Our Q3 2026 newsletter, Turning the Key, is here—and this quarter, we’re shining a light on something every child deserves: a safe place to sleep tonight.
As families across St. Johns County prepared for a new school year, many gathered school supplies, met the teachers, and planned first-day photos. But for some local families during these times, the biggest question isn’t what color backpack to buy. It’s where their children will sleep.
Family homelessness exists here in our own community, often hidden in cars, motels, campgrounds, or doubled up with relatives and friends. And in recent years, the St. Francis Housing Crisis Center has seen a 72% increase in children seeking assistance.
That growing need is why the opening of the Goff Family Shelter is such an important milestone for our community.
Thanks to years of planning, partnership, generosity, and a community committed to local families, the new shelter expands St. Francis Housing Crisis Center’s ability to keep parents and children together during a housing crisis. With nine private family bedrooms and 37 beds, the shelter more than doubles the previous family shelter capacity of 16 beds. Families also have access to common spaces for homework and time together, along with laundry facilities, showers, and a safe, stable environment where parents can work with staff toward permanent housing.
Inside this issue of Turning the Key, you’ll meet Emma, a 9-year-old whose experience reminds us why this work matters so much. Before a child can think about spelling tests, multiplication tables, making friends, or what they might become someday, they need the certainty of knowing where they’ll sleep tonight.
You’ll also see the many people who helped open this door—from the Goff family and the City of St. Augustine to room sponsors, volunteers, local businesses, churches, organizations, and community donors. The Goff Family Shelter is a powerful example of what becomes possible when a community recognizes a growing need and chooses to respond.
And the work doesn’t stop at opening a door.
Our focus continues to be helping make homelessness rare, brief, and one-time through outreach, shelter, food, housing-focused support, and a path forward. Whether you support St. Augustine Society through volunteering, community partnerships, a one-time gift, or monthly giving, you are helping ensure that when a neighbor reaches out for help, support is there.
As we welcome Fall, we’re especially grateful for the people who continue to show up for our neighbors. Families are finding safety, young adults are discovering hope, and individuals experiencing homelessness are taking meaningful steps toward permanent housing—all because caring people believe in what’s possible.
And when you’re ready to take the next step, we invite you to become a Keyholder with a monthly gift. Your consistent support helps ensure that families and individuals have a place to turn when they need it most—and helps unlock hope for what comes next.