Keys to Change asks Summerville council for $100,000 to sustain homeless services

Jenny Macchini, executive director of Keys to Change, told the Summerville Town Council on May 8 that the nonprofit is seeking $100,000 in operational support from the town to sustain staffing and program services.

Macchini said Keys to Change operates two recovery houses — Lighthouse (formerly Hope's House) and Anchor House — and that the organization has served more than 1,000 men and women in the community since it began work in 2015. "We are the only provider of homeless services, shelter, and services in Dorchester County," Macchini said.

The $100,000 request would cover about three months of program costs, Macchini said, and the organization also has submitted the same request to Dorchester County through the county's outside-agency request process. She noted the group received $250,000 last year toward a new men's facility on Miles Jamieson and said local public and private support helps the nonprofit leverage other funding.

Macchini described Keys to Change's funding mix as roughly 70% from competitive private grants and 23% from private donors and faith-based contributors. She added that the Lighthouse facility opened in February 2019 and that the group aims to help clients secure employment and stable housing. "Every dollar invested in support program like ours is savings for public crisis response," Macchini said.

Council members thanked Macchini and members of her board for the presentation. No council vote on the request was taken at the meeting.