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The line between homelessness and safe, secure housing is often much thinner than people think. In some cases, all it takes is a single event to change your life for the worse. Fortunately, sometimes all it takes is a single positive event to change it all for the best.

The Gainesville City Commission hosted a community dinner at the GRACE Marketplace Wednesday night to address homelessness and hunger in the city.

When the average person thinks about the homeless population, doubtless the first thought is, "That could never happen to me or my family." The sad truth, however, is that it often only takes one unfortunate event for someone to wind up without a safe place to live.

Of the many services offered by GRACE Marketplace, one of the most unique is the Culinary Training Program. During a 10-week course, participants are able to learn important culinary skills while helping provide meals to the hundreds of other GRACE guests.

Although it's not easy to think about, homelessness can happen to anyone, anywhere. In many cases, all it takes is a few missed paychecks due to a layoff to make the difference between having a secure home, and being on the street.

Despite the stereotypes of homelessness, few are homeless by choice. Instead, the U.S. homeless population is primarily made up of those who have experienced a significant life event and now have nowhere else to go.

Ten years is a long time, but for Gainesville and Alachua County, it’s barely enough. In 2003, former Alachua County Commissioner Rodney Long and former Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan wanted the county and city to come together to end homelessness. At the time, Long said other cities and counties around Florida were developing collaborative community plans to eradicate homelessness within a 10-year period.

While only 7% of the homeless population in the U.S. is actually chronically homeless, that still equates to thousands in need of help to end the cycle.

One of the most important things that separate GRACE from other programs is its unique, holistic approach to solving homelessness: GRACE for the Moment, GRACE for the Journey, and GRACE for the Future.

We’ve been able to do a lot in our first two years. More than 2,300 individuals have been served over 120,000 meals and nearly 28,000 nights of shelter. But we’ve got a longer-range plan.