Camillus House is undeniably one of the largest service providers of homeless services in Miami-Dade County but beyond shelter and sanctuary for more than 1,750 individuals nightly, Camillus also offers an array of programs and services that meaningfully transforms the beaten path from homelessness to housed, from joblessness to fulfilling employment, and from scarcity to self-sufficiency.
Not many know about the holistic and multi-faceted workforce development programming or our life changing veterans programming. Camillus House’s valued client, Kendrick Moore, can attest to the best of both worlds because he has not only been a recipient of these services but has also thrived and flourished through the benefits of these programs.
Kendrick Moore’s journey with Camillus House starts back in 2022 when he was referred from Veteran Affairs (VA)’s programming for low-income veterans. Having been away from home for service, Kendrick came back to a solitary life in Florida where he could not build connections nor community. He persisted through these challenging times as he navigated through the physical pain and ailments of knee injury from the days of his military service.
It was difficult to retain employment and manage the overwhelming pressure of a fast-paced life. Having been raised by his grandparents, it was only natural for Kendrick to feel isolated after their passing. Struggling through depression and homelessness, it took some time for Kendrick to find a safe refuge.
“Camillus connected me with valuable resources that helped me find housing. I was able to receive public housing, furniture cost and move-in expenses too.” Kendrick shares. Through Camillus House’s veterans programming, eligible veterans also receive support for move-in expenses and furniture costs. A house can only feel like a home when there are enough household items required for comfortable and dignified living. Our veteran clients value this transformative journey towards regaining safe housing and dignity.
Once Kendrick received shelter, medical attention and compassionate care through Camillus House and sister agency Camillus Health Concern, it opened avenues for him to explore and seek his true calling. In June 2023, Kendrick graduated from Camillus’s Kitchen Cook Employment Training program as part of the Workforce Development initiative that offers extensive and comprehensive work training in partnership with local institutes in areas of construction trade, culinary, etc. to launch clients into promising careers.
Today, Kendrick has found belongingness as a Camillus family member, and he feels a higher sense of purpose through his engagement in culinary programming. While struggling through depression after he was medically discharged from his military services, Kendrick had a hard time finding companionship, connection and community. Today, he wakes up rejuvenated, looking forward to mastering his culinary craft by working together and alongside his beloved community at Camillus.
From being a resident of Camillus House Veterans Transitional Housing program to graduating the Kitchen Cook program to working as a Teaching Assistant for helping other graduates grow and prosper like him, Kendrick’s resilient journey does not slow down here. He has bigger dreams to fulfill and longer miles to go. He has greater aspirations to become a teacher of Culinary Arts at Miami Dade College someday! Thanks to the two incredible scholarships he has already received, he is on his way to completing his educational pursuits to becoming certified in the next few years. Kendrick is the epitome of hope and resilience. His story is of transformations and how it takes a village/ a community of resources and programming that can impactfully change the trajectory of someone’s life. Kendrick has persisted and continued to tap into the resources available to him by optimizing the wide, huge array of services offered by Camillus House.
At Camillus, we are honored to serve the underserved population standing at the intersectionality of race, class, disability, gender, veteran status. More than 60% of clients we serve are Black and facing systemic racism and intergenerational trauma. When we uplift clients like Kendrick, we are uplifting their stories of success and triumph. We are grateful to have a strong base of community partners who support our veterans programming and our workforce development initiatives, and we are always seeking meaningful support to amplify and elevate these causes.
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