"As the inaugural year of the Baldwin Family Village draws to a close, it is evident that our program is making a real difference! We are proud to report that the Baldwin Family Village has provided a new beginning for 81 individuals since opening our doors on May 6, 2023. The overwhelming support from the Baldwin County community is both inspiring and humbling. Whether through financial contributions, volunteer efforts such as meals provision, life skills classes, childcare or service projects on campus, the community’s steadfast commitment to our mission has been instrumental in the overall success of the Baldwin Family Village. Each resident holds a special place in our hearts as they heal and return back to living a life of self-sufficiency. We look forward to the future, as we offer more families the opportunity to achieve lasting independence."

---Margie Walters, Director of the Baldwin Family Village (Pictured L-R: Margie Walters, Director; Hilary Williams, Case Manager; Cathi Parish, House Manager)

"From the very beginning of this journey I have been overwhelmed with the power of God's love that has been revealed through the work and witness of the Baldwin Family Village. Never before have I seen such a dynamic convergence of passion and purpose for the sake of the common good. 

Any casual observer to our anniversary celebration would not have been able to tell the difference between the residents, employees, graduates, or foundation members. And that is point, isn't it? With every new relationship and every generous act of hospitality, the imbalance of power is recalibrated. We watch as the walls come down and lines of division are all but erased. Community is created and families are reformed. Poverty, brokenness, or trauma do not get the last word. Only life! 

Through the course of this year, and especially this night, I heard women speaking in a voice that they admittedly did not have before they entered these doors.  These were tales of genuine transformation.   And not just the residents or the graduates, but all who have been connected to this vision from start.  On this first anniversary, I am so proud of the way in which the Baldwin Family Village has grown to fulfill its original vision, and now continues to extend that invitation toward a strong and sustainable future. 

While sitting at the table with those who have helped to make this dream a reality and listening to the testimonies that filled that space, I kept hearing Jesus tell his followers a story about another banquet, one which was to be a foretaste of things to come. As the story goes, the owner of the house said to his servant, go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. And the servant said, Sir, what you have ordered has been done, and there is still room (Luke 14:21-22). 

Indeed, there is still room in the heart of God and the heart of this community for our neighbors.  Now that faith has moved to action, others have found room to rest, to eat, and to heal--'safe and secure from all alarms.' Now we see that there is room for all of us to come to the table, to listen, and to learn how to hope again. This is our invitation. Now is the time to RSVP! 

More than any of us could have asked or imagined, this joyful work of the Baldwin Family Village has convinced me once again that by the grace of God, there is always room to love and be loved. We have room to welcome others who might need us, and room to share.  We have room to give and to receive. Room to forgive and to be forgiven. It will require real work and investment on our part, but the good news is there, just waiting to be revealed. Peace, I leave with you! My peace I give to you!"

---Dr. Darren M. McClellan, Sr. Pastor, Fairhope UMC, President, Baldwin Family Village Foundation

The Baldwin Family Village Foundation is the fundraising arm of the Baldwin Family Village. Click here to learn more about the Baldwin Family Village Foundation. (Pictured: Baldwin Family Village staff and founding members of the Baldwin Family Village Foundation

“Living day-to-day not knowing if this was going to be my last day was traumatizing. There were days when I didn’t know if I’d be able to eat or even take a bath. When I was accepted into the Baldwin Family Village, the program gave me LIFE! I had hope again. I was surrounded by genuine people who cared for me, and I finally felt loved - something that I had not experienced in a very long time. I looked forward to waking up each day. The Village taught me how to be responsible and accountable for my actions. I began to recognize my strengths and improve my self-esteem. I learned that I don’t have to live a life of instability and addiction - that I am still somebody! The Baldwin Family Village will always be home to me. I thank God for the staff, residents and volunteers who treated me with dignity and gave me joy and peace back in my life.”

---Vida, Baldwin Family Village graduate

In its inaugural year, the Baldwin Family Village has successfully graduated 45 women and children, like Vida, into independent housing. At the core of its mission is the program’s ‘hand-up, not a hand-out’ philosophy, underscored by a curriculum built on accountability, individualized case management, life skills classes and behavior modification strategies. Click here to learn more about Dumas Wesley Community Center's transitional housing program, the Baldwin Family Village.

Congratulations to Baldwin Family Village resident, Denise, who graduated from high school in May. Denise’s family have been living at the Baldwin Family Village for nearly six months. While dealing with a medical crisis, Denise's mother, Betrisa, lost her job and eventually became homeless. “Denise faced so many challenges,” said Betrisa. "The change of environment was a sign of hope for my daughter. She maintained a 3.5 GPA in her senior year and even volunteered in the community. Denise was awarded a two-year scholarship to Bishop State Community College. She will obtain her associates degree in Cosmetology and Business Administration. I am extremely proud of her."

Denise and her family were treated to a special graduation celebration, thanks to Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) teachers in Baldwin County. "We are advisers for our schools’ Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) organizations," said Alyssa Corbett, Elberta Middle School, FACCS Teacher and Advisor. "A fundamental pillar of FCCLA is to provide opportunities for our students to serve their schools, communities, and families. As a teacher and adviser, it is important to model that service and set an example for our students to follow. We are blessed to have the opportunity to celebrate her graduation. It is such a special time, transitioning from high school to college. We are so excited to be a small part of that for Denise and her family."

If you are experiencing a housing crisis or know of someone in need please call the Baldwin Family Village at 251.210.4045.

Voices from the Village

Dumas Wesley Community Center’s Baldwin Family Village program received a $300,000 grant in partnership with local non-profit, Housing First, Inc. 

"We are thrilled to continue our support for the Dumas Wesley Community Center in their efforts to address homelessness in Mobile and Baldwin Counties. This grant signifies our ongoing commitment to creating positive change and offering hope to those in need within our community."

---Derek Boulware, CEO of Housing First, Inc.

"Helping those less fortunate has been something that I have enjoyed since retiring to Fairhope. I volunteer as the Project Manger for the Baldwin Family Village. With the assistance of individuals and volunteer groups, we work together to complete maintenance projects around the Village. It is truly a community-supported effort.

The residents are tough people. To be able to handle a full-time job or school while raising children and taking evening classes at the Village, in an effort to graduate to independent living is incredible to me. The Baldwin Family Village and staff enable all of this to happen - it’s amazing!"

---Mark Mathias, Volunteer Project Manager at the Baldwin Family Village

"I first heard about the Baldwin Family Village through neighbor and friend, Elizabeth Hammock, who is a founding board member of the Baldwin Family Village Foundation. My heart immediately felt called to say yes in all ways possible to help create a safe, healing and growing place for mothers and children! 

As a volunteer, I have had the privilege of witnessing the brokenhearted change into strong, proud newly-hopeful and confident women that are actively creating their next chapters through the Baldwin Family Village and support from the community."

---Allison Beard, Meal Sponsor and Childcare volunteer at the Baldwin Family Village