ACE Center helps homeless with the basics of life

A woman from Pennsylvania passing through drops off some beef stew; a package arrives filled with coffee. It's what happens on a daily basis at the ACE Peer Resource Center in Seaford.

“You never know what is going to come through the door,” Director Jim Martin says. “It all seems to fall into place. I thank God every day.”

Martin likens the ACE Center to a refuge to give homeless people a few hours’ respite before they step out into what he calls the hurricane of survival. It's become a place for those who have fallen through the cracks and have no other place to turn.

Everyone who does walk through the door has a story to tell, and most are heartbreaking. One of his clients tells him about finding a job at a local fast-food restaurant. Martin said she will camp outside in the woods behind the restaurant, and change clothes and get freshened up using the restaurant's bathroom.

Martin uses social media to spread the word about the center. Recently, he posted a story about Sean Fluharty, who had all four of his tires slashed. Homeless, Fluharty worked two jobs so he could buy the car.

“The only thing he had was that car to get him to work. Without it, he was headed on a downward spiral very fast,” he said.

Fluharty's father died in Iraq when he was 3 years old, and for the last two years he's been living in the woods, Martin said.

When a local car dealer found out about Fluharty's plight, they came to tow the car to replace the tires. Jack Mullins of Mullins Auto Brokers in Greenwood ended up giving him a car when he found out his car was in bad shape. “There are so many good people out there who want to help,” Martin said. “Something like this can be life-changing.”

To prove his point, Martin said within 24 hours of the posting, Fluharty not only had a better car – given to him on his birthday – but also found a place to live at Mac's House in Seaford, a transitional shelter opened this past summer.

Carving out a temporary oasis

ACE, which stands for Acceptance, Change and Empowerment, is funded primarily with grants through a collaboration with La Red Health Center and Tap Faith Partnerships. La Red provides all medical, dental and behavioral health services while ACE and Tap Faith provide supplies needed to survive such as camping equipment, bikes, gas cards, bus passes and help writing resumes.

Oversight of the center is provided by the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Philadelphia.

“The community is very involved, which makes us unique,” Martin said. “People can provide random acts of kindness by helping people with a name and face, including many people who have lived in the area all their lives.”

Martin calls himself the hall monitor at the center. “I have to be available, smile and stay neutral,” he said.

Through his stubborn determination, Martin has carved out a temporary oasis of sorts for the homeless. He solicits help from interns and student nurses, volunteers, and trained professionals to provide a network to get people back on their feet. “It's about getting a place to live and getting a job,” he said.

The center collaborates with many organizations and agencies including La Red, Brandywine Counseling, Beebe Healthcare, Nanticoke Memorial Hospital, the Delaware Department of Labor and even the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles.

People who come to the center attend classes and set goals. “Sometimes we really have to think outside the box,” Martin said.

Martin has become an advocate for more services for those battling mental illness and addiction, two of the main factors contributing to homelessness. “The best we can do is me?” he asks. “The only initials behind my name are Jr. We need some PhDs here to help these people. Is this the best Sussex County can do?”

Some people are starting to take notice of his efforts. He was recently named chairman of the Governor's Advisory Council to the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.

Martin can't counsel his clients, but he can provide services and get them assistance. The center – open six days a week – provides refuge from the elements this time of year. Clients can get a hot meal, take a shower, get clothing, get transportation.

Staff assist clients with obtaining documentation and jobs.

But, as he is quick to point out, the center is not a shelter. When the doors close at 4 p.m. everyone must leave. In the winter, most go to the Code Purple shelter at St. Luke's Episcopal Church about a mile from the ACE Center. When the shelter is not open, they live outdoors.

“We need a shelter open all year, but society is not in favor of these types of shelters in this area,” Martin said.

So Martin provides tents and other camping gear to clients. “Right now, this is the only alternative,” he said.

Martin said being outside in the summer in the heat can be just as dangerous as being outside in the cold. “I know it's horrible for most, but it's the only option. Can you even imagine a 60-year-old woman losing her home and being forced to camp outside for the first time in her life?” he asked.

Center director has been homeless

Martin's empathy comes from his own experiences. He's been homeless, battled addiction, lived in a tent in the woods off Route 1 near Rehoboth Beach and been fed by Dale Dunning's Jusst Sooup Ministries.

After losing his family and business to his addiction to alcohol and drugs, he ended up homeless in September 2008, living at a Wilmington shelter. Eventually he kicked his addiction, and seven years ago, he ended up in Sussex County at an Oxford House shelter in Lewes. He was so impressed with the success of the program, he started organizing his own shelters for homeless men. By the time he was finished, he had started an amazing 23 homes. His passion and success didn't go unnoticed.

He was hired to work at the ACE Center five years ago, and it wasn't long before he became executive director. He's also reconnected with his family, which includes four daughters.

For more information, go to the center's Facebook page or phone 628-3016.