Savannah Opens New Resource Center for People Experiencing Homelessness

Savannah has a new place for people experiencing homelessness to access several services without having to travel from organization to organization.

Union Mission has opened the Emmaus House Resource Center at 127 Fahm Street, an 8,200 square foot facility designed to serve more than 200 people per day. The center brings together housing assistance, healthcare, employment services, meals and other support in one location.

What's Available?

The center is built around partnerships.

J.C. Lewis Primary Health Care provides medical services. Goodwill Industries offers job readiness assistance, classes and résumé support. The Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless provides housing assessments and placement assistance, while other community partners provide additional services.

Emmaus House, which joined Union Mission in May, also continues its longtime meal services from the new location.

The center is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Why This Matters

Finding help shouldn't require someone experiencing homelessness to figure out five different agencies, locations and intake systems. Bringing healthcare, employment assistance, meals and housing navigation together gives people one place to begin addressing several problems that may be keeping them homeless. And the demand is there. Union Mission originally expected its previous day center to serve about 50 people daily. Attendance grew to an average of 119 people per day, with as many as 162 people coming through in one day.

The new center gives Savannah considerably more room to meet that need.

Sources: Georgia Public Broadcasting: Emmaus House Opening, WTOC: Union Mission Opens New Resource Center