Gainesville Florida, February 3, 2016
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Grace Marketplace is
supported by the City of
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ABSTRACT
Grace Marketplace, is the end of the line homeless place
outside of Gainesville , Florida
USA
In Mr. Davis’s case they plan to move him into the outdoor
open air pavilion where he can sleep on a plastic pallet on the ground. With
his fragile health and painful disability, this is a death sentence. He doesn’t
know what to do or where to turn. He lives in constant terror. He is afraid for
his life and I don't blame him. The staff can do whatever they like and ‘guests?’
must comply. After all, he doesn’t have to be there. (But where else can he
go?) Homelessness is not a choice.
It is as if he is stranded on a deserted island that is more
like a Nazi prison camp, except it is noisy and chaotic, populated by crazy,
loud, sick and downtrodden people. Worst of all are the sloppy drunks who
affectionately attempt to maul him. He suffers from an uncommon bone disease
that makes it easy to break his bones, and he is in such constant pain that the
slightest touch can be painful. Once he was almost strangled to death by a
friendly drunk before help arrived.
Despite his meager circumstance Michael remains cheerful, compassionate,
humble and loving.
Michael’s story is only one of the many stories of suffering
caused in large part by the poor management. It seems as if there is no
management. There are no written rules, yet inmates must comply with nebulous
‘rules’ on the whim of the staff who are few and far between. There are no
rights for clients, simply obey or leave. The conditions at this place are
deplorable, unsanitary, and unnecessary. We can do better.
CONTACT INFORMATION
352-334-5000
Alachua County Contact
Adm., & Courts
Adm., Civil and Family
State of Florida
Office of Governor Rick Scott
State of Florida
The Capitol
(850) 488-7146
Grace Marketplace http://gracemarketplace.org/
Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry http://acchh.org/
WELCOME TO GRACE MARKETPLACE
GRACE Marketplace
Key service agencies in one location.
Phone: 352.792.0800
Address: 3055 NE 28th Drive ,
Gainesville , FL 32609
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| Site of Grace Marketplace sometime before it opened in the fall of 2014. Looks like a jail, feels like a loony bin/psycho asylum. Vast sturdy fencing surrounds the complex with only one gate for passage. The gate is kept locked sometimes, I'm not sure why. Are they locking people in or keeping people out? It sure makes it hard for people to get from the tents to the 'services'. |
The aerial photo was taken before
Grace Marketplace opened in the fall of 2014. Now in February of 2016 it has hundreds
of people sleeping outside, most in tents or nothing. Choice campsites may be
sold for perhaps $100. Campsites can be rented. There are a few water spigots
by the road and port-a-potties. All other amenities are located inside the
complex, accessible only through the front gate, a long walk from the tents.
The tents go way back into the woods. Let’s call them primitive campsites.
WELCOME TO GRACE MARKETPLACE, your one stop homeless
shopping stop. Bring your own cart. This used to be a jail and before that a psychiatric
facility. It features tall secure fencing and one gate. About half of the large
buildings stand empty with windows broken. Only one of the large buildings is
used for people to sleep inside on a bed. The Dorm is the large building in the
upper right, farthest away from the Welcome Center-Chapel-Dining Hall area
located on the lower right. The Dorm has men on one wing and women on the
other. Showers and bathrooms take up the third wing. There were 30 beds in the
apx. 30x60 ft. open room men’s side, until recently when bunk-beds were put in
to accommodate up to 60 men. There are significantly fewer women than men at Graceland ,
and only 17 beds on the woman’s side.
Oddly enough the few beds in the Dorm are only available to
people who work or have money coming in, like a disability check. Everyone else
sleeps outside. Grace Marketplace is NOT really a homeless shelter.
The Pavilion sleeps 60 on plastic pallets called ‘boats’ with makeshift
padding. Places in the Pavilion are sought after and there is a waiting list. Both
men and women are crammed in there and it is nick named ‘the pigeon coop’.
Recently, body lice was found in there and everyone was required to take a pill
and have there belongings sprayed. Rumor has it there is a guy, nicknamed
‘itchy-scratchy’ because he is always scratching himself, especially his
crotch. And he smells bad, but he is still sleeping in the pavilion. I don’t
like even going in there.
DIGNITY VILLAGE is the name given to where the tents are outside the fence.
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| Home Sweet Home for Judy - January 2016
This is what Judy can call home. The other night she broke
bones stumbling around in the night. I heard this from the woman who stays in a
tent near her. She said she had also injured herself while helping Judy.
At the website of Grace Marketplace, Judy’s face is featured
on their home page and in videos. Her picture that is used for the purpose of
soliciting donations was taken over a year ago. Clearly
They do keep the fence up and intact. The only entrance to
the compound is through the one front gate, slightly beyond the bottom of the
aerial photo. They keep the compound locked a fair amount of the time. We
wonder if they are keeping people out or locking people in. I was detained 45
minutes last night against my will. They have ‘rules’ that are not written down
and change depending on what the staff member on duty is thinking or doing. I
learned the hard way last night that the gate is locked at
I was pretty steamed at being locked in when I wanted out. On
another night the gate had been open after
|
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| Woman at Graceland
MORE NOTES
Keep in mind there is huge money in the charities business. When
I visited the Grace Marketplace website I found it to be all about soliciting
donations and fundraising activities. There not much else, and no contact
information.
Grace marketplace seems to be run by something called
Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry. They claim to be working
together to end homelessness in our community. Their website is a little
better, at least it offers one contact. The latest news offered is from March
2014. They have monthly meetings and someone who went once said it was
basically a pat each other on the back situation.
Please watch this promotional video for
YouTube: GRACE Marketplace 2015 #FundGRACE Campaign
Just like in Robin Hood’s time, the discarded people live as
best they can in the wilderness. The camping section is officially called
TWO BATHROOMS
Strangest of all is that there are only two indoor bathrooms
available for the hundreds of people who live here and they are not available
for an hour twice a day. Does that seem like a good plan? It isn’t, believe me.
When I got here they would open the chapel so folks could use the bathrooms
there while the
The
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Take it from me; don’t forget to wipe the seat first. |
There are port-a-potties out closer to the tent area and
quite a hike from the Welcome Center
MICHAEL’S STORY
Michael suffers constant chronic pain, with both hips
replaced, osteoporosis, scoliosis and Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI)
Definition
Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder
characterized by bones that break easily, often from little or no apparent
cause. A classification system of different types of OI is commonly used to
help describe how severely a person with OI is affected. For example, a person
may have just a few or as many as several hundred fractures in a lifetime.
Recommending a person in fragile health go to Grace
Marketplace is tantamount to condemning them to death row. It’s not a place for
sissies. Michael is not a criminal or drug addict. He is charming,
compassionate, and intelligent, has a great sense of humor and is a highly
sensitive person who has a lot of wisdom about life to share. He has been a
target for bullies all his life, and is not quick to defend himself. It’s often
hard for him to express himself with words, especially when dealing with
insensitive folks. He is especially shy about situations that involve authority
and/or bureaucratic BS. So naturally, he took the suggestion of the nice people
at the hospital, and rode the bus to Graceland .
Now after 14 months of austerity, having lots of stuff
stolen, (including the back brace the hospital discharged him with) Michael
continues to live his life as best he can. He was dreading the verdict about
whether he could stay on after a year or be kicked out. On Tuesday January 26, 2016 , his caseworker Jeff,
the gentle giant, informed him it was over. He had to choose between assisted
living or an apartment. Michael was overwhelmed with dismay and terror at the
prospect of ending back on the streets. Jeff wanted an immediate answer right
away. Michael, in shock about it managed to ask for another day. He could have
easily answered, he absolutely DOES NOT want assisted living, but the news of
eviction from the dorm was overwhelming.
The meeting the next day was not scheduled, Jeff just says
sometime tomorrow and Michael waits where he always sits in the Welcome
Center
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| BEHAVIORAL CONTRACT Michael was bullied into signing. |
BEHAVIORAL CONTRACT
I, Michael Davis acknowledge the fact that I have been in
the Dorm for over a year and it is time to move on from Grace. I have been
given 10 days to find suitable housing. By 10 days it means the days my case
manager is working and does not include weekends and days the office are
closed. I acknowledge that my Case manager will be working with me in depth to
find housing. If I fail to work with the Case manager in any fashion my time in
the dorm will come to an end. This does not mean that Michael Davis can not
receive any services or get a spot in the pavilion however Dorm stay has
reached its maximum time allowed. This contract goes into effect 1-27-2016 my exit date is 2-15-2016
Before I knew of the Behavioral Contract, I had the
opportunity to talk with Jeff who wholeheartedly assured me they were NOT going
to kick him out of the dorm before adequate housing was located. He was bald
faced lying to me. The eviction date was set. It sounds to me like they plan on
putting him in the Pavilion, whether or not Jeff succeeds in locating housing.
Knowing that Jeff is a dishonest, uncaring person who can barely write a
‘legal’ contract (Michael tells me Jeff had made 2 or three attempts at writing
this that got discarded prior to this one. I wonder about his education,
qualifications, experience or training to prepare him as a case manager.
In a desperate hope that maybe this was just some kind of
misunderstanding or mistake and if someone higher up was contacted, we could
work it out, I sent the following email.
from: Grandma KoKo
<gmakoko@gmail.com>
to: Acchh.ed@gmail.com
date: Wed, Jan 27, 2016 at 8:09 AM
subject: Grace
Marketplace
Am writing to ask for your assistance. I have been homeless
and living in my van for over a year. Just before new year I arrived in Gainesville
and found Grace Marketplace, also found a great job north of town. So I plan to
stay for the winter before I return to my hometown in Michigan .
During the weeks I have been at 'Graceland '
I have witnessed many things as you can imagine. What I found out yesterday
takes the prize for sinking to low levels of human depravity. An elderly
handicapped, gentleman in a wheelchair, who has been there a year without
'Grace' being able to help him find housing was told yesterday that his time is
up. He has ten days before he is turned back out into the streets. Imagine how
worried he is about that.
Grace Marketplace has had a year to work with him and has
failed to help him find something else. He doesn't know what to do. Frankly, my
best advice is that he become suicidal, (quite understandable given his
circumstance), and take a ride to the 'looney bin' where he will enjoy much
better accommodations. Perhaps people there will be better equipped to help him
find housing.
First of all he is starving like in a concentration camp. It
is hard for him to get going in time for breakfast M-F and if it is raining he
fears the raindrops will short out his motorized chair. So he misses breakfast
and gets along on crackers and crumbs. He used to enjoy his dinner before a
Nazi staff member decided to harass him about getting done with dinner at a
certain time. She has threatened him and punished him by locking access to his
wheelchair. He is so nervous about the harassment that it's hard for him to
eat. He needs three square meals a day.
If any staff in a nursing home was found to deprive a person
of their wheelchair as punishment, that is called elder abuse and we talk about
resident's rights. The staff responsible should be fired immediately at the
very least. Here at Grace it is simply called a domestic dispute. Despite
filling out grievance forms and a direct email to Jon, nothing has changed
regarding this violation of his civil rights and he continues to be harassed
and now kicked out.
I am literally begging and pleading for some help for this
guy.
There was no response to this email. Yet the next day Jeff,
his caseworker asked Michael if he was suicidal. I had not discussed my great
advice about going to a mental hospital being better than Graceland
with Michael. So I knew someone had gotten the email. This first email was sent
before Michael was forced to sign the BEHAVIORAL CONTRACT, and before Jeff lied
to me about not evicting Michael.
What follows is the next email I sent. This one got a brief
and terse response, the only response to date I have received from anyone
representing Grace Marketplace. The response directly follows the email.
from: Grandma KoKo
<gmakoko@gmail.com>
to: Acchh.ed@gmail.com
date: Thu, Jan 28, 2016 at 8:22 AM
subject: Michael at
Grace
Hello Again, it’s me Grandma KoKo
I know you received the email I sent yesterday
despite getting no response from you. So I will continue to attempt to
communicate with this email.
Michael was apprehensive the night before
about his meeting with Jeff on January 27, 2016 . He desperately
wanted someone to accompany him. Clearly he doesn’t feel Jeff is in his corner.
When I arrived at the Welcome Center
When I asked how it went he indicated not
good, he surreptitiously indicated that something even more horrible had
happened, but I had to wait until later to hear about it.
As it turned out Jeff came to the Welcome Center
Sharing this with Michael didn’t reassure him.
Later he talked about the horrible thing. It was that Jeff had betrayed him (my
words) by talking with another client about the plans for his moving out.
Michael was not ready to announce to ‘the community’ about this. He thought
what they talked about was confidential and Jeff should not have done this.
Then we talked about the Behavioral Contract
that he said he had been forced to sign under the threat of being expelled from
the dorm that very day if he didn’t sign it. After reading that contract I
myself am not reassured that he is not still under threat of having to move out
of the dorm before his home is ready for him. .
I am asking you to respond to this email and I
am asking you to state in writing that you are not intending to force him to
leave the dorm before adequate housing is secured for him.
I assume since you expect this to happen in 10
business days that everything is already lined up and all he has to do is
choose which apartment he wants. I also assume that a working budget has been
planned for him. I would like to see that budget plan if possible. I know how
long it can take to make this happen.
I am also offering to work with you to assist
in his smooth transition out of Graceland .
Carolyn Maple ‘Grandma KoKo’
my phone number
from: Executive
Director <acchh.ed@gmail.com>
to: Grandma KoKo
<gmakoko@gmail.com>
date: Thu, Jan 28, 2016 at 9:31 AM
subject: Re: Michael at
Grace
mailed-by: gmail.com
Good morning,
I relayed your concerns to our case managers. I am not at
liberty to discuss our guests with others.
Theresa
--
Theresa
Theresa Lowe, Executive Director
dba North Central Florida Coalition for the Homeless and
Hungry
(352) 792-0800
FAX: (352) 505-3977
acchh.ed@gmail.com
www.acchh.org
Serving Alachua, Bradford , Gilchrist,
Levy and Putnam Counties
Follow us on Facebook
On Friday I prepared an authorization to release information
form. Michael signed it and I delivered it. On Sunday I happened to find Jeff
on site. He was reluctant to speak with me. He venomously restated the Michael
was out on the 15th of February. He said he was still checking but
he didn’t think I could be Michaels advocate because I am also a client. Note: I
really don’t know what to call myself, client, resident, or what? I can tell
you I sure don’t feel like a guest, as Theresa Lowe chooses to call us. On
Sunday I sent the following email. No surprise it got no response to date.
from: Grandma KoKo
<gmakoko@gmail.com>
to: Acchh.ed@gmail.com
date: Sun, Jan 31, 2016 at 6:29 AM
subject: finding a home
for Michael Davis
Dear Executive Director for Grace Marketplace,
There has been no response from the case management at Grace
Marketplace, so I will continue to communicate directly to you.
I am pleading and begging you for mercy. Do not continue to
terrorize this gentle soul with your threat of eviction.
The so-called Behavioral Agreement he was forced to sign (by
threat of eviction that very day if he didn't sign) Wed, January 27, 2016 . Michael clearly stated to
Jeff, his case worker that he wanted to have someone else present with him.
I wanted to be there
but the meeting was never scheduled. The day before Michael was told by Jeff
there would be a meeting about ending his over a year stay in the dormitory.
There was no set time, just sometime that day. In the past I had experienced a
staff say there would be a meeting at some nebulous time, like 'in the morning'
The meeting never happened. So there was no way of knowing when or if this
meeting would occur.
Michael thought the Behavioral Agreement meant he needed to
be doing something every day or he would be kicked out sooner than the February
15 deadline. He thought Jeff would be taking him out to look at apartments on
Thursday, the next day. He waited all day for Jeff. The only contact from Jeff
was that he stopped into the Welcome Center
So Michael thinks because he isn't doing anything he will be
evicted any day. Each night he asks me to stay until he checks in to be sure he
has a bed.
In order to better understand the situation I request to see
any records you have about his approximately 14 month stay as a guest at Grace
Marketplace.
I had the opportunity to contact Occupy Gainesville. Perhaps
they can help secure adequate housing for Michael. I, personally am not
confident that Jeff -the gentle giant- will be successful in his quest to find
Michael a home before Feb. 15.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Maple
I have not sent anymore emails, what’s the point?
Next I’d like to share more about another way the staff and
management have been harassing Michael. Back in November of 2015 a staff member
had withheld Michael’s wheelchair to punish him. A grievance form had been
filled out at that time, the response to the grievance indicated that Michael
really does have to follow the ‘rules’. End of story. No concern for his
wheelchair problem or that this means he has about 15 minutes to eat his dinner
in order to comply.
I was present on Tuesday,
January 19, 2016 when his wheelchair was withheld for punishment. I
called 911 and sent Jon DeCarmine the following email. I have worked in a
nursing home and know this is unacceptable, possibly illegal. I assumed Jon
would address this problem quickly. It turns out he walked by the dining hall
at breakfast time the very next morning and someone pointed him out so I went
to meet him and engage him in conversation about this. He said he got the email
but was too busy with putting kids to bed and such to have given it any
attention. He said, ‘Do me a favor and fill out a grievance form’. His demeanor
was cold and uncaring. He didn’t really give a flying fig. I knew the request
for a grievance form meant he wasn’t going to do anything about it. I didn’t
know at that time about the previous incident and grievance form receiving no
resolution.
The grievance form I did file will explain things in more
detail and is included directly after the email to Jon.
Grandma KoKo <gmakoko@gmail.com>
to: jdecarmine@gracemarketplace.org
date: Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 7:21 PM
subject: incident 1-19-16 at the Welcome center
Dear Jon,
Am writing to share the incident/disturbance that occurred
tonight. Michael our elderly handicapped client who depends on his motorized
wheelchair was harassed by Angelica. She refused to let him get it after
dinner. Apparently she enjoys treating a small person like he is a naughty
school boy.
He leaves his chair in the welcome center to keep it safe. The
dining hall is not wheelchair friendly and he does not have room to maneuver in
there. So he walks to the dining hall. His chair has his stuff so he can't
leave it outside or his stuff could get stolen. Angelica is the only staff that
gives him grief about this.
Am writing to tell you the story and to ask for help. Michael
should be allowed to enjoy his dinner without rushing to meet her deadline. I'm
sure together we can find a better way.
thank you,
Grandma KoKo
aka Carolyn Maple
Grievance and incident report 1-19-16 6:30 pm .
Brief description of incident as handwritten on the official
NCFCHH/GRACE Marketplace Grievance Form
On Tuesday
1-19-2016 when Michael came to the Welcome
Center 6:40 by myself. Officer Meek was dispatched.
He allowed Michael to get his chair. Angelica has harassed and threatened
Michael on previous occasions regarding this issue. She continued to terrorize
him later the same evening by threatening him with a meeting in the morning
that was in fact fictional. She intentionally lied to him.
More details are attached.
Content of more details:
On January 19, 2016 Michael was denied access to
his motorized vehicle. A staff named Angelica was holding it hostage to punish
him. She and she alone among the staff decided to harass Michael by insisting
he move his cart by a certain time. Michael is a peaceful, gentle person, who
simply wants to eat his supper with friends. Grace Marketplace is not equipped
to adequately accommodate the needs of the handicapped client population.
Just a night or two before this incident, I had witnessed
Michael returning from dinner to retrieve his motorized chair. Angelica met him
at the door and verbally assaulted him. Michael is a mild mannered person who
tries hard to follow the rules and not make trouble. Angelica treated him like
he was a naughty child and her tone of voice was like a schoolmarm scolding a
wayward child. At first I thought she was joking with him, but it quickly
became apparent that she was in earnest. She said something like this “Now
Michael, you know you HAVE to get your chair before we clean. You’ve been told
repeatedly and you better shape up! Don’t let this happen again. You are
handicapped so you can just go to the front of the line early, get your food
and be done in time.”
I was shocked and appalled that something as insignificant
as him coming in a few minutes after they start cleaning to get his chair
should be any problem at all. According to Michael, none of the other staff
have talked to him about this or prevented him from getting his chair. They
start cleaning at the bathrooms on the other side of the room anyway.
On January 19, 2016 ,
the night of the incident, Michael arrived very close to 6:30 . Yet the door was locked. I knocked and the volunteer
inside cleaning seemed flustered, but did not open the door. I continued to
knock louder. The volunteer went to Mission Control, (the little office for
staff in the Welcome Center 6:40 .
Officer Meek arrived shortly and first consulted with
Angelica. Then both Angelica and the Officer spoke with Michael. Angelica made
it seem like Michael was deliberately not following ‘the rules’, when in
reality there is no rule about this and Michael is an elder, disabled, slow
moving gentleman who would enjoy having more than 15 minutes to eat his dinner.
Michael manages to keep a cheerful and compassionate nature, despite his
crippling pain and meager circumstance. He is well loved by so many. Michael
was reminded by the officer that he doesn’t have to be here at Grace
Marketplace. What a terrible thing to have said to him. Last I knew,
homelessness is not a choice. Imagine how Michael felt being caught in the
center of this chaotic storm, with a covert threat of being expelled from the
compound. This incident comes while Michael is worried about getting kicked out
anyway, not knowing if Grace would let him stay longer than a year. Michael
feared the wheelchair ruckus would result in him being kicked out.
After the additional haranguing by the Officer, who later called
it a domestic dispute, and Angelica
gloating because she feels somehow this justifies her cruelty; Michael was
allowed to get his chair. Please note that in all this time Michael had been
left standing.
Michael moved out in his chair by the back bench where he
usually sits while they clean the Welcome
Center
Michael was shaken by the incident and the police attention.
(Not to mention being center show at the Graceland
Welcome Center
He was terrified at the prospect of the fictional meeting in
the morning.
Next I’d like to explain a little more about the situation
with his wheelchair and dinnertime by explaining more about suppertime at Graceland .
On Friday night January
22, 2016 , the doors opened to begin serving about 5:45 .
People stand in line outside. There is a separate line for the
handicapped and they go first. The other line was already quite long. When the
doors open there is more commotion than if a person waits until later. It is my
preference, as well as many others to wait until the line gets down. Avoid the
hubbub. Many people get their food and take it somewhere else, and that’s a
good thing because the dining hall could not seat but a fraction of the meals
served.
So Michael prefers to wait until the line is shorter. Then
he walks over, leaving his wheelchair in the Welcome
Center
So on this night of January
22, 2016 , I timed things exactly to give an accurate report.
Michael headed over earlier than he might have and even so, by the time he got
through the line and seated it was 6:10pm .
Keep in mind it is an effort for him to walk over and stand so he likes to have
a minute to settle and catch his breath. Michael is always joined by his
friends and it is nice to be able to share some social time over dinner.
Instead of being able to enjoy his dinner, Michael is nervous about the time,
watching the clock, wondering if Angelica is working. Angelica wasn’t working,
but at 6:30 promptly the staff
closes the kitchen, asking people to leave so they can start cleaning. As it
turned out that night they didn’t start cleaning the Welcome
Center 7:00pm .
Michael would prefer to have his chair with him for dinner,
but since he has to leave it somewhere, better in the Welcome Center than
outside, because of the possibility of theft.
Possible solutions:
- Simply
allow him to leave his chair in the
- Make a way for him to ride his chair to dinner.
- Change
the time for cleaning the
Thank you for reading this, I hope and pray that you will
find a speedy solution to this problem.
In closing I want to thank every brave soul who has read
this far. I have many ideas about how to make Graceland
a much better place. Thinking about calling it KoKo’s wish list; making a list,
checking it twice, gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.
This is but one of many stories about people ‘evicted’ from
‘Grace’. There will be more to come on telling stories.
I am your scout and this is my report.
