InnBetween Transitional Housing for Families Project Daycare Member:
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Executive Director Retires
James T. (Jim) Freeman, long-serving Executive Director of Lutheran Social Services of North Florida, Inc., has announced his retirement. Since joining Lutheran Social Services of North Florida as Executive Director in 1993, his visionary approach to the development of human service resources has been outstanding. He has been the driving force behind the development of 58 housing units to serve those in our community experiencing homelessness: the InnBetween Program with nine single family homes, the French Quarter with 10 two-bedroom apartments and Magnolia Acres, currently under construction, with 27 studio apartments for the chronic homeless. His most recent innovative program to serve the community is a partnership with The Florida State University College of Information to provide refurbished computers to area non-profit agencies and their income-qualified clients.
A native Floridian, Mr. Freeman is a thirty-year veteran of the not-for-profit industry. A graduate of the Lutheran Lay Ministry Program, Concordia College, Mequon, WI, as a Lay Minister, his early years were spent in Ohio and Wisconsin serving the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod as parish administrator and business manager. Moving from the parish setting, Mr. Freeman served as Executive Director of the Sherman Park Community Association in Milwaukee, WI, until returning to Florida in 1991.
Jim Freeman has a long history of working tirelessly on behalf of the entire community of human service providers. He has always believed that it is in the best interest of Tallahassee and Leon County that our human service organizations are strong and coordinated. As a volunteer, Jim has served the United Partners for Human Services in a wide variety of capacities. One of the founders of UPHS, Jim has volunteered as Board President, Treasurer, and one who helped lead the organization into incorporation and hiring its inaugural Executive Director. Jim’s dedication to the organization was recognized by his receiving the UPHS 2005 “Above and Beyond” award. Other community service honors given to Mr. Freeman include the 2008 Outstanding Service to Florida Coalition for the Homeless award and recognition as the 2003 25 th Anniversary Volunteer of the Year Finalist, sponsored by the Tallahassee Democrat.
The Board of Directors and the many volunteers of Lutheran Social Services of North Florida sincerely appreciate the total dedication Jim Freeman has given to the agency in serving thousands of clients in its twenty-year history. His service has been extraordinary, innovative and sets a high bar to follow.
