Legacy Society Grants Program Highlight: The Lord’s Place $300,000
To develop an affordable housing facility for formerly homeless women to facilitate a seamless transition to sustainable independence.
The Lord’s Place (TLP) focuses on moving individuals and families from dependence to self-determination. Their innovative programs are comprehensive and tailored to meet the unique needs of our clients. Since 1979, TLP has been changing the lives of thousands of our community’s most vulnerable and neglected by offering housing, training, and employment services– all with the goal of giving second chances, healing broken spirits, and transforming lives.
The primary goal for TLP is to help participants secure stable employment and independent housing. Yet, achieving independence can be particularly challenging, even after a client has resolved the host of barriers that initially caused them to experience homelessness. For many graduates of TLP’s housing programs, the local cost of living is disproportionate to their initial earning potential and is often the only thing preventing a client from successfully leaving TLP’s programs. In response to this need, TLP has begun to invest in affordable “graduate” ‘housing, providing independent rental units for graduates whose incomes preclude them from moving into market rate rentals.
The Lord’s Place currently operates the only transitional housing program in PBC specifically designed to serve single homeless women, some of the most vulnerable and underserved citizens in our community. Unlike other programs, this program, called Burckle Place, does not require women to be drug or alcohol dependent or a victim of domestic violence to gain access to the program. Burckle Place serves women of different ages, races, ethnicities and experiences. The program breaks down barriers to independence and self-sufficiency by providing an empowering environment where women can realize their full potential surrounded by other women from similar circumstances. However, once ready to move on, Burckle Place graduates are faced with myriad issues, including unemployment, depression and advanced age, these women find themselves alone and with limited housing options.
With support from the Lost Tree Foundation, TLP will develop an affordable rental housing facility for these formerly homeless women to be known as Burckle Place West. The project will create new affordable rentals while also revitalizing a low-income community in Lake Worth. This new facility will enable women to continue on their path out of homelessness. Our gift was matched dollar for dollar by Mr. Edwyn Burckle, further leveraging our community’s support.