Diakonia 50th Anniversary

Diakonia Celebrates 50 Years of Service to Others

“We help families rebuild one step at a time.”

~ Ken Argot, Diakonia Executive Director

“Help from our volunteers, contributions from local businesses, and a nurturing environment all combine to create a magical recipe for helping humans to help themselves grow in this life.”

~ Diakonia Staff members

“Part of helping people feel better about who they are is helping them discover what their gifts are to share.”

~ Claudia Nagel, Former Diakonia Executive Director

“We were blessed with the help from Diakonia, we learned how to cope with the stress that comes with raising a family.”

~ Christophe and Natasha, Former Diakonia Guests

“Outreach, especially in cooperation with others, is the best strategy thus far.”

~ Belinda “Bee” Miller, Former Diakonia Executive Director

“Every human being deserves the safety and dignity of housing. We are stronger as a community when we support our neighbors in times of need.”

~ 2022 Diakonia donors Jack & Todd Burbage, Blue Water Hospitality group

“Combining a passion for cooking and compassion for people is what makes Lasagna Love so special, we try to spread kindness to strengthen communities one lasagna at a time.”

~ Lorrie Miller, Dunes Manor General Manager

“Diakonia is a safe haven for those in need. It provides resources and a positive direction for those who enter its doors, giving them hope for a future they dared not imagine was possible. Diakonia is valued as an integral part of our community.”

~ Reid Tingle, Chair, Diakonia Board of Directors

Letter from the Executive Director

Welcome.

Thank you for joining us as we celebrate 50 years of “service to others” in this community. This evening serves as a milestone--that recognizes the vision and mission of those who’ve blazed a trail—while still igniting passion and investment in new and “out-of-the box” solutions for the future.

The word “diakonia” translates from the Greek in a variety of ways—ministry, service, relief, and support. Diakonia isn’t just an organization, it’s a way of life. It’s people helping people, providing help for today and hope for tomorrow. From the prevention of eviction services—to outreach service to those exposed in the elements…

From intervention through emergency shelter—to the restoration of individuals in permanent supportive housing…

Diakonia, Inc. has been a critical foundation for those who are homeless, or experiencing a housing crisis in the Tri-County Lower Shore region. Today, we are leading the way in this community through best practice models and solutions to homelessness. It’s our desire to carry that vision and commitment into the next 50 years.

Your partnership enables us to look beyond the complexities of homelessness in which there are no “cookie-cutter” solutions. We believe that relationships, not programs, yield the greatest success. We regard each person as an individual with their own unique strengths and challenges.

Everyone who walks through that iconic blue door we recognize—not as someone who is deficient, but rather as a person holding extremely intrinsic value—something to contribute to our community that has seemingly been lost due to a myriad of difficulties.

We are deeply humbled and privileged to be part of helping people re-write their stories for 50 years—whether a veteran or a non-veteran…we see all our people as heroes.

With great expectations… Ken

What We Do:

Eviction PrEvEntion: We offer financial assistance and case management to those facing a housing crisis; such as eviction or utility cutoff due to non-payment of rent or utilities.

Basic outrEach sErvicEs: We offer basic necessities (Food, Water, Encouragement) to those who are experiencing homelessness; providing assessment and coordination of resources for shelter.

coordinatEd assEssmEnt: We offer multiple entries for those seeking help; extending a supportive voice and hand in screening, triaging, and navigating the best available resources for their success.

EmErgEncy shEltEr: We operate a 30-bed, 24/7 Emergency Shelter for homeless individuals and families, based on availability. Shelter services include meals, basic provisions, and case management.

intEnsivE casE managEmEnt: We help homeless persons develop a service plan that prioritizes goals to assist removing housing barriers and gives them the best chance for success. These services include but are not limited to: assistance in locating and finding appropriate housing for potential residents, financial re-housing assistance to stabilize residents in their new home, continued tracking and follow-up, with assistance for 24 months after acquisition of housing to ensure community stability.

vEtEran sErvicEs: We provide specific targeted assistance to US veterans facing a housing crisis, with comprehensive support services for up to 24 months.

Food Pantry Provisions: We supply 24/7 access to individuals and families that experience a food scarcity crisis; partnering with local restaurants, grocers, and community food banks. We also arrange assistance with SNAP (Food Vouchers) applications or the recertification of benefits.

thriFt storE vouchErs: We make clothing assistance available through our Thrift Store Program, as well as securing furniture for rapidly-rehoused persons.

guEst-cEntErEd sErvicE: We offer low barrier, guest centered services that engage trauma-sensitive persons where they are—offering help, hope, and an opportunity for healing. Every staff member is an integral part of making a difference in someone’s lives through encouragement, skill development, accountable relationships, and tailored services for each individual.

A Need Is Seen…The Beginning

Homelessness as a critical social issue first became evident in 1970 with 770,000 homeless Americans and 50 million people living with food insecurity. Organizations were recognizing this need and beginning to establish outreach, care and awareness programs.

In 1972, the Allegheny Mennonite Conference decided to establish Boardwalk Ministry in Ocean City to connect with homeless youth by patrolling the boardwalk from 9pm to 3am. The Boardwalk Ministry team consisted of Del Glick, Dale Mast, and Dean Peachey.

Pictured below, is a group of young people, with the Mennonite Church who served the homeless, on the beaches of Ocean City, MD. They lived side by side with those they called friends. It was the humble and poignant beginning to Diakonia. As the Chesapeake Bay Bridge neared completion and 10,000 condominiums were under construction in Ocean City, Mayor Harry Kelly agreed to a robust effort to help homeless youth. By November 1972, a home is purchased and appropriately named Diakonia, an ancient Greek word meaning “Service to Others.” Referrals to the house came from police, social service departments and various members of the local faith community.

The Beach Boys played at the Ocean City Convention Center and The White Marlin Open held its first fishing tournament in the summer of 1974, as the boardwalk outreach continued.

Throughout The Years

In 1976, a group called the Volunteer Service (VS) Evangelism Team, in Ocean City, worked to bring homeless men and women from the beach to the Diakonia house. Homelessness was shifting from fewer youth to older persons, many struggling with addiction and Diakonia saw the need to expand its shelter to accommodate more guests.

As a direct result of the economy and the deinstitutionalization of mental health facilities in the 1980’s, homelessness begins to double in size for the next twenty years.

Diakonia, operating only during the summer months prior to 1981, began offering year-round assistance.

At this time, the Allegheny Mennonite Conference phased out its support of Diakonia and it was agreed that financial support would come from the local area. Executive Director of house operations, Kenton Beachy, led the charge during this transition.

In 1985, Diakonia Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Maryland Secretary of State. New Executive Director Fredericka “Fritz” Danielus was appointed and a new board of directors took office, composed of a cross section of compassionate citizens. These included the Sheriff of Worcester County, two previous guests of Diakonia, and church and business leaders.

1987 was a big year for Diakonia; the decision was made to purchase the house on Old Bridge Road from the Allegheny Mennonite Conference and to rent out the cabins behind its main house to generate income.The Bethany United Methodist Church and the Ocean City Mennonite Church volunteers built a new porch enclosure and installed a new roof at the main house. Diakonia was named a United Way agency and a new logo, depicting a lamb on a cross upon hill, is created by Betty Umback.

Throughout The Years

In the 1990s, shortages of affordable rental housing and lower incomes led to another increase in homelessness in America. Diakonia set a plan in place to renovate the main house and use the on-site cabins as transitional housing. A strategic plan was developed to guide Diakonia’s growth, fundraising and management requirements, in order to address the necessary changes to its property and services.

Diakonia made the decision in 1991 to operate solely as a community-based organization and, in 1995, hired Belinda “Bee” Miller as Executive Director. Throughout the remainder of the decade, Diakonia’s board of directors and Executive Director worked on plans for a new transitional housing building replacing the cabins which had become inhabitable. By 1999, Diakonia completed it plans for expanding its transitional housing capacity.

Fundraising began in the early 2000s, the Ocean City Lions Club pledged $50,000 and the Lions Club International, granted Diakonia $75,000. This encouraged other county Lions clubs, local businesses, and community organizations to support Diakonia in building its new facility, to increase the number of beds for the homeless, from 15 to 37. With this strong financial support, the building was completed by August 2001.

Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow

Claudia Nagle joined Diakonia in 2003, as the next Executive Director, and began programs to provide services to the homeless, in addition to providing shelter. The Homelessness Prevention Program was developed to treat the whole person and his/her individual needs. This included expanding the food pantry and offering GED classes to Diakonia guests.

To accommodate another community need, Diakonia opened the Labor of Love thrift store in 2010, staffed entirely by volunteers. The thrift store is open to the public and guests at Diakonia are provided vouchers to help in purchasing clothing and household items. As evidence of its “Service to Others”, Diakonia volunteers log an amazing 11,596 hours in one year.

Diakonia celebrated 40 years of service in 2012. During this anniversary year, 100,000 lbs. of food was provided to hungry families in Worcester County. The Homelessness Prevention Program thrived. From its beginnings of a summer time boardwalk ministry, with the support of 100 volunteers, to a shelter and transitional housing facility, Diakonia staff members, were working 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

In October of 2013, Diakonia started to provide supportive services for veteran families, becoming one of only three providers on the Eastern Shore to specifically assist homeless veterans. These services continue today, to connect veterans to health supports, assist with navigating veteran benefits and provide overall stability and independence, in the community. At this time Diakonia is serving 75 Veteran households a year.

By 2014, Diakonia is attending community events to extend their outreach. Their brochure at the time, lists its services as; providing emergency shelter and transitional housing for men, women and families, the largest food pantry in Worcester County open 7 days a week, offering assistance for those at risk of becoming homeless to provide them the ability to remain in their homes. Support and training include; personal case management, connection to resources, GED & job skills classes, parenting & nutrition classes and personal finance lessons.

In 2015, Diakonia provided over 10,000 bed nights of shelter and fed its guests over 50,000 meals, furnished largely by community support, food drives and donations.

The Board of Directors of Diakonia held a strategic planning retreat in early 2017 to address issues surrounding the future of the organization, with the support of consultants from Focus Management Group, Inc. of Salisbury, Maryland. As a result, the following are the strategic initiatives adopted to guide Diakonia; Branding and Identity in the community to ensure that Diakonia is

recognized as a resource, Human Resources to continue to develop staff, Facilities to improve existing plant and increase capacity, Financial Resources and Fundraising, and Sustainability of the organization.

Belinda “Bee” Miller came back to the area in 2019 and found herself in familiar territory as she again is appointed Executive Director.

As Diakonia approaches its Golden Anniversary, homelessness increases as a major area of social need in America. There are over 580k Americans living in poverty, experiencing homelessness and in addition, there are over 50 million people are living in food insecure households. Most are individuals, however, 30% are families and children. They live in every state and territory, and they reflect the diversity of our country. Bee Miller began her term by working on the initiatives identified in the Strategic Plan.

5000 lbs of food donated to help feed neighbors and house guests.

From 2019 through 2021, repairs and improvements were made to both houses and renovations were completed, which provided room for several more beds.

Within months, however, the Covid 19 pandemic brought challenges to the homeless community and to Diakonia to continue providing shelter and services, while keeping guests and staff safe.

Diakonia shifted to 50% capacity to comply with COVID regulations, offered testing and vaccine to staff, restricted guests to the Diakonia property and isolated guests who tested positive.

In 2020, prompted by covid-related struggles in her own Hawaiian community, Lasagna Love was created and Diakonia felt the love. Lorrie Miller, Ocean City’s Dunes Manor General Manager, who had an opportunity to pitch in. With her personal love of cooking, and her compassion for others, Lorrie made and delivered 40 lasagnas to Diakonia families. Lorrie and her fellow staff members dug in on National Lasagna Day in July and took over the Dunes kitchen, spreading the love one lasagna at a time.

The pandemic is well underway in 2020, when Diakonia staff members continue to provide services and are rotating nights sleeping and supervising, at a nearby motel, to house quarantined persons. Adjustments to the Food Pantry were made, to serve people outside, and keep distance from house and present guests. By partaking in all of these precautionary measures, Diakonia was safely re-opened by summer 2022.

Food Pantry Staff and Volunteers providing help during COVID.

For 50 years now Diakonia has provided emergency shelter, food assistance, food stamp application help, outreach, homeless prevention, rapid rehousing and veteran services for homeless men, women, and families.

We serve over 150 households a month through our food pantry. We’ve served almost 1500 since January. That’s almost 500 people a month…and about 2500 bags of food per month.

Continuing The Mission To Serve

“In June of 2022, Ken Argot was hired as the new Executive Director of Diakonia. With the COVID crises mostly in the rear-view mirror, Diakonia began to rebuild relationships with agencies and volunteers to maximize resources. Volunteers, that had stayed away due to safety concerns, began to return. Agencies that were limited to virtual assistance, were now again able to provide in-person support. These days, it is not unusual to see the American Job Center mobile unit parked in front of the shelter, or to see PATH workers on site doing assessments for those struggling with substance abuse or mental health.

In regard to the Shelter, additional staff were hired to provide guest-centered practices where each individual could be better supported given their primary needs. Blanket policies were removed in favor of solutions that best fit each resident’s situation and goals. In addition, new protocols were established to encourage and motivate residents to complete these goals--including the hiring of a case manager solely invested in developing a housing plan for each individual or family.

Our Veteran’s program continues to grow and a dedicated line for coordinated resource assessment is now in place. There’s a good vibe when you walk through any door at Diakonia, where our staff is our greatest resource.”

Due to the outstanding work and dedication by volunteers, the Diakonia thrift store brings in record breaking sales. Volunteers helped reorganize the recently named Diakonia Thrift Store, created a new Facebook page and extended store hours to accommodate after hours sales.

The Next 50 Years!

Plans are now underway at Diakonia for a major expansion, which will include more than three dozen one-bedroom living spaces, a multipurpose room and more! A 4.4-acre site will include retail, office, storage, and conference space, along with 48 one-bedroom housing units, in the 9600 block of Stephen Decatur Highway (Route 611), near the Diakonia donation center and thrift store. This new facility will eliminate the cost of existing rental properties by allowing for the consolidation of services and administrative offices.

In 2022, Blue Water Hospitality group generously donated $150k for Diakonia to pay off the mortgage on the new Route 611 property. Diakonia today, is a multifaceted non-profit, providing services in a tri-county area, with Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow – for another 50 years!

Our doors are always open for those in need

we’re there to talk and listen and hopefully plant a seed. A seed that begins quite simply with the resources to HELP them cope. Then leads to so much more as we provide a ray of HOPE.

~ A poem from Debbie Anderson, past Diakonia board member

Bank

The Community Gives Help

In August 2020, White Marlin open contestant Michael Jordan, former NBA star, and his crew catch and donate 120 lbs. of fresh catch fish to Diakonia families.

Huk Big Fish Classic donation of

fresh

July 2020

Donors Give Hope

Golf Tournament Sponsor Reese Cropper with Debbi Anderson Board Member and Claudia Nagle Executive Director

Stiles Family and Bavarian Hops Scramble donated proceeds raised at their annual event! September 2019

Republican Women of Worcester county presented donation for veteran's beds to Executive Director Bee Miller February 2020

necessary steps quickly and completely. Her communication with us was impeccable throughout the process. She delivered good news with speed and addressed issues even faster! We cannot say enough great things about the quality and level of service that she provided!”

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