OUR APPROACH
ABOUT GRACE
LOW BARRIER SHELTER
As a low-barrier shelter, GRACE eliminates the requirements for entry that keep people from getting the help they need.
We don't require ID, a perfect background, income, sobriety, or participation in services that aren't related to housing. Instead, these issues become the first things we focus on when someone enters the shelter. Local residents are prioritized for beds, but at the end of the day, anyone can get the help they need, when and how they need it.
Our campus expectations align with our core values: safety, impact, and respect. We encourage but don't require, participation in supportive services. The only true requirement is that guests work with us to end their homelessness.
GRACE is an equal opportunity employer, and provides health and dental insurance, generous PTO, and the best team you could ever hope to work with!
Whether you're looking for career opportunities or an internship, we invite you to join our team today if you're ready to end homelessness in Alachua County!
HOUSING FIRST
Housing ends homelessness, which is why we follow the Housing First Model here at GRACE. This approach recognizes that stable, permanent housing is the only solution to ending homelessness.
When someone arrives at GRACE, we focus on finding them a home.
Each guest is assigned a Housing Case Manager to work with on an individual level to find housing that best fits their needs.
ONE-STOP CENTER
The purpose of the one-stop center is to bring essential services to one place: the GRACE Marketplace campus.
Before, someone who needed a bus pass, a shelter bed, a doctor's appointment, and a meal had to go to four different agencies in four different parts of town to piece together the resources they needed.
Today, they only need to show up to GRACE, where they can visit more than a dozen partner agencies and have access to programs that provide all of this and more, in one location. Having everything in one place breaks down the barriers that kept people homeless for long periods of time.