Three Oaks Center Updates Website
Three Oaks Center in Lexington Park, Maryland, offers programs that provide the homeless in St. Mary’s County with housing, stabilization, assessment, and referral to appropriate resources so that they may return to living productive, self-sufficient lives in the community.
The group has recently updated its website (link is available above). Residents are encouraged to check out the site, explore the services Three Oaks offers, and learn about upcoming events or ways to help the organization make a difference in the community.
Three Oaks Center will help the homeless to help themselves by assisting them with housing, training, and additional services in partnership with other community agencies.
The concept and need for Three Oaks Center was first discussed in 1991 by a handful of community leaders who saw the increasing incidence of homelessness among men as a major concern in the county. In 1992, the group incorporated as a nonprofit, the first of a series of steps aimed at addressing the problem by concentrating energies and resources on establishing a transitional and emergency shelter for men. The facility on Lei Drive in Lexington Park opened in 1996.
In two years, it became clear that there was a need to provide services to women and families. The center also recognized that many of the most vulnerable in the homeless population were suffering from mental illness. Three Oaks applied for a grant in 2000 from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for the purpose of providing permanent housing for those with mentally illness.
In 2003, the center purchased 10 substandard townhouses in Lexington Park for $650,000 and then spent another $100,000 rehabilitating them. The project now provides 10 units of transitional housing for families.
Upcoming Events
Three Oaks is planning a Veteran Stand Down Day 9 am to 3 pm May 19, 2017, at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center at 44219 Airport Road in California, Maryland. The goal of Three Oaks is to serve the nation’s heroes and their families. At the same time, the center works to increase awareness of some of the issues faced by veterans, such as unemployment, issues with health care, homelessness, and drug and alcohol addiction. To register, click here.
Veteran Stand Down Day will provide:
- VA benefits eye care, provided by the Lions Club
- A dental screening by Mission of Mercy
- A basic health care screening, provided by MedStar
- Counseling on general benefits, such as Social Security, food stamps, and local health and human services
- Information on support groups such as DAVVA, DLH, and others
- Spiritual services
- Local employers, attorneys, and more
For more information about the center and Veteran Stand Down Day, visit the Three Oaks website or find them on Facebook; call Sasha Seenath, programs coordinator, at 301-861-9535, ext. 116; or email [email protected].
The annual Jack Gelrud Memorial Golf Tournament will be held from 11 am to 3 pm Thursday, June 1.
For more information on veterans programs, services, and events, call 301-863-9535, ext. 102. The administration office can be reached at 301-863-9535, ext. 108.
To learn more about Three Oaks Center, visit its Leader member page.
