Beds for the homeless in the new Three Oaks service center
Lexington Park, MD — They say it takes a village. In this particular case the village was immense. Speakers at the June 14 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new service center located adjacent to the Three Oaks Center, a homeless shelter in Lexington Park, listed countless examples of that energetic community support.
Three Oaks Center Executive Director Lanny Lancaster explained at the ribbon cutting that the new center serves three purposes–emergency shelter, longer-term shelter for those requiring continuing medical care and a resource center for homeless veterans. He said the facility is the second of its kind in the state, with the first being in Baltimore.
A large crowd attended the outdoor ceremony in front of the mobile unit that houses the new service center. Monies for the trailer were advanced by St. Mary’s County and will be reimbursed by the state through a Community Development Block Grant.
But the trailer is only a small portion of the story relayed by Lancaster and other speakers about the huge community involvement that led to the ribbon-cutting. For instance, defense contractors New Directions Technologies Inc (NDTI) and Booz Allen Hamilton supplied the computers and furniture for the veteran’s service center.
The bright landscaping in front of the trailer was accomplished by a group of 61 veterans the weekend before the ribbon-cutting.
An organization called WARM (Wrapping Arms Around Men), which has thousands of volunteers, will be a key player in the new facility, as will the St. Mary’s County Department of Social Services and MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital.
Other organizations cited by Lancaster and other speakers included Department of Aging and Community Services, Housing Authority of St. Mary’s County, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Navy Supply Corps, Millison Group, Sabre Systems, Inc., St. Mary’s County Public Library, Whitney, Bradley & Brown; Fleet & Family Support Center and the Disabled American Veterans.
“We couldn’t do what we do without these agencies,” Lancaster said. He especially singled out the assistance of Dennis Nicholson of the Housing Authority and Ella Mae Russell of the Department of Social Services.
Lancaster also called out for special attention Reuben Berry, Three Oaks’ facilities manager. Berry was formerly homeless and a Three Oaks client. “He changed his entire life and never left,” Lancaster said.
Another business always willing to do something for the community, Mission BBQ, supplied lunch for the attendees after the formal ribbon-cutting.
Three Oaks had hoped to have the new service center open last winter but the state red tape slowed things down. But it is now up and running.
The Veterans Resource Center is an especially needed community service. According to the many speakers. It will provide training, employment assistance and a central place to receive resource information.
One of the speakers, Rear Admiral Paul Sohl, commander of AIR 6.0 at Naval Air Systems Command, noted he was surprised to learn of the number of homeless veterans outside the gates of Pax River. Now they will have a place to go to find help.
Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynet.com
