Homeless No More Opens New Education Facility
There were giggles and smiles as over a dozen children of all ages walked down the steps of a St. Lawrence Place bus toward the front door of the new Homeless No More Education Building. The kids were there to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the building; nobody at the event had been inside yet.
New 5,000-square-foot education facility
The new 5,000-square-foot education facility off Two Notch Road in Northeast Columbia consists of two offices and six classrooms that Homeless No More plans to use for after-school care, summer camps and adult life skills classes.
After the ribbon was cut, the children scampered inside. Necks craned as they looked up at a beautiful light fixture that resembled colorful flowers gracefully falling from the ceiling. A handful of kids shuffled into a classroom where bookbags hung in cubbies. When the girls discovered tables with boxes of crayons and books on top, they danced at the realization that this building was built for them.
The new education building is the third of three projects that Homeless No More completed in 2021 to better serve its families. The two other projects include newly renovated dormitories at Homeless No More’s Family Shelter and the construction of 15 affordable housing units known as Myrtle Grove, which opened in May 2021.
Homeless No More received one of the Foundation’s Breaking the Cycle grants in 2021 to use toward the organization’s overall programming to support long-term economic stability for the families they serve.
Supporting Homeless No More since 1997
The Foundation has supported Homeless No More and its programs with several grants since 1997. Over this time, the organization’s operations, services and impact have continued to grow.
At the Myrtle Grove wreath hanging ceremony, Homeless No More’s president and CEO, Lila Anna Sauls, re-lived a time when the organization needed help quickly. When it looked like all hope might be lost, Sauls turned to the Foundation.
The Foundation is blessed to be able to contribute to life-changing projects and programs that use resources strategically to reduce poverty through action, advocacy and leadership.
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