2022,” Newson stated.

Newson said 20 apartment units will be reserved for people qualifying with a percentage based on area median income.

Beehler said Saving Mercy will oversee the 10 duplexes of Phase Two and provide case management for residents placed in the 20 individual units, with residents signing a 12-month lease.

Jess Schultz, vice president of Partner Engagement with the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership, served as emcee for the groundbreaking ceremony. Schultz praised the project as positive work done by local businesses coming together and leadership going “outside what they are paid for.”

The Rev. Patrick Sheedy of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church of Ocala offered an invocation, praying in part that future residents get “a new lease on life” from their time at Mercy Village.

Blessed Trinity Catholic Church launched Saving Mercy, but the group is now an independent charitable organization with wide community support, according to an official with the church.

Steve Farrell, vice president of Saving Mercy, said the plan for an affordable and supportive housing project started several years ago when he and his wife envisioned a “way to help the homeless.”

“It’s been a long journey,” Farrell said.

Farrell said there are “a lot of people to thank,” including Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano and Marion County Community Services Director Cheryl Martin.

“Lives are going to be saved by this. This is what makes Ocala special, when people come together to help people,” Marciano said at the event.

Marciano said later he wanted to “see it done right with wrap-around services to truly help people rebuild their lives.”

The city of Ocala is “assisting with site, building, and impact fees through the CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency),” Gregory Davis, the city’s management office public information officer, stated in an email.

Martin initiated a grant that was awarded by Community Services for $1,764,265 in State Housing Initiative Partnership funds for construction of the 10 duplexes, with an expected completion date of June 2025.

Marion County Community Services said the grant agreement requires two units to be reserved for permanent supportive housing—rent on these units could be waived or paid by programs, according to a county official—and the remaining 18 duplex units will be leased at monthly rates currently expected to range from $455 to $1,085, depending upon the lessor’s qualifications.

The Ocala/Marion Joint Office of Homelessness Prevention, established in 2020, will provide a list of the people most in need of housing.

In the Joint Office, county personnel lead in funding issues and city personnel handle outreach and manage a coordinated entry list of people to prioritize services to the most vulnerable at-risk and homeless persons, according to the office’s website. The office has 30 people on the list, 21 of whom were in emergency shelters, according to a recent “Gazette” report.

Robin Ford, deputy director of Ocala’s Community Development Services, said at the event that 30 apartment units are planned to be reserved for people on the coordinated entry list.

Ford said the housing project will have a “very significant impact” on the homeless community in the area.

“We’ve waited a long time,” she said.

To learn more, go to savingmercy.org