Gainesville’s Dignity Village: Homeless to Housing
A 2020 Crown Communities Award Winner
Gainesville, Fla. – A successful project by the City of Gainesville and GRACE Marketplace in the fight to end chronic homeless has earned a 2020 Crown Communities Award from digital news outlet, American City & County.

The collaborative undertaking helped connect individuals living in Dignity Village, a makeshift encampment on City-owned land, with social services and permanent housing. The camp was closed in 2020.

“This award recognizes the efforts of all those who remain committed to transitioning people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing. That’s the only solution to homelessness, and we do so with a focus on treating each neighbor with love, dignity and respect,” said Assistant City Manager Deborah Bowie.
In 2014, Dignity Village formed next to GRACE, the area’s largest shelter and service provider, when a nearby tent city closed. By 2019, a transition plan was developed to identify the occupants and match them with a housing specialist to coordinate placement into stable housing.

GRACE Executive Director Jon DeCarmine believes receiving national recognition on the closure of the Dignity Village provides validation that the city and its partners are moving in the right direction.

“We hope the recognition by American City & County will help other communities that are looking for a successful model designed to help those experiencing homelessness that’s driven by what people want and need,” DeCarmine said. “With the assistance of the City, our outreach teams were able to reduce the Dignity Village roster by 86 percent in one year,” he said.
The teams helped those at Dignity Village relocate onto a managed, temporary campground area at GRACE. The transition process not only helped address the critical needs of neighbors, it significantly reduced calls for emergency service from Gainesville Fire Rescue — from three or four daily calls to less than one per day. Similarly, the number of weekly calls to Gainesville Police Department have decreased by more than 75 percent. Today, local health service providers also offer weekly COVID-19 testing and immunization at GRACE.

Each year, American City & County presents the annual award to local governments whose projects offer value to the communities they serve.

“The annual submissions are innovated, impactful projects that are judged on uniqueness and effectiveness,” said Associate Editor Jason Axelrod.

Gainesville’s Dignity Village: Homeless to Housing is profiled online with fellow 2020 Crown Communities Award recipients: El Paso County, TX; Harris County, TX (Precinct 2); City of Minot, N.D.; City of Rock Hill, S.C.; and the South Bay Cities Council of Governments, CA.

For additional information, contact City of Gainesville Public Information Officer Rossana Passaniti at 352-393-7842 or [email protected].

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