Do you wonder why Fernandina Beach does not have a large homeless population.
For one, we have an excellent Police Department and many support organizations on the island. One big impact is Henry Green and his nonprofit Grace and Gratitude Sober Living – a nonprofit halfway house. I met Henry this week and was captivated by his story and his impact on our entire community. His program is saving many residents from homelessness or incarceration.
Going into this meeting with Henry, I was thinking “who wants a halfway house in their neighborhood”. After meeting Henry and walking through each of the houses, I am so thankful that our community is blessed to have Henry Green here. Henry has saved over 350 individuals through his program – probably much higher!
I want you to hear good news on our island and Henry is someone who needs to get a Wink from us.
Stay tuned for a short series of posts about this amazing story of saving the neediest in our community. And, unfortunately, as you might expect, the City is opposing him and making it difficult for him to save these folks and keep the homeless off our streets.
Maybe our city leaders would prefer how California takes care of their homeless. This picture was sent to me by my son who lives in Santa Monica, California. Let’s hope we can figure out how to work with activists like Henry to make it work for all of us.
