Press release from Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless & Hungry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless & Hungry, which operates GRACE Marketplace, today announced the resignation of Jon DeCarmine as Chief Executive Officer, effective December 31, 2024. The Board of Directors has appointed John Thomas, currently serving as Vice President of Advancement, as Interim Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2025. DeCarmine will work closely with the organization until February 16, 2025 to support the leadership transition.
Kevin Spellicy, Chair of the Board of Directors, praised DeCarmine’s decade of dedicated service. “Jon has been a transformative leader for GRACE. Under his stewardship, the organization has flourished, improving the lives of our neighbors experiencing homelessness. We are immensely grateful for his vision, passion, and commitment to our mission and wish him nothing but the best.”.
DeCarmine became CEO in 2017 after serving as Director of Operations for three years. During his tenure at GRACE, he has been instrumental in program growth and development, leading the organization as it moved more than 3,100 people off the streets and into permanent housing. Those housing placements helped drive a 47% reduction in homelessness in Alachua County, with the local homeless population falling from 1,202 when GRACE opened in 2014 to 639 in 2024. Under DeCarmine’s leadership, the organization has received national attention for its work to end homelessness from the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy, the National Homelessness Law Center, and others.