GOCDC

Welcome to the Greater Ocala Community Development Corporation !

Our Mission

The mission of GOCDC is to establish a culture of excellence and self-sufficiency among entrepreneurs, small business owners, low to moderate income individuals and families through targeted training and assistance in the areas of employment, affordable housing, entrepreneurism, and community development.

Our Belief
At GOCDC, we believe creativity thrives when people work together. Our individual experiences can be entirely different from our neighbors, but brainstorming ideas as a community allows the best decisions to be made through diversity and inclusion.
By sharing unique perspectives from the various segments of our community, we create an environment of respect, service, accountability, and economic stability. We are dedicated to community development through shared knowledge.

OUR VISION

GOCDC's vision is the culmination of ideas generated by our Board of Directors with input from residents, business owners, and other community partners including law enforcement, churches, social services providers, City and County officials. The vision reflects a collective view of the short-term needs of West Ocala and how we may best address those needs with long-term solutions.

The purpose of our vision is to establish the foundation for West Ocala as a growth community; creating opportunities for home ownership, educational excellence, small business development, and social services. We will then share our best practices with municipalities and nonprofit organizations throughout Marion County and the State of Florida.

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HOME OWNERSHIP

Affordable housing creates communities with a rich mix of culture, socio-economic circumstance, age, and education. This diversity of people in-turn produces a diversity of economic development opportunities through their support of neighborhood businesses, restaurants, schools, and other service providers. GOCDC seeks to offer affordable housing solutions for renters and homeowners through programs and partnerships including, but not limited to:

Credit Repair
Budgeting/Debt Management
Home-ownership Classes
Down Payment Assistance
Section 8 Guidance
Lease to Own Financing
100% Financing Options
Housing Grants
Purchasing After Bankruptcy
Owner Finance Options
Affordability
Renters' Rights

EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

In order to create a sustainable future for our families we need to be involved people. At GOCDC, we actively participate in committees and boards concerning community redevelopment, political debates and small business development. The more we are part of political discussions and increase our understanding of how to improve the quality of life for our neighborhoods and families, the greater the opportunity for realizing our greatest potential.

Beginning in Fall 2017 we began partnering with organizations such as SBDC, SCORE, United Way, RAMAL, and other organizations to provide classes on topics such as parenting, financial planning, first-time home buying, renovation and remodeling, and going into business for yourself. The classes will be free of charge and held at our location. During election seasons, we will have discussions on topics relevant to our communities and help challenged residents register to vote and get to the polling places. Available classes will include:

STEM & STEAM Courses
After School Tutoring
Aptitude Testing
Leadership Workshops
Character Development
Summer Academic Enrichment

Introduction to Robotics
Enhanced Writing Skills
Public Speaking
Entry Level Programming
Credit Repair
Advanced Technologies

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Living in a largely service based economy West Ocala residents have been challenged with finding employment that satisfies all of their financial responsibilities. Many have taken second and third part-time jobs, but the low wages aren't enough to
offset the costs of transportation and childcare. GOCDC seeks to not only aid in the attainment of suitable employment, but to give residents opportunities to build their own businesses through enhanced training, partnerships, and mentoring.

Management Coaching
Team Building
Strategic Planning
Apprenticeships
Leading People
Financial Fluency
Effective Marketing

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Working with partners such as the UNITY Group Services, RAMAL, th Friends Foundation, Marion County Children's Alliance and other organizations, GOCDC will identify programs that help families find their strengths, build on those strengths, and learn skills to create stronger families, improve relationships, and increase communication including, but not limited to:

Parent Support Group
Child Services
Case Management
Emergency Shelter
Managing Stress
Building Self Esteem