Baldwin Family Village
The Dumas Wesley Community Center and the Baldwin Family Village Foundation are proud to announce the launch of Baldwin County’s first transitional housing program, the Baldwin Family Village (BFV). The program is operated by the Dumas Wesley Community Center, and modeled after its highly successful transitional housing program, the Sybil Smith Family Village. Sybil Smith enjoys an average success rate of 88% among residents who completed the program and remained permanently housed for two years. This figure is 45% higher than the national average, according to the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), a data collection service which measures housing services and outcomes nationwide. In the last six years, 0% of SSFV graduates returned to homelessness, within 2 years of program completion, compared to the national recidivism rate of 19%.
The Baldwin Family Village provides 12 months of housing stability and wrap-around services for up to 100 single women and women with children annually. BFV seeks to break the cycle of homelessness and help women and children re-establish and maintain self-sufficiency by focusing on accountability, case management, life skills, and behavior modification. To-date, the BFV has served 121 individuals and has successfully graduated 78 of these women and children into independent housing.
According to United Way of Southwest Alabama’s crisis calls, in 2021, 1/3 of the calls received from Baldwin County are related to homelessness and/or housing assistance. Last year, 254 children were identified as homeless, according to the Baldwin County Public School System (2023-2024 school year).
Basic eligibility criteria for admission into Baldwin Family Village are:
- Must be at least 24 years old,
- Must be homeless or fleeing domestic violence (PFA must be obtained upon entry),
- Must be able to work and/or attend school (volunteer hours do not count),
- Must be drug-and alcohol-free,
- Must be willing to live in a drug/alcohol-free environment (and take random drug tests), and
- Must be willing to participate in a case management plan.
Please contact Margie Walters, Director of the Baldwin Family Village, at 251-210-4045 or email mwalters@dumaswesley.org for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures.
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