Olive Branch Citizens Association Inc

Causes: Children & Youth, Children & Youth Services, Crime & Law, Domestic Violence, Family Violence Shelters, Homeless & Housing, Human Services, Spouse Abuse Prevention, Victims Services

Mission: Mission:

The Olive Branch Citizens Association Inc. is a non-for profit organization committed to helping women and children having experienced any kind of interpersonal violence, including domestic and sexual violence, by providing transitional housing and supportive services in their quest for a new beginning in life. The Olive Branch provides non-emergency transitional facilities for women and children residing in the Central Florida Area.

The ultimate goal of the Association is to "Help eliminate interpersonal violence of any kind"

History:

The Olive Branch Citizens Association Inc. (OBCA) was formed out of the concern of a group of citizens in the Central Florida area wishing to provide continuity of services to people having experienced any kind of violence in their lives, particularly domestic violence. This group of concerned people saw needs that went beyond the basic need for emergency shelter for victims of domestic and sexual violence. They realized that there weren't many places in Central Florida dedicated to providing continuity of shelter, or housing that went beyond the minimum emergency shelter stays at the local domestic violence facilities. They also observed the lack of enriched supportive services such as: childcare, budget counseling, life-skills, support groups and transportation greatly needed in order to break from the cycle of violence.

Their belief was that: in order to effectively eradicate violence from the lives of many people, particularly women and children, it was necessary to provide continuity of services in a long term supportive environment with transitional housing and enriched supportive services. Including co-dependency and addictions counseling, case management, advocacy legal and financial, education and networking with other community agencies and resources.

The group began meeting regularly in Orlando Florida during 1997 at an Olive Garden Restaurant, hence the group decided to name themselves "The Olive Branch Citizens Association". The group incorporated as a not-for-profit tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, filing for recognition under the IRS on August of 1998. The Olive Branch Citizens Association Inc. was granted 501(c)(3) status March, 1999.

During the Fall of 1998, the Olive Branch Citizens Association members began looking for a facility in the Central Florida Area, for the purpose of securing an operational base to serve as Administrative Offices for the Corporation. And to develop the first transitional housing facility to become the model program, so others could be replicated.

After investigating several counties in the Central Florida area, the group selected a facility locate in the town of Mount Dora in Lake County. The advantages of this facility were its geographical locationa, with close proximity to the neighboring counties as well as easy road access and a well-organized city government. The association signed a lease and secured the proper city zoning requirement for the operation of the facility as a transitional housing program. This became Phase I of OBCA's mission.

The first phase of OBCA's Transitional Housing program is composed of seven units, these units are complete quality-built "apartment-like" all utilities and local telephone services included. The original structure underwent extensive renovations in order to accommodate all the needed components for the program. One of these units has one bedroom, five units have two bedrooms, and one unit has three bedrooms.