Christ City of Refuge is helping South Carolinians start again

For someone trying to rebuild their life after homelessness, addiction, or incarceration, a second chance can depend on things many of us take for granted. A safe place to sleep. An ID. A driver’s license. A way to get to work or treatment.

Without those things, starting over can feel almost impossible.

In Hartsville, Christ City of Refuge (CCOR) is helping people take those first steps.

More than a decade ago, founder Jimmy Johnson and his family opened their farm to people experiencing homelessness, addiction, and the challenges of returning to the community after incarceration. What started as one family making room for people who needed it has grown into a volunteer-powered organization where people can find a safe place to stay and the support they need to begin again.

Today, CCOR has seven residential cottages on the family farm, where adults can stay for free for six months. During that time, staff and volunteers help residents work through some of the challenges that can make starting over so difficult.

Sometimes that means helping someone get an ID or reinstate a driver’s license. Sometimes it means finding a job or making sure someone has a ride to treatment. These may sound like small things, but for someone trying to rebuild their life, they can make all the difference.

In 2025, 28 residents had a place to stay and an opportunity to focus on what comes next. CCOR also made 78 transportation runs to rehabilitation facilities across South Carolina. And 13 residents were able to reinstate their licenses and purchase their own vehicles.

Those numbers tell a bigger story. For someone who has been without a license or reliable transportation, getting behind the wheel again can mean being able to get to work, make it to treatment, or simply have more independence in everyday life.

But CCOR’s work is about more than solving one problem at a time. It is about having people in your corner while you work through them.

Residents have a place to live, but they also have people who will help them navigate the paperwork, make the phone calls, find transportation, and keep going when things get difficult. That steady support can be just as important as the practical help.

CCOR shows us what Nonprofits Get It Done can look like in real life. It is often not one big solution. It is someone opening a door, giving someone a ride, helping with a piece of paperwork, or being there when a person needs another chance.

That is what helps someone believe they can start again.