Mission House
For many years, members and volunteers at four local churches in the Beaches area provided food and clothing to individuals experiencing homelessness, with no single location as a base. In February 1997, these churches, together with over 162 donors, purchased the property at 800 Shetter Avenue in Jacksonville Beach, now known as Mission House.
Their mission is, “to provide housing assistance, healthcare and supportive services, including food, clothing, and case management that inspires hope and rebuilds lives.”
They work to achieve this mission by offering their core programs of Crisis Care, Mission House Clinic, and Rapid Re-Housing.
Their Crisis Care program is available 7 days a week, and its aim is to assist individuals experiencing homelessness in obtaining safe, stable, affordable housing by alleviating crisis needs. This includes warm meals, shower facilities, clean clothing and access to case management. Case management connects the clients to housing, income and employment opportunities, and links them to resources and referrals to address factors that impact housing and income stability
Their Clinic aims to provide completely free primary care healthcare services to uninsured patients in the community, as well as clients experiencing homelessness, with income below federal poverty levels. They can refer patients for free specialty care where necessary, and includes mainly volunteer physicians, nurses and specialists, with a small number of full-time staff.
For more information, please visit their website www.missionhousejax.org
Pine Castle
Pine Castle, located at 4911 Spring Park Road, is a leader in serving adults with intellectual and development differences (I/DD) and providing support to their families across Northeast Florida, committed to assisting anyone with differences.
Pine Castle was founded in 1952 by a group of 33 families of children with I/DD. No local programs or schools existed at that time to provide support services, except for a few distant residential institutions run by the state. Over the years, Pine Castle has transitioned to a work and life skills training and activity center for adults with I/DD.
Today, more than 300 individuals attend daily programs to learn valuable skills. From basic academic training and hands-on job experience to leisure activities and life skills coaching, Pine Castle provides a wide range of opportunities to Learn, Work and Connect. Their vision is for a community where persons with intellectual and development differences achieve their potential for independence.
For more information, please visit their website www.pinecastle.org