Rebuilding Their Lives Thanks to The Lord’s Place and the Health Care District

When eight members of the Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s Executive Team served lunch to clients at The Lord’s Place in West Palm Beach, they ended up leaving with their own plates full of gratitude and appreciation.  As part of the “Adopt the Café for a Day” program, the group volunteered to serve meals and sit down with over 60 homeless people from the community. In return, the guests expressed their thanks for the services provided by both The Lord’s Place and the Health Care District, which they said have helped them rebuild their lives and get back on their feet.
The Lord’s Place is a non-profit organization with the mission of breaking the cycle of homelessness in Palm Beach County. The Lord’s Place provides life skills necessary for clients to gain employment and afford housing.

The visit kicked off with a tour of the facility, led by David Rogers, Volunteer Coordinator. Rogers described The Lord’s Place job ready program and how its two social enterprise businesses, Joshua Catering and Joshua Thrift, help provide clients with real-world experience and employment.
“My mind is blown away by the sheer scope of our programs and services,” said Rogers.

The social impact agency provides housing to more than 300 formerly homeless individuals at any one time through 15 residential campuses and leased apartments throughout the county. The agency also provides job training, job placement, financial literacy workshops and other programs designed to bring individuals back to self-sufficiency.
“Having the Health Care District’s Mobile Health Clinic (bus) here twice a week (to provide medical care to clients) is truly a lifesaver,” Rogers added. Launched in 2018, the Mobile Health Clinic works with organizations like The Lord’s Place to bring health services to the homeless and underserved where they live. 

After the tour, the team set up Café Joshua with a buffet lunch that included chicken, turkey, pork, rice, mashed potatoes, vegetables, soup, salad and iced tea. Members of the District’s Executive Team took meal orders, served the food and sat down to converse with the clients.  The leadership team enjoyed the experience and having a chance to meet with the clients.

Participating from the Health Care District were (from left to right): Dawn Richards, VP & Chief Financial Officer; Valerie Shahriari, VP & General Counsel; Darcy J. Davis, Chief Executive Officer; Steven Hurwitz, VP of Human Resources and Communications;  Deborah Hall, Compliance and Privacy Consultant; Thomas Cleare, PhD, MBA, VP of Strategy; Belma Andric, MD, MPH, VP & Chief Medical Officer; and Karen Harris, VP of Field Operations;