Capital Project
Strategic Property Investments
2023 was Union Mission’s busiest year on record. Our housing programs served 22% more individuals than initially projected. The Day Center celebrated a full year of services and, on average, serves more than 100 individuals each day after planning for 50. Our Mental Health Counseling team provided almost 500 additional sessions and more than 130 new groups compared to 2022. This tremendous demand for our services demonstrates the deep need for additional capacity to provide holistic housing programs to alleviate homelessness and poverty in Savannah.
Union Mission is committed to growth that addresses the dynamic and intertwined challenges underlying homelessness, but without duplicating existing services. In order to thoughtfully expand our programs, we are investing in our facilities and expanding partnerships to make our services more sharply focused on the evolving needs of our client. Over the next 3 years, we are undertaking three capital projects to support multiple phases of clients’ pathways into stable communities.
Homeless Resource Center
Community Need:
Throughout almost 90 years of service, Union Mission has focused on breaking cycles of homelessness and poverty through an extensive array of housing programs and wraparound services. In December 2022, we continued our tradition of thoughtful expansion to open the Day Center at Grace House. The program was designed to provide a safe place for shelter during weekdays, meals, clothing, and other basic needs for unhoused individuals in downtown Savannah. We planned to serve 50 individuals, but instead, we have experienced an overwhelming demand for our services, which is continuing to increase. To address the need, we began opening on Saturdays to provide an additional day of services. Early success has evolved into overwhelming demand this year.
Union Mission’s Response:
The Day Center at Grace House is stretching our facility and program capabilities beyond our capacity to adequately serve clients. Because of space constraints, we are unable to expand services and adapt to clients’ dynamic needs. Union Mission is meeting basic needs, but we know clients need access to more intensive services on-site in order to transition to housing. In response to the desperate need for expansion, Union Mission recently purchased our neighboring property to provide space for The Day Center to more fully meet the community’s needs. 702 West Oglethorpe Avenue is an 8,200-square-foot facility that provides a blank slate and the potential to dream and adapt to better serve our clients. Our project will leverage Union Mission’s culture of partnership, innovation, and the voices of those we serve to offer the following:
