I wrote last week about how Debra Freeman, the executive director of the local Boys & Girls Club and a member of the Waynesboro School Board, who headed up the local WARM homeless shelter for several years, was herself homeless for six months in 2024.
Freeman will recount the experience as part of the SAW Housing Lunch & Learn series this week.
Freeman’s lunch presentation, entitled More Than a Roof, will be offered at Augusta Expo Center’s Building 2 beginning at noon on Wednesday.
The event is free. Light refreshments will be provided, and participants are encouraged to brown bag their lunch and join the conversation.
Freeman hopes the story of her own powerful home ownership journey inspires a different way of thinking about housing solutions.
“I hope people leave understanding that housing instability does not always look the way we expect, and that it can happen to families who are working, leading, and doing everything they can to move forward,” Freeman said. “More than anything, I hope my story reminds us to look beyond labels, lead with dignity, and remember that behind every door is a story we may not be able to see.”
The SAW Housing leadership team designed the Lunch & Learn series to keep community conversations about housing issues going after the initial SAW Housing Summit in 2023.
Previous Lunch & Learn conversations have included critical home repair, community land trusts, understanding ALICE (asset limited, income constrained, employed), the future of housing affordability, first-time home ownership, physical accessibility and renter’s rights.
“Our Lunch & Learns give us a space to step back and listen to the players in the housing ecosystem, both the organizations working on solutions and the neighbors facing housing problems themselves,” said Jennifer Brown, a member of the SAW Housing leadership team. When we hear each other’s personal stories, we can work together to support our whole community.”
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Chris Graham
