Goff Family Shelter’s open house will be held on Saturday, June 27, to celebrate the completed family shelter. Its doors will be open for the community to tour before families move in on July 1. The open house will have local food trucks on site with food and beverages available. It will be a great way to celebrate the community who helped make the project possible.
Joy Case, director of development for St. Augustine Society Inc., said the project has been in progress for 10-plus years, making the opening an even more exciting event.
The project started before Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Irma, which left the shelter in shambles. Funding took time, but thanks to the unwavering support of the community and the Community Development Block Grant Program, the shelter came together. Local organizations, service clubs, churches and individuals pitched in by donating and sponsoring rooms.
The shelter is designed specifically for families with minor children and the ultimate goal is “to keep families together,” Case said.
Sadly, children often have to stay elsewhere while their parents work on finding a more permanent home. The Goff family shelter will have nine rooms and 37 beds, providing a way for more families to stay together during a difficult time in their lives. It will serve as an emergency shelter for families in crises.
The furniture is ready to be moved in and people who sponsored rooms are helping decorate to make the space homey and welcoming for families. Plaques outside each room will recognize the sponsors and all who made this project possible. Goff Family Shelter provides a safe place for families to rebuild together.
