$300,000 Grant from Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Funds Completes the Funding Necessary for Phase One of Homeless Coalition Expansion

ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA, October 1, 2025

Contact:
Deborah Redding, Executive Director
Homeless Coalition of St. Johns County
(904) 824-6623
Debi@HomelessCoalitionStJohns.com

The Homeless Coalition of St. Johns County announced today that it has received a $300,000 Legacy 2024 grant from the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Funds at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. This generous gift completes the funding necessary to complete Phase One of the Coalition’s multi-phase campus expansion in West Augustine, ensuring vital new resources for families experiencing homelessness.

Phase One will bring:

• A Children’s Education Center, giving vulnerable children a safe space for tutoring, enrichment, and after-school programs.
• A new family home, expanding the Coalition’s capacity to provide safe, stable housing on its campus.
• A centralized service and administration building, including a food pantry to meet daily needs while strengthening case management and family support.

“Thanks to the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Funds, Phase One is now fully funded and ready to move forward,” said Deborah Redding, Executive Director of the Homeless Coalition of St. Johns County. “These new facilities will directly benefit families in crisis by providing children a place to learn and grow, parents a place to stabilize, and our community a stronger foundation of care.”

The expansion is planned in two phases. The Coalition currently operates 23 homes on its West Augustine campus. With Phase One now fully funded, the Coalition can turn its attention to securing the support needed for Phase Two: Homes for More Families. This next phase will be the most significant expansion in the Coalition’s history, creating 16 new affordable homes and increasing the campus capacity by nearly 70 percent to provide stability for even more parents and children in need.

“This gift not only completes the funding for Phase One, it launches us forward with momentum for Phase Two,” said Jeanne Moeller, President of the Homeless Coalition Board of Directors. “Sixteen new affordable homes will mean stability for more children and their parents and lasting change for families in our community.”

For more than 27 years, the Homeless Coalition of St. Johns County has been walking alongside families during their most vulnerable times. Since purchasing its first home for a homeless family in 1999, the Coalition has expanded its campus and services through community support, building and renovating cottages that provide stability for parents and children. Over the last decade alone, these efforts have housed 267 households, including 631 children. The current campus expansion builds on this strong foundation and represents a significant step toward ending family homelessness in St. Johns County.

“This grant represents more than bricks and mortar. It ensures that children and parents experiencing homelessness will have the resources they need to stabilize, rebuild, and thrive,” added Redding. “Mrs. Weaver’s generosity allows us to expand both housing and supportive services, advancing our mission to end family homelessness in St. Johns County.”

Homeless Coalition of St Johns County is supported by a grant from the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Funds.