Giving a Hand Up, not a Handout

Beginning in 2006, community leaders, led by Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce President Ted Corcoran, including members of the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce Board, area nonprofits, churches, law enforcement, municipal and county governments, and interested residents and volunteers, began meeting to answer an important question: What could be done to assist people who had fallen on hard times in Okaloosa County? Ted Corcoran’s vision and leadership united the community around a common purpose and drove the mission from its earliest days, laying the foundation for what would become One Hopeful Place.

As local organizations expanded their efforts to meet the growing needs of men and women experiencing homelessness, one thing became increasingly clear: the community needed a coordinated solution. At a 2009 conference attended by more than 150 local leaders, one decision was unanimous. The community needed a shelter where people experiencing homelessness could receive a hand up, not a handout.

A Home for Hope Is Found

City of Fort Walton Beach leaders began consolidating departments in 2014, making available the former Public Works property, an eight-acre site that had once served as a wastewater treatment facility. Located in the northwest corner of the city, the property offered the ideal location for the shelter the community had envisioned. The City of Fort Walton Beach and Community Solutions of the Emerald Coast entered into a long-term agreement that allowed the property to be transformed into a place where people experiencing homelessness could rebuild their lives. Chamber Board members Stephen Smith and Nick Chubb played instrumental roles in moving the project forward. Nick Chubb also created the name One Hopeful Place – a name that would come to represent not only the eight-acre campus, but also the community’s shared vision of hope.

One Hopeful Place Begins

Recognizing the importance of the project for Okaloosa County, Senator Don Gaetz and Representative Matt Gaetz advocated for state funding to assist with renovations during the early phases of One Hopeful Place. State funding, grants, donations, and community support helped convert an old pole barn, once used to store lawn equipment, into the first residential building. Groundbreaking for Phase I took place in April 2016. The first men’s shelter opened later that year, initially serving 20 men with an emphasis on veterans. What began with limited capacity continued to grow as the community rallied around the mission. Men who needed a little assistance getting their lives back on track were given a safe place to live while working toward stability and independence.

Expanding the Mission

Additional state support and community investment made it possible to renovate the large cinder-block building known as Phase II. The building received a new roof, walls, security improvements, and other essential renovations. In 2018, a commercial kitchen was added with support from IMPACT100 of the Emerald Coast, creating a place to prepare meals for participants and strengthening the campus’s ability to serve the community. When Phase II was completed in late 2020, the men’s residential capacity expanded from 20 to 50 beds. The expansion also made it possible to transform Phase I into Okaloosa County’s first shelter dedicated to single women experiencing homelessness, allowing OHP to broaden its mission and serve even more individuals in need.

Meeting the Challenges of COVID-19

As One Hopeful Place continued to grow, the organization also responded to the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2022, it had become Okaloosa and Walton County’s primary shelter for unaccompanied adults experiencing homelessness. When participants needed to be safely isolated after testing positive for COVID-19, UTS Systems provided a military-grade, weatherproof quarantine tent, continuing its support of One Hopeful Place that began during the organization’s earliest days before permanent facilities were constructed. Through every challenge, One Hopeful Place remained committed to providing safe shelter and essential services to those in need.

Expanding Services Beyond Shelter

With both residential programs in operation, One Hopeful Place continued developing into more than a shelter. The Day Program expanded opportunities to serve individuals experiencing homelessness who were not residing on campus, providing meals, showers, access to community resources, and a pathway to housing and supportive services. Participants received structured case management and connections to behavioral healthcare, primary care, employment assistance, transportation support, veterans’ services, benefits, and housing resources. The goal remained clear: helping each participant move from crisis toward self-sufficiency and permanent housing. Community support remained essential. Churches, volunteers, civic organizations, businesses, donors, government partners, and service providers supplied meals, basic necessities, funding, professional services, and encouragement. Every partnership strengthened the village surrounding each participant.