Family Promise in Bryan County seeking new home after previous location put on the market

Families battling homelessness in Bryan County relied on Family Promise to secure housing.

Now, those who need a roof over their head will have to relocate to the home in Chatham or Effingham County as the location at 177 Spruce St. in Richmond Hill is officially closed. 

The non-profit organization provides short-term, temporary housing for 30, 45 or 60 days. During that time, families are encouraged to pay off any debt, secure employment, childcare and housing. “We wanted them to take care of those barriers that were preventing them from obtaining or maintaining housing,” said Bostick, executive director of Family Promise of the Coastal Empire.

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In May, the owners of the home notified Bostick they wanted to sell the property. Closure of the home has affected 40 families in need of housing. 

“At that point, we made a decision not to allow any families to come back into the house, just because we know what the housing market looks like,” said Bostick. “And we're sure once it got on the market, it was going to sell. And it did, so we were notified of the closing the second week in June.”

The announcement came as a shock to Bostick, but also made her realize in her line of work, anything can happen. Despite the situation, she is in good spirits and said the owners of the home were pivotal in making the outreach a success.

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“Businesses and nonprofits are not exempt from losing their homes or the places they work in,” said Bostick. “The owners were an absolute joy to work with. They were really supportive of Family Promise and their mission, so I don't want anybody to think that the people that sold the house are just looking for a profit. I promise you they were the best landlords any organization could ever connect to.”

Bostick said they have not reached out to the county for assistance because they are evaluating what their next steps should be. They are working on a diversion plan to assist families that are in imminent danger of losing housing and doing more outreach in the community. The rest will take some time to figure out.

“We have been in contact with our partner organizations and we've looked at the possibility of putting an office in one of their offices and sharing that space with them so we can continue to operate,” said Bostick.

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“But my time here has been absolutely enjoyable. My passion is in the work that we do and the families we serve.”

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.