Homeless No More breaks ground on new education facility
March 17, 2021
On March 8, 2021, nonprofit organization Homeless No More broke ground on its new Education Facility off Two Notch Road in Northeast Columbia. When completed, the new 5,000 sf building will house two offices and six classrooms for after school care, summer camp, and adult life skills classes.
The new Education Facility is one of many building projects Homeless No More is undertaking this year to better serve its clients. The others include new construction of 15 affordable housing units known as Myrtle Grove set to open in early spring; rehabilitation of new dormitories at Family Shelter to be completed in late May; and construction of new life skill space and warehouse facility at St. Lawrence Place. The Education Facility is projected to be finished in August 2021.
“We’ve been committed to working with the entire family through our programs and services for decades,” said Lila Anna Sauls, Homeless No More’s President and CEO. “These capital improvements will enable us to better support the families we serve as we continue to grow strategically to better meet the needs of our community.”
Homeless No More enlisted the help of local design firms for the building’s design and construction. Garvin Design Group provided programming, architecture, and interior design services for several of the projects, and Buchanan Construction Services is providing general contracting services. From the outset of the project, the team worked to create inviting spaces where children, teens, and parents can feel comfortable, secure, and inspired. The building’s residential scale and massing provide a sense of comfort and familiarity. High window placement in the lobby and classrooms allow for natural light while providing additional clear wall space and added security. Interior classroom entrances include a combination of glass doors and sidelights to allow for borrowed daylight and sightlines throughout the building. Comfortable, moveable furniture enables the team room to function as both a lounge space and a learning space. Casework provides sinks, lockable wardrobes, and cubbies with storage space above, creating spaces that serve large groups but still feel like home.
“It’s been an honor to help Homeless No More bring its vision for the new Education Facility to life,” said Scott Garvin, President of Garvin Design Group. “The staff and volunteers of Homeless No More are so dedicated to their mission. Their passion for the families they serve was evident in every design meeting we held. The new building truly reflects the organization’s care for our community.”
About Homeless No More
Homeless No More (HNM) is a nonprofit organization providing a continuum of care that keeps each family together and meets their needs at the right time with the right services. Through three primary programs (Family Shelter, St. Lawrence Place, and Live Oak Place) HNM provides emergency services, transitional, and affordable housing, HNM provides the support to move each family toward a permanent, self-sufficient solution, working to eradicate family homelessness and help parents and their children achieve last independence. In 2019, HNM provided transitional housing to 150 families, including 259 children. Of the families HNM served, 91% moved from transitional to permanent housing. For more information, please visit www.homelessnomoresc.org. Facebook: @HomelessNoMoreSC; Instagram: @homelessnomoresc; Twitter: @HNM_SC
