Federal CARES Act helps fund major expansion of Northeast Ocala's Open Arms Village

Chris is an electrician by trade and enjoys a game of golf. But Chris didn't move to Ocala from his southwest Florida home for the job market or the many local golf courses. He came here in June 2021 because his life was in tatters due to his ongoing alcohol addiction. He was drinking up to 36 shots daily.

"I had bottomed out and had nowhere else to go. I was suicidal," said Chris, 42, who prefers to use only his first name. He couldn't work, lost his apartment, and health problems were looming.

"I was so depressed," he said.

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A friend suggested he could get the care he needed at facilities in Ocala. Chris received treatment at SMA Healthcare (The Centers) in Ocala, which provides behavioral healthcare for addiction and mental health, and a counselor told him about a life rebuilding program at Open Arms Village at St. Mark's United Methodist Church.

Open Arms Village,1839 NE Eighth Road, Ocala, is a not-for-profit residential facility with self-sufficiency programs for homeless men recovering from addiction.

The outreach can now house 20 men and is currently annexing a nearby house that is being gutted and revamped to house up to 10 more men. The new facility will be called The Nest at Open Arms Village.

The money to fund The Nest at Open Arms Village comes from the CARES Act

Repairs and upgrades to dated parts of the existing Open Arms Village building – and the renovation of the Nest annex to a commercial-grade building with needs like fire sprinklers, estimated at $450,000 – are being financed by a HUD Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) CARES Act award through the Marion County Commission.

Documentation related to the funding states the ESG money is to be used for "rehabilitation or conversion" of facilities used in "essential services" and "street outreach" for homeless persons.

Open Arms has a 74% success rate

Open Arms Village's free six- to eight-month program includes a personalized plan that provides the "tools to maintain” a post-sobriety lifestyle, according to openarmsvillage.org.

At least 216 men have been through the program since the facility opened over seven years ago, according to Open Arms Village Director Pam McBride.

"We have about a 74 percent success rate of men who leave drug free, making a livable wage and have a plan to live," McBride said.

Chris described the program at Open Arms Village as a "team thing" that took his focus away from his own problems. He said group support included fellow residents rooting for each other and applauding each other’s accomplishments, like getting a car or a pay raise.

Open Arms Village gets referrals from rehabilitation centers, Interfaith Emergency Services, Brother's Keeper Ministry of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church and other institutions.

McBride said men also come to the outreach “directly off the street.”

Karla Grimsley-Greenway, executive director of Interfaith, praised the work of Open Arms Village.

“They have had incredible success with individuals in need of support for addictions. I think they will fill a gap in services that we currently need for this specific population,” she wrote in a text.

“Interfaith will be happy to have a place to refer women” if housing and a program becomes available, Grimsley-Greenway stated.

McBride said there is an “ongoing search” for housing suitable for female residents.

According to the 2021 Marion County “Point In Time” HUD-required census of the local homeless, 163 people were in emergency shelters, 139 in transitional housing and 210 were living unsheltered.

In all three categories, a total of 194 were female and 317 male.

Open Arms Village fills an important need in Ocala's social services network

Open Arms Village was established after community leaders including Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn looked at ways to help provide shelter and alleviate the Ocala homeless population. Local officials looked at methods used in nearby counties, including so-called tent cities.

These efforts led to St. Mark's United Methodist Church offering the use of one of its buildings, McBride explained.

The Rev. Michael Beck, pastor of the church, said the outreach pays a $1 annual lease fee.

“OAV is a program that saves and transforms lives. Many graduates become upstanding members of society and this has not only an individual and family impact for the men, but a systemic one for our city as well,” Beck wrote, in part, in an email.

Guinn has been an Open Arms Village supporter from the start and is a current board member.

“If people are ready and willing to do all the things that are necessary to turn their lives around, Open Arms Village can help them do that. But they have to want it, and be held accountable,“ Guinn wrote in an email.

McBride said the residents learn they are "not alone anymore" and there is a "lot of accountability" and mutual support.

Open Arms Village Case Manager Dennis Grundy said a culture is formed by the residents and they start to "rely on each other."

“Many of the residents never had anyone on their side. They want to (recover)." Grundy said.

Chris credits Grundy with helping him get out of debt and build a healthy savings account.

Chris said many people in recovery have fines and other expenses that have built up and they "feel hopeless." He said since the Open Arms Village program is free, participants can save and pay off the fines.

Chris will serve as resident night manager at the newly annexed property, and he will continue to share his story and "plant the seed" of seeking recovery help at Open Arms Village.

Davieoyn Hopson, a mental health therapist at Open Arms Village, said for recovering residents a victory over addiction is "empowering."

Hopson said addicts "speak a different language" and sharing their experiences – for example, communicating if they encounter a “trigger" to use the drug of their choice.

Open Arms Village Resident Night Manager James Horn said he tries to make residents look at their options, recognize their "triggers" and be aware that "if they stay here, they will overcome this (addiction and homelessness.)"

"They are somebody and they belong." Horn said. He works to instill trust and let the residents know they can "call me anytime."

'I'm really grateful and really hopeful'

Cheryl Martin, director of Marion County Community Services, stated in an email that a factor in the success of the Open Arms Village program is the “focused strategy.”

“Homelessness does not have a one-size-fits-all solution. There are different types of needs and varying degrees of those needs from person to person. There's a critical need for trained professionals in the area of case management,” she stated.

McBride said the success of the Open Arms Village program is often reflected in the “little things” participants do.

“We had one 52-year-old man who had never purchased a gift for his mother. He asked permission to spend $50 from his earnings and bought her earrings,” she said.

Meanwhile, Chris, who is single, has been working as an electrician with a local company doing commercial wiring and he has a savings account.

He has his sights set on a small fixer-upper house and has even been driving a few golf balls. Chris continues to attend AA meetings held at the adjacent church.

"I feel better. I'm really grateful and really hopeful," Chris said.

Learn more: Openarmsvillage.org, (352) 304-6229

Donations of household items including home decorations are sought for the new housing facility, “The Nest,“ which will house 10 additional men.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: CARES Act funds major expansion for Open Arms Village in Ocala