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Camillus House News
NEW CAMILLUS HOUSE CENTER IS A REALITY THANKS TO MANY
October 31, 2008
by Veronica Montali
Left to Right: Maria Alonso, Bank of America; Kimberly Palmer, Merrill Lynch; Brother Justin Howson, Brothers of the Good Shepherd; Bishop John Noonan, Archdiocese of Miami; Lorenzo Lebrija, Knight Foundation; Dr. Paul R. Ahr, President & CEO of Camillus House; Bob Dickinson, Chairman of Camillus House, Dr. Kate Callahan, Chairwoman of Camillus Health Concern, Gene Shaeffer, Bank of America; Cheryl Rees, Ocean Bank; Linda Coll, Carnival Foundation.
A flawless rendition of “Lean on Me” sung in sweet harmony by the men and women of the Courtyard Choir provided a pitch perfect soundtrack for a celebration 24 years in the making. Amazingly, not so long ago the members of this choir were alone, on the streets of Miami.
On October 22nd, a joyous gathering of thankful church, government, private sector and Camillus representatives and clients as well as donors, advocates and community activists marked the start of construction of Camillus House’s new home on a 3.1-acre lot adjacent to the intersection of US95 and 836. Camillus House first began its search for permission to move to a new home in 1984.
The seven building center will provide a “safe-haven” and services for up to 4,500 persons each year who are homeless and in need of food, shelter, medical attention and job training. The new center will be built following the latest “green” construction guidelines, which will provide Camillus House with a significant reduction in operational costs.
The center, which is located in Miami’s health district, an area surrounded by other well-established medical, research and community service buildings, includes a central courtyard and a total of 340 beds including emergency shelter beds, rehabilitation and treatment beds, 80 permanent housing units and 64 beds for individuals in job training programs.
“This is a real celebration, which showcases Miami at its finest,” said City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz. Diaz acknowledged the importance of the partnership of civic, private and community members, emphasizing the critical role of Commissioners Joe Sanchez and Angel Gonzalez, also present at the event, who worked hard to ensure that the deal that brought a new home for Camillus House also benefited the surrounding communities.
“It’s not just about building a homeless facility,” Diaz noted, “it’s about the private sector stepping in.” Diaz pledged, on behalf of the City, $10 million towards the project, which will come from Community Redevelopment Agency funds.
Commenting on how the expansion of the Camillus House organization benefits the Miami community as a whole, Bishop John Noonan, executive director of the Archdiocese of Miami’s Ministry to Persons, cited the Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s emphasis on the “willingness to help” that should be always present in every human being.
Allapattah and Overtown community activists Mariano Cruz, Mateo Arizmendi and Karen Cartwright took the stage and stressed the importance of working together in favor of the betterment of the community and finding a place for people who are sleeping on the local streets.
The gathering also featured powerful testimonials from former Camillus House clients Chester Bryant and Juan Marrero. The two men shared details of how a past immersed in alcohol and drug addictions became a present full of hope and accomplishments, thanking Camillus House for providing them with tools for a “new life.” Both men are graduates of Camillus’ Institute of Social and Personal Adjustment, a nine-month drug & alcohol recovery program, and are now members of the Camillus House staff.
On behalf of the charity, Dr. Paul R. Ahr, President & CEO of Camillus House and Brother Justin Howson, Brother General of the Brothers of the Good Shepherd took the podium to thank each individual who made this day possible. Brother Justin was delighted adding “good things happen to those who wait.” He thanked benefactors and supporters and stressed the importance of providing the skills that will help the homeless achieve their life’s’ potential, a cause the Congregation earnestly strives to fulfill.
Dr. Ahr chronicled the many turning points in the journey to secure the land. He emphasized how along the way officials from the City, the Department of Transportation and the University of Miami were guided by the goal of advancing our community’s best interest.
The University of Miami transferred the property, where Camillus is to build its new center, on June 10th to the State of Florida, which granted Camillus House a 60-year lease on the land. In exchange, the university obtained state-owned property where it will build its new Bioscience Center Research Center.
Subsequently, Dr. Ahr delivered in Spanish and English a personal promise to the immediate communities of Allapatah and Overtown to operate a secure facility that would make them proud.
After asserting that reaching this milestone is a tribute to the spirit of brotherhood that has guided Camillus House for nearly half a century, and the great strides taken by Alvah Chapman and Ron Book to end homelessness, Bob Dickinson, Chairman of Camillus House, wrapped up the celebration declaring that Miami “will be the first major city in the country to end chronic homelessness.”
Dickinson, who also heads the “Open The Door to Hope” capital campaign to raise the $88 million needed to complete the construction of the New Camillus Center by June 2010, thanked guests representing organizations that have supported this project such as the Archdiocese of Miami, Bank of America, Carnival Foundation, City of Miami, Paul J. DiMare Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Ocean Bank, and Miami-Dade County.
Dickinson then introduced Lorenzo Lebrija of the Knight Foundation who announced a pledge of $2 million toward the campaign from the Foundation. He also extended an invitation to other private foundations to join in as donors, calling the Camillus House project a “big idea” that many other communities would love to have in their own backyard. The center’s future executive office building will be named after John S. and James L. Knight.
Before closing, Dickinson urged everyone to get involved with this important campaign. “We need help. This will not be done on my good looks,” smiled Mr. Dickinson, who along with wife, Jodi, has donated $5 million to the project. “We only have 17 million to go.”
For more information on the New Camillus House Center visit Camillus House’s campaign website at www.camillus-ODH.org.
