Across north central Florida, hundreds of individuals live without a permanent house with most of them residing in Alachua County.
Gainesville, the largest city in the county, has different resources available to individuals who need a temporary home, hygienic resources or just a quick shower. According to the 2025 Point-in-Time Count, 887 individuals in the region were identified as experiencing homelessness. Of those, 746 of them were located in Alachua County.
But impact takes more than just one person. It requires help from the community. To meet those needs, different homeless shelters around the area give anyone willing to help several options to do so.
Here are three homeless shelters for Gainesville residents looking to create a long-lasting impact on the homeless community.
1. St. Francis House
Founded in 1980, St. Francis House focuses on serving single women and families with children.
“Our main goal is to make sure that they get the basic needs met, then we work with them and get them into permanent housing,” said Lauri Schiffbauer, the executive director of St. Francis House.
Alongside an overnight shelter, the St. Francis House also provides day services. Every day from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., it opens its doors to individuals who need food, toiletries and other basic necessities.
In its efforts to permanently house those they serve, the shelter also purchased Arbor House in 2013, which serves as a two-year transitional housing program for single women.
“People in the shelter are very friendly,” she said. “They love when community members come because it makes them feel appreciated and not stigmatized.”
For those looking to donate, St. Francis House accepts donations both in the form of money and essential items.
For essential items, St. Francis House has different ways to ship products directly to the shelter, including an Amazon wish list and a Target registry. The website also lists their most-needed donation items, which nearby residents can drop off at the shelter daily between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. To donate money, anyone can do so directly through the website or by mail.
However, a donation is not the only way someone can help. St. Francis House welcomes volunteers, individuals and groups, looking to make an impact at the shelter.
Whether it’s assisting with tutoring, food services or special events, individuals in the community can see firsthand how their efforts make a difference.
Carson Lokey, who helped out at the shelter’s World Homeless Day event through Tree City Church, said the experience was a blessing.
“It kind of helps you reset and gain a new perspective,” he said. “When you start to help out and talk to other people that are going through homelessness, you realize that my problems aren't as big as I really thought they are.”
Schiffbauer said she hoped that getting involved showed people in the community that homeless individuals are real people.
“I hope they spread the word that there's a need, and I hope they spread the word that we need to share compassion with everyone,” Schiffbauer said.
St. Francis House is located at 413 S. Main St.
2. GRACE Marketplace
Opening its doors in 2014, Grace Marketplace is a hub for homeless individuals in search of a temporary shelter or other resources. The shelter took over the Gainesville Correctional Institution’s site after it closed in 2011. The location is now named Grace Campus, said Darius Williams, Grace Marketplace’s CEO.
Although Grace Campus does not house children, it provides services ranging from yoga and meditation classes to birth certificate and document support.
Outside of the shelter, Grace Marketplace brings resources to those who cannot go to the location through their street outreach program. It also provides housing programs.
But the impact is not possible through just one person, Williams said.
“It takes a community, so all the support is welcome,” he said. “Not only are you just helping individuals out who are experiencing homelessness, but it helps our community
as a whole to grow.”
For those interested in giving monetary resources, one-time and monthly donations are accepted.
For those looking to donate items, Grace Marketplace has an Amazon wish list, allowing direct shipping to the shelter. There is also a list of ongoing needs on the website, which can be brought into the shelter any day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Hosting a drive to provide basic needs is another way that individuals can get involved.
But for Gainesville residents looking for a more personal way to help, Grace Marketplace welcomes volunteers.
Serving a meal at Café 131, the shelter’s dining hall, and taking a shift at the donation center are just two ways to make an impact at Grace Marketplace.
Lucianna Pahim, a 21-year-old Gainesville resident who has volunteered at the shelter, said doing so was a big learning experience.
“I hope anyone who volunteers or donates takes the time to listen to the advocates and educate themselves,” she said. “It is really easy for us to judge others and think we know what they are going through, but really we can never really understand if we don’t take the time to learn.”
For Williams, he hopes that individuals take in the impact that it creates not only on those they are serving but also on themselves.
“When you volunteer, especially with people who are experiencing homelessness, it brings that human element to it,” he said.”It gives you a sense of purpose and being a part of your community.”
Grace Marketplace is located at 3055 NE 28th Drive.
3. Family Promise of Gainesville
Started in 1998, Family Promise of Gainesville gives families and children experiencing homelessness a network of resources to work towards permanent housing.
The homeless service has paused its rotational shelter program to focus on building the Promise Center, which will serve as a permanent location for those in need of beds. However, families who need shelter are currently housed in rental units and hotels, said Taryn Rivera Buckley, Family Promise of Gainesville’s board president.
Aside from sheltering, the homeless service also has diversion and stabilization programs.
Diversion programs provide resources like negotiation with landlords and finding housing. Stabilization programs help ensure that families remain housed, offering services like budgeting classes and job opportunities.
As the homeless service works to be able to house and provide more resources to families and children in need, help from the community is vital, Buckley said.
“We need tons of volunteers to make things happen,” she said. “Whether you're trying to donate your time, your talent and your treasure, there's a way to get that.”
Monetary donations are welcome, whether that is a one-time or a monthly donation.
For those looking to donate items, Family Promise of Gainesville’s Amazon wish list is a great place to start. Individuals can also bring basic necessities like toiletries, food and clothing to the shelter’s day center, which opens Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Gainesville residents wishing to volunteer can do so in a number of ways. Whether it is serving meals, helping out at fundraising events or hosting activities for children in the program, Family Promise of Gainesville has something for everyone.
And involvement makes a difference.
People who have gone through the program, like Rachael Ryan, who is now the interim executive director for Family Promise of Gainesville, have felt the impact of donors and volunteers.
“The volunteers were nicer to us than anyone else had ever been, and they didn't even know us,” she said.
Family Promise of Gainesville is located at 229 SW Fifth St.
Ryan has now been working with Family Promise of Gainesville since 2022, a position she called “the most rewarding job.”
Whether Gainesville residents are looking to donate their money, time or energy toward a shelter, just one small bit of involvement can be the difference for a homeless individual in need.