Maureen Archer, Al Greene and Anthony Zorbaugh [Photo: Denise Ritchie]

A wall of photographs depicting the faces of homeless men and women in Indian River County looked out at donors gathered last Monday evening at Northern Trust Bank for the annual Night of Hope hosted by The Source.

More than just a cold weather shelter, The Source provides hot meals, clothing, hygiene items, showers, laundering facilities, mail and phone services, job readiness programs and community agency referrals, giving the homeless access to the resources needed to become productive citizens and achieve lasting life recovery.

Guests could literally taste the success of the nonprofit’s Dining with Dignity program, an 18-week culinary arts initiative, as they nibbled on hors d’oeuvres prepared and served by students and graduates.

Program expansions include catering services and, most recently, Baking with Dignity. Guests each took home their award-winning guava cupcake with cream cheese lime frosting and guava glaze, which recently took first place at the South Florida Fair.

“Bring the homeless home,” challenged Anthony Zorbaugh, executive director.

He cited a 2019 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, based on a one night, point-in-time assessment in the last week of January 2019, which indicated there were roughly 568,000 people homeless in the United States, 37 percent of whom were in unsheltered locations.

“That means they were on the street, they were in abandoned buildings, and they were in other places not suitable for human habitation,” said Zorbaugh.

The report shows that in St. Lucie, Indian River and Martin counties there were 1,499 homeless, 89.7 percent of those unsheltered. Under the Continuum of Care category ‘Largely Suburban,’ that unsheltered percentage is the highest in the country.

“We can’t think that government is going to build our way out of this. It’s from individuals like you in this room that care about people in our community,” said Zorbaugh.

Al Greene, the evening’s keynote speaker, is currently employed by Waldo’s Restaurant, which has partnered with The Source roughly eight years.

“I’ve had several employees. Some stayed; some use us as a stepping-stone to step out of the woods and into another path of their lives,” said Lee Olsen, Waldo’s general manager.

Greene, a veteran, became homeless after returning to Vero Beach to raise his son. Unable to find a job or a place to live, he slept on park benches and under the bridge before learning about The Source – the lifeline to hope that he needed. After initially going there to take a shower and do some laundry, he eventually received the training he needed to get a job, was gifted a travel trailer to sleep in and an automobile.

“The staff at The Source are my life coach,” said Greene. “They pushed me forward. The program saved my life. The blessings just keep coming, as well as the lessons.”

Seconds after uttering those words, another gift was bestowed upon him, when Melinda Marley handed Greene a set of keys.

“Guess what? Tonight I have a key for you. You have a new home,” said Marley, explaining that her late husband, James, purchased the mobile home to “put somebody in it in need.”

Looking to the future, the faith-based nonprofit announced a Dignity Village Capital Campaign last year, to fund the construction of 110 tiny homes that will provide affordable housing in the county.

For information, visit iamthesource.org.