Faith leaders and residents urge Palm Beach County to back neighborhood recovery effort 'Project Engage'

Several faith leaders and residents urged the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners on May 5 to support “Project Engage,” a neighborhood‑focused recovery initiative that organizers said would bring treatment, peer support and wraparound services directly into communities hit hardest by substance use and mental‑health challenges.

Pastor Ray Whiteley, introducing himself as a pastor and founder of a Trinity Counseling Center program, said Project Engage is “not just providing services, it's strengthening communities,” and said the program focuses on building resilience at the ZIP‑code level, increasing access to culturally relevant services and creating neighborhood‑based support networks.

“We are building an organization designed to meet people where they are, walk with them in recovery and address their personal, family and community impact on behavioral‑health challenges,” Whiteley said.

Speakers representing local recovery groups and people with lived experience urged the commission to adopt a public‑health approach rather than a primarily criminal‑justice response. Charles “Chuck” Ridley, introduced himself as a member of the Trinity team and described his 36 years in recovery, arguing that recovery‑ready broad coalitions should focus on Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, Riviera and Belle Glade — neighborhoods he said have been disproportionately affected by substance‑use problems.

“What makes it different is we are addressing this not just at the individual level, we are addressing at the community level,” Ridley said, describing efforts to engage returning citizens, clergy, first responders and residents with lived experience.

Sheila Gaines, identified herself as chief operating officer for Trinity Community Connection, and outlined two core strategies: a neighborhood wellness alliance to coordinate providers, law enforcement and public defenders, and faith‑based neighborhood wellness centers that would host pop‑up events to bring multiple service providers into neighborhoods to reduce access barriers and build trust.

“We think the services should come directly to the people,” Gaines said. “This removes barriers, builds trust, and creates real access.”

Commissioner Maria Sachs commented from the dais that spiritual transformation is an important component of the proposed approach and noted that organizers seek to combine treatment and therapy with faith‑centered supports.

The speakers asked the board to consider Project Engage as a community‑led complement to existing treatment services. No formal action on Project Engage was recorded during the meeting; the items on the agenda that morning were procedural and ceremonial. The public‑comment record and organizers’ contact information were left with county staff for follow up.

Next steps: organizers said they welcome engagement with county staff to identify funding and operational partnerships; the board recessed for lunch and scheduled continuation of public hearings at noon.