One year after opening, Parker's House has helped 136 women find safe, stable housing

On August 31, 2022, a group of supporters and dignitaries, including Paula Deen, Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker, and Savannah Mayor Van Johnson gathered outside of Savannah’s Union Mission to officially open Parker’s House. The home, a 32-bed facility dedicated to serving women experiencing homelessness, opened its doors on Sept. 6, 2022.

On Wednesday folks gathered once again to celebrate the one-year anniversary.

Michael Traynor, president, and CEO of Union Mission, said the goal was “to serve 100 women in the first year.” Parker House surpassed that goal by helping 222 women find their footing.

Johnson followed, saying that the most important achievement the fact that of those 222 women, 136 obtained safe and stable housing.

Grand Opening: Union Mission opens Parker's House, first emergency shelter for women in three-state region

Gallery: A Home for women opens with a ribbon cutting ceremony

One of the women who benefited from Parker House was Sanielle Jones, who shared a bit of her story during the event. She told about how after graduating from Georgia Southern in 2022 she was not able to find a job right away and was forced to give up her apartment. Fortunately for Jones, she was able to find her way to Parker’s House, where she found not only a place to stay but other much needed services that helped her on a path to finding a job and stable housing.

Richard Burkhart is the visual journalist for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at rbburkhart@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Parker's House has helped 136 women find safe, stable housing