“What we really need is true affordable housing”
The city of Ocala/Marion County Continuum of Care partnership will host a meeting Feb. 11 and representatives from nonprofits and the public are invited to attend.
The Nonprofit Business Council, a program of the Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County, hosted a panel discussion for local nonprofits on the chilly morning of Jan. 21 to discuss the successes and remaining challenges of addressing homelessness in Marion County.
Included on the panel was Kendall Stephens, with Marion County’s Continuum of Care. The county department Stephens works for oversees federal and state funding earmarked for addressing the issue. The Continuum of Care is a partnership with the city of Ocala, with the county handling the red tape associated with the funding and the city serving as the boots-on-the-ground outreach.
Stephens acknowledged a learning curve when the county/city partnership was first formed but looked forward to hosting its first annual meeting at the Southeastern Livestock Pavillion on Feb. 11 and encouraged representatives of nonprofits as well as members of the public to RSVP to attend to learn more about the Continuum of Care as well as networking opportunities between the nonprofits.
The panel discussion included leaders from three different nonprofit organizations aimed at curbing the number of unhoused and providing supporting services: Karla Greenway of Interfaith Emergency Services operates a women’s shelter and a newly opened engagement center for the unhoused to seek supportive services; Wendy Kebrdle of Wear Gloves, which offers transitional housing and employment; and Penny Beehler of Saving Mercy, an organization that has transitioned over the years from the goal of becoming our first low-barrier shelter to permanent supportive housing, which is currently under construction.
Interfaith’s newly opened engagement center has become the central point of access to connect people in crisis with supportive services, but it’s just the beginning of bringing together all the players who pitch in to address the problem, so collaboration is key.
“Not one agency can handle all of this,” said Greenway, who encouraged other nonprofits to use her agency’s engagement center to bring their services to those in need.
Greenway explained that while there are different services offered by various organizations to select groups, not every unhoused candidate fits into the programs. For example, some of the unhoused are emotionally attached to their pets and since Marion County does not have a shelter that can house people with pets, some of them choose to continue living in tents.
Linda Norman, with the Voices of Change Animal League, or VOCAL, whose organization has stepped in to temporarily house some of those pets, asked if there were any plans to create a low-barrier shelter that would accommodate people like this, “not only for the sake of the humans but also for the sake of their animals.”
Stephens confirmed that there are no plans for a local low-barrier shelter in Marion County right now, and acknowledged that a such a shelter has become a “touchy subject.”
Stephens indicated that, currently, the “lowest barrier shelter” is with Wear Gloves.
Kebrdle confirmed their organization has only a few rooms to use this way due to an agreement for assistance from local law enforcement.
Is the need increasing? On Jan. 23, a headcount will be conducted to identify Marion County’s homeless population numbers and the “Ocala Gazette” will follow up on those numbers. The consensus of the nonprofit members gathered during the panel discussion was, however, that it’s “impossible” to get the confirmed number or separate transient homeless and unhoused Marion County residents into the totals.
During the gathering, both Interfaith and Wear Gloves shared success stories.
Since opening in mid-November, Interfaith’s engagement center has helped 174 people, and the new center has freed up space to add 20 more shelter beds to the women’s shelter this year.
“People present to the center with barriers to becoming self-sufficient and we try to remove those one by one,” said Greenway.
Greenway indicated that documentation is often the first barrier to finding work. She told the story of one man, who was born in Puerto Rico but did not have his birth certificate. With help from Wear Gloves, the two organizations were able to house the man while they helped him obtain the documentation. Greenway described the man as a hard worker and said he has helped keep Interfaith’s campus clean.
An undocumented man who came for services was born in Germany. His mother was German and his father was an American stationed there. Wear Gloves opened 12 individual rooms for a temporary 30 days in order to see if the candidate would be a fit for their longer-term program.
“Each person presents with a unique set of needs, and we try to tailor our response to what they need,” explained Kebrdle.
Kebrdle gave an example of helping restore “dignity” to one man who was behind on child support. An order required Wear Gloves to garnish his paycheck, leaving him only $50 at the end of the work week. She recalled telling the man of the garnishment and he responded with pride that he was finally supporting his children.
Saving Mercy is currently constructing the first 24 of a planned 59 one-bedroom units, with plans for another 20 two-bedroom units to accommodate families. Each resident will be on an annual lease and, based on their individual progress, leases can be extended.
All three of the presenting organizations indicated that needs remain for basic medical care, mental health counselors, utility bill assistance and jobs for unhoused workers.
The issues that have been historically cited for causing homelessness are no longer the only reasons. Greenway said that rising costs, particularly with housing, are landing more families in a housing crisis at an “alarming rate.”
“What we need is true affordable housing,” she said, while those in attendance shared a muttered agreement.
To learn more, go to marionflcoc.org/about-us/coc-overview and ocalafl.gov/government/community-development-services