VERO BEACH — Targeting individuals who have a heart for the homeless, The Source hosted a fundraising event Saturday evening at The Moorings Club, with supportive guest hosts charged with inviting friends and acquaintances equally concerned about the lives of individuals in need.
The goal was twofold – familiarize guests with services provided by The Source, and raise a critically needed $175,000 to help sustain their ministry through the winter months.
“We are totally unique in what we do,” said Annie Faulkner, development director at The Source. “Everyone is welcomed and taken in. The number of clients we serve has increased 34 percent since last year, which is unheard of. That is a crazy ridiculous increase.”
The Source provides basic needs such as food, daytime shelter, clothing and hygiene products, and helps individuals regain their independence through spiritual counseling and assistance in procuring other community resources.
“We are like the emergency room for the homeless. We’re where people go when they have nowhere else to go; when they’re standing there with their children looking up at them and they don’t know where to turn,” said Faulkner. “They’re shell-shocked at their situation, and they come to us. There’s nowhere else in the county where people can go if they’re kicked out of their home or suddenly find themselves out on the street.”
“We’re doing things one person at a time,” said Dennis Bartholomew, executive director at The Source, and CEO of Camp Haven, a separate nonprofit entity. “Last year we had 6,832 unduplicated people walk through our doors. That’s a tremendous amount. Some of these folks have stories that you can’t believe.”
He said 150 new people are processed every month; many homeless for the first time, having lived in the county an average of 11 years. The face of the homeless is changing, with increased numbers of families, single moms, childless singles, couples, and the newest contingent – college educated younger people.
Some of the buzz Saturday related to Camp Haven, and the negotiations underway to purchase the former Citrus Motel on U.S. 1, which will help people transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency. Renovating the foreclosed 20-unit facility will greatly accelerate the project, which previously proposed a tent-city built on a leased plot off 2nd Street SW.
“We need a very strong Source before Camp Haven can be successful,” said Pat Geyer, Camp Haven project manager of the importance of the fundraiser.
Guests eagerly anticipated hearing invited speaker Ron Hall, author of Same Kind of Different, which tells the inspirational story of Denver Moore, whose poverty stricken world was enriched through steadfast friendships with Ron Hall and his kindhearted wife Debbie. Debbie passed away in 2000 and Moore this past March, but their legacy lives on.
“I spent the whole day with him and his wife Beth, and he is dynamite,” said Chuck Sinclair, Source board president. “They are extremely passionate about the plight of the homeless.”
Lou Ann Lindsay was so impressed by the book, that she purchased 400 copies to distribute to guests at last year’s event, and sponsored the cost of inviting Hall this year.
“Ron’s book gave me a whole new perspective on the homeless situation,” said Lindsay. “I know that I am so blessed, and I feel it is my obligation to do what I can for others.”
Before Hall spoke, Chris Loftus told how her family came to know a homeless man during and after the 2004 hurricanes saying, “It so moved all of our family; it has touched our hearts.” She also noted that Vero’s “Camelot” label is misleading, adding, “This is a county in great need.”
Hall has galvanized similar groups all over the country, raising awareness and money, and offering a message of hope for those who have none.
With humor and compassion, Hall told the story of their unlikely friendship, which even included a luncheon at the White House. He related that as they left, Moore was laughing uncontrollably, saying he had, “Gone from living in the bushes to eating with the Bushes.”
