Karla Grimsley News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Bring in the pets and plants. Let that water drip. Watch that space heater. This weekend is going to be a chilly one, the coldest in four years.

'Where do I sleep tomorrow night?': Ocala Council votes against outdoor homeless shelters Danielle Johnson, Ocala Star-Banner © Doug Engle, Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner "This is my sofa and my bed. I need a mat, because these boards are hard," Carol Stark said Tuesday May 18, 2021, about the bench she sleeps on at Interfaith Emergency Services' open air shelter. The property is surrounded by chain link fence and is staffed with security guards throughout the night. Those who stay in the open air shelter undergo a "vetting" process and have to commit to some case work. "This...

Interfaith is taking in 10 to 15 people a night at the open-air shelter in addition to its indoor beds. Some public comment expressed concern that the addition will draw homeless individuals to the area and leave the overflow on the streets, but Grimsley says they could comfortably take 50 to 60 more people as long as they are seeking help and go through the vetting process.  Individuals in the open-air shelter have access to bathrooms and can leave at will, but most stay the whole night unless they have a job to get to.  Grimsley says they have seen people accumulating near Interfaith sin...

Ocala/Marion County community briefs for April 15, 2021 Staff reports Ocala town hall meeting set for May 3 The Governor's West Ocala Neighborhood Revitalization Council will host a town hall meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. May 3 at the Ed Croskey Center, 1510 NW Fourth St., Ocala. Guest speakers will be Shane Alexander, Ocala Fire Rescue chief, to discuss the agency's mentorship program; Tammy Haslem, City of Ocala budget director, to discuss user fees/tax assessments; and Karla Grimsley, CEO of Interfaith Emergency Services, to discuss the homeless issue on Northwest Second Street and provide an...

At least 50 homeless people were displaced last week when the City of Ocala leveled a tent city. The encampment was on city-owned land just west of Pine Avenue and north of Northeast 14th Street. There were approximately 30 tents there, and the police department had noted an increase in property and violent crime, including a stabbing the week of Jan. 25, a city spokeswoman wrote in an email to the Star-Banner. "The property was overwhelmed with trash, abandoned tents, furniture, bicycle parts, broken toys, shopping carts, fire pits, wooden pallets, electronics, tires, empty beer and soda ca...