Union Mission and Parker’s hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Aug. 31 for the new Parker’s House: A Home for Women, which will be the only facility solely dedicated to providing emergency housing and comprehensive services for unaccompanied women experiencing homelessness in Savannah, Ga. and across coastal Georgia. Parker’s House will officially open to women in need on Tuesday, September 6 and will provide housing and support services to 100 women annually. 

Featured speakers at the Parker’s House Ribbon Cutting Ceremony included Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, Union Mission President and CEO Michael Traynor, Parker’s Founder and CEO Greg Parker, Union Mission Board Chairman Neilie Dunn, Sarah Mills Hodge Foundation Board Chairman Dr. Paul Pressly and Reverend Patricia Youngquist.

 “On any given night in Chatham County, approximately 180 women are experiencing homelessness,” said Union Mission President and CEO Michael Traynor. “The demand for Parker’s House from women in our community is tremendous. This facility will be laser-focused on helping unaccompanied, homeless women, offering much-needed housing and essential services 24/7.”

Located at 125 Fahm St. in the former J.C. Lewis Healthcare building in Savannah, the 10,590-square-foot facility will offer emergency housing, on-site case workers, residential assistants and support services for up to 32 women for 90 days. Parker’s House also includes a common kitchen, living room, dining room, computer room, multi-purpose conference center and laundry room. Interior walls throughout the facility feature empowering quotes designed to inspire women at Parker’s House. 

“It’s not a crime to be homeless,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson told the audience in attendance at the ribbon cutting. “It’s a crime not to do something about it.”

In 2021, Parker’s made a $250,000 donation to Union Mission from the Parker’s Community Fund, which is administered by the Savannah Community Foundation, to support the founding of the new Parker’s House. The Parker’s Community Fund is focused on making a transformative impact in the areas that Parker’s serves in Georgia and South Carolina.

“We’re thrilled to support Union Mission’s vision to create a safe space for women experiencing homelessness in Savannah by creating Parker’s House,” said Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker. “There’s an urgent need to provide emergency housing and support services for women in need right here in our community.”

At the ribbon cutting, Parker issued a challenge to the Savannah community, pledging to match up to $100,000 for new donations made to Parker’s House through September 30, 2022.