Sober living facility seeks to expand at Ocala church

File photo: Michael and Jill Beck of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Ocala, and their team, gave a vacant church campus new life by launching a new faith community, Compassion United Methodist Church. Compassion United Methodist Church and the new site will also be the home of a holistic recovery program for women, which includes housing, therapy, resume preparation, job skill development, driver’s license/transportation assistance, education, family reunification, case management, and recovery services. The program will be a second site of Open Arms Village but will house women only. Plans to renovate the facility are already underway. Rev. Jill Beck will be the Director of the women’s program and lead pastor of the new church. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

The owners of Compassion Methodist Church have applied for a zoning change for the property that would allow Open Arms Village to expand its sober living program and utilize the church for a 16-bed halfway house for women.

Neighbors of the 1712 SE Lake Weir Ave. property have expressed opposition to this proposal, as there are single-family neighborhoods to the east and west of the church, and it is near South Ocala Elementary, Eighth Street Elementary, Osceola Middle School, St. John Lutheran School and Blessed Trinity Catholic School.

The applicants hope to change the zoning from institutional to limited community business. The first public hearing before the Ocala City Council was held on Sept. 9, with the city council again discussing it on Oct. 1. A final public hearing will be held on Oct. 15, where the council will vote.

Open Arms Village has its main location at 1839 NE 8th Road in Ocala, which serves men in Marion County by extending time spent sober, improving psychiatric symptoms and reducing the likeliness of future costs to the hospitals and legal system, according to Open Arms.

“Compassion UMC is the future home of a holistic recovery program for women, which includes housing, therapy, resume preparation, job skill development, driver’s license and transportation assistance, education, family reunification, case management, and recovery services,” according to church officials.

The church used to be the Druid Hills United Methodist Church until its closure due to lack of membership. For many years, it was the site of one of the largest and most popular “pumpkin patch” locations in the region. Michael and Jill Beck of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Ocala, and their team, launched Compassion UMC at the location in 2023.

The applicants first asked the city for a building permit to make the necessary renovations to the church to convert a portion of it to a shelter, and Planning & Zoning staff instructed them to also submit an application to rezone the property to be in accordance with city ordinances.

Nearby residents have expressed written opposition to the location of the facility, citing concerns about the residential neighborhoods and schools surrounding the church.

“Although it is needed, this specific location isn’t the best choice. It would be within two miles of several schools. I have a child that attends St. John, and I find this concerning. I don’t think it is safe for the children and families, in the surrounding schools if this could happen,” wrote resident Jen Reese.

Resident Craig Turner expressed concern that the facility’s location would lower surrounding property values, saying that since the facility only needs 16 beds, then “perhaps the decision makers in favor can simply take them home and take care of them in their neighborhoods.”

“The corner is going through a transition with CVS closing. This will only bring lesser tenants to the CVS building and cause further long-term blight on the city. It will lead to problems and loss in property values to the owners surrounding the property,” wrote Turner. “Ironically, the proposal would allow a non-tax paying entity to cause a reduction in property values for the tax paying property owners that surround the property. Only bureaucrats would pass along such an idea.”

Laura Duncan, the grandmother of students at St. John’s and Blessed Trinity, also wrote to city in dissent of the location.

“I do not think that the transitional recovery facility is a good idea in this neighborhood. With school children and homes all around this area, it is a terrible idea to put this in this area,” Duncan wrote. “There are already people wandering around the Churchill shopping center who approach people for money.”

The Open Arms facility would not provide medical care, but housing and support services similar to the options provided at the main facility.

“Through collaboration with other local agencies and ministries the program includes many vital services to our residents. Residents are carefully screened to determine their desire and their willingness to do what it takes to become self-sufficient. They receive case management and other supportive services to help them overcome the challenges that keep them homeless,” according to the Open Arms website.

Among Open Arms Village’s community partners is Zone Health and Fitness, the gym owned by Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano. On the board of directors is Kent Guinn, the city’s former mayor.

To learn more about the organization, go to openarmsvillageocala.org