GL Homes COO Marcie DePlaza and GL Homes Operations Manager Sil Rivera

Photo credit: Tracey Benson Photography

For the past decade, GL Homes has proudly partnered with the Philip D. Lewis Center, helping bring comfort, nourishment, and hope to individuals experiencing homelessness in Palm Beach County.

Gulfstream Goodwill Industries operates the four homeless shelters in Palm Beach County: the Lewis Center in West Palm Beach, Melissa’s Place in Belle Glade, and shelters in Pahokee and Lake Worth.

What began as a volunteer effort has grown into a meaningful, long-term commitment to support some of our community’s most vulnerable residents.

To commemorate 10 years of service, GL Homes volunteers prepared and served 70 hearty dinners for Lewis Center clients.

Catered by Feeding South Florida, the meals featured generous portions and all the comforts of a home-cooked dinner, providing sustenance and an opportunity for volunteers and residents to connect through kindness and community.

Volunteers also assembled 140 brown-bag lunches, enough to provide two days’ worth of nourishing meals. These efforts reflect the spirit that has defined the partnership for a decade: treating every individual with dignity, compassion, and respect.

Over the last 10 years, GL Homes has supported the Lewis Center in countless ways beyond meal service.

Every two weeks, the company provides fresh, seasonal fruit sourced from a local wholesale produce distributor, offering residents access to high-quality, nutritious food year-round.

Through its Good Night’s Sleep initiative, GL Homes provides furnishings that make a house a home for individuals transitioning from homelessness to independent living. Clients receive a mattress, TV, cleaning supplies, linens, housewares, and personal touches that transform an empty space into a welcoming home.

The latest initiative is Homeless to Home, an innovative pilot program designed to help Lewis Center residents, who have full-time employment, achieve lasting housing stability.

Through a $120,000 investment, the initiative assists 10 individuals with first and last month’s rent, security deposits, three months of groceries, and six months of personalized support from a dedicated Goodwill social worker. Together, these efforts represent more than charitable giving. They create pathways to independence, self-sufficiency, and renewed opportunity for individuals working to rebuild their lives.

A decade of service has demonstrated that lasting change begins with compassion and grows through opportunity. By investing in people, not just programs, GL Homes continues to help transform lives, strengthen our community, and turn hope into a place to call home.