Clinic with outreach program and shelter for homeless coming to Pensacola
“Happiness is a state of mind.” It’s an expression Marcus and Josh Harden-Givens live by and is the central philosophy behind their primary care clinic and resource center, Overflow Health Alliance, which is aimed at helping people who are displaced.
The center offers multiple community outreach programs to support healthier living for people who are experiencing homeless or struggling to get their life on track, whatever the reason.
Whether someone’s problems are long term or temporary, Overflow offers wraparound services to meet their needs.
“Happiness is a state of mind is determining the fact that in whatever state I am in, I'm okay, I'm blessed, I'm well, and it's going to get better,” explained Marcus Harden-Givens. “It's not going to be like this always, so I can put myself and my surroundings in this state of happiness by determining that it's just temporary and connecting with agencies makes that state of mind and that happiness more realistic. That's why we're here, so we can make it realistic.”
The couple started the Overflow program in Jacksonville five years ago and are now planning to open another location in Pensacola. The 13,000-square-foot building at 1301 N. Davis Highway will offer temporary and transitional housing for individuals and families, medical care, meals, job training and other services.
Marcus has a background in managing nursing homes and Josh has a medical background, but both say they are led by a desire to help people.
With the help of a mentor, they developed a business model around their passion and Overflow in Jacksonville sees about 2,000 people a year. They also have similar programs throughout Florida and Georgia.
It all starts with medical care, and half of the building is dedicated to it. There is a triage room, exam rooms and digital boards throughout to help medical staff work with patients to understand their health needs. Mental health counseling is also available.
A nurse practitioner runs the office under a medical director, and they have a physician assistant that also offers telehealth consultations. From managing infectious diseases to medications to eating right and exercising, the program’s founders say Overflow works with patients to make sure they have what they need to improve their health and their lives.
“The patients go out or the members go out feeling empowered on taking care of themselves, instead of just going out and saying, 'Oh, I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing,'” explained Josh Harden-Givens.
Overflow has also invested in a mobile medical unit so they can provide services like free vaccines and other care to people in the community from children to seniors.
Many people who are experiencing homelessness have been targeted by brokers who sign them up for coverage they can’t afford and makes them ineligible for Medicaid and other coverage. It’s a problem the husbands say they see often in Pensacola and if people don’t have health insurance, they also work with a number of providers to help them find a good fit that is affordable.
Marcus and Josh say they’ve spent about two years quietly working in the community to provide some services and getting to know Pensacola so they can help support existing programs. They want to bring many of the same services they say have been successful in Jacksonville to Pensacola all under one roof.
While medical makes one side of the building, the other side is housing. There are 10 rooms for individuals, each with two beds, a TV and storage and 10 larger rooms for families. People can stay for 30, 60, 90 days at a time or longer. They will also have a respite dorm and hope to partner with local hospitals to place people who need care once they are discharged.
“If a person is here for 30 days, if they're a referral and they just need some help, we'll work with them for the 30 days,” said Marcus. “If it's 60 days, we'll work with them for the 60 days, 90 days, or either a longer-term support system.”
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Although Christians, the Harden-Givens do not require people who work with them to take part in a faith-based program or necessarily be sober. What they do require is a willingness to work, get a job, and focus on changing yourself to become independent.
They provide every opportunity to do that including on-site job training from housekeeping to the mail room, where residents can get their mail. They’re also preparing to be an Amazon Hub Center where people can also work and develop job skills.
They have a café on site where three meals a day will be served by wait staff, also part of the training program, and there are partnerships with local businesses to help people learn trades, like electrical.
The Harden-Givens also help people get the important paperwork they need to find a job and a place to live, as well as access services, like social security cards, birth certificates and IDs.
Having a job and roof over their head is only part of the solution. Managing finances is another big component. Overflow Bank is available to help. Harden-Givens’ say it’s a legal pay system for Social Security and they’re able to help people save and manage their funds, even offering matching incentives, to help prevent them from mismanaging their money or being taken advantage of by others, like drug dealers or unscrupulous family members. They also help them restore bad credit or build credit if they don’t have any.
“When they leave or when they come here, we're going to start from ground up, we're going to build them from ground up,” said Marcus. “When they leave here, they're either going to be able to get their own apartment or their own house because we're going to make sure that the credit is restored as well. Everything is data based. Sixty percent of the people that are homeless and displaced either don't have any credit at all or they don't even know nothing about credit, period, so we want to make sure that your credit report is getting filed, want to make sure that all your bills are paid on time.”
Training and community meeting rooms are available along with a recreation room. Overflow also offers transitional housing and job training to people who are just getting out of prison, and often end up on the street for lack of opportunity.
Marcus said the goal is to help people and support the network of support Pensacola already has in place with more resources. Overflow is federally funded and supports itself for the most part, along with some charitable contributions. All their programs are data-based to help improve outcomes.
Larry Platts, 26, followed the Harden-Giverens from Jacksonville where he joined Overflow. He said the program is helping him rebuild his life after battling addiction. You can find him greeting visitors in the reception room of the new Pensacola program, as well as doing community outreach.
“They helped me just far as having somebody to talk to and not being judgmental, as I usually get and they’re open minded,” Platts said. “I started volunteering, and it started getting me back into feeling like I was in society again. It was like, ‘Okay, I want change, and I don't want to be in the environment that I was.' People need to check it out for themselves, because seeing is believing.”
Marcus said they plan to open by July or August. They need a new $90,000 fire suppression system and are about $40,000 short. If you’re interested in seeing what they do, Overflow is open Monday through Friday for tours, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
They are also hiring for a case manager, a part time activity director, and a part time security officer. Job applicants can also come to Overflow at 3101 N. Davis during the same hours.
“We’re looking to support services that are already here and provide resources,” said Marcus. “We want to support the city and we won’t let Pensacola down.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Overflow Health Alliance homeless outreach planning Pensacola facility
