Thursday evening the Multi County Community Service Agency and Leadership Lauderdale rededicated the Francis W. Davidson homeless facility. The name of the building was changed from “shelter” to “center for homelessness” to better reflect the services offered.
“We have day-to-day assessment of our clients. We also have our multi-transit system, which allows us to carry them to workforce development meetings. We provide meals for them each day. We provide laundry services for them,” said Ronald Collier, the executive director at the Multi County Community Service Agency.
But the building got more than just a name change. It got a complete makeover.
“We planted shrubs. We gave them a table with an umbrella. We planted trees and gave them a picnic bench. We also painted the outside,” said Tiffany Hickman, a member of the Leadership Lauderdale team.
The purpose of the project was to help residents feel more at home.
“When people come home for a three-month period, which is normally the maximum an individual will stay, when they come into the center, we want them to have the air of coming home,” said Collier.
Leadership Lauderdale raised over $2,000 for the beautification project.
“After finishing the project, we still had money left over. We decided to hand that money over so they could use it for things they need on the inside, whether it be furniture or painting the inside,” said Hickman.
The Francis W. Davidson Center for Homelessness can serve up to 32 individuals at a time.
.png)