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HELPING HOMELESS >> GRACE MARKETPLACE
OPEN DOORS
GRACE MARKETPLACE OFFERS REFUGE IN TIMES OF NEED
Saving Grace W R ITTEN BY CA MERON COBB
On any given night, GRACE Marketplace shelters roughly 113 people, said Jon DeCarmine, director of the organization. Besides just shelter, the group offers an abundance of resources for those in need of assistance, such as daily meals and access to restrooms, showers, laundry and storage facilities. Located at 3055 NE 28th Drive in Gainesville, the nonprofit organization opened and began providing limited assistances to the community in May of 2014, according to gracemarketplace. org. By the next month, GRACE Marketplace was officially offering a full-range of services and has continued to combat the area’s issue of homelessness ever since. 92 |
OUR TOWN MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017
Additionally, GRACE Marketplace works with individuals to better their lives beyond just the basic necessities and helps get people on a path towards a self-sustaining future. The organization combats substance abuse through counseling and offers services for improving individuals’ physical and mental health. GRACE Marketplace also provides programs periodically for professional training and skill development, according to their website. While only a few years old, the nonprofit has worked to make a lasting, positive impact for the area’s homeless population. In 2016, GRACE Marketplace provided 2,142 community members with services, moved 102 people into housing and reduced the number of unsheltered homeless by 38 percent, according to gracemarketplace.org. The organization also has an emergency plan in place for events like cold weather, tropical storms, hurricanes and more, DeCarmine said. When this plan is activated, for instance, during