Photos used with permission from McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture

“‘I looked for anyone to repair the wall and stand in the gap for me on behalf of the land, so I wouldn’t have to destroy it. But I couldn’t find anyone.’”

the prophet, on behalf of God (Ezekiel 22:30)

I regularly assign Anna Quindlen’s essay Homeless to my students, not because I want them to study homelessness as a social concern or because I want them to “solve” it, but because it is an engaging and instructive piece of writing for those taking a composition course. Our primary purpose is academic, to learn how Quindlen develops and organizes her ideas so we can emulate those techniques in our writing. Although challenging to teach and learn, it is far easier still than to discover how best to address actual homelessness. Few societal ills seem as touching and complex as this one. Perhaps a passage from Quindlen is insightful: 

[Homelessness] is a difficult problem, and some wise and compassionate people are working hard at it. But in the main, I think we work around it, just as we walk around it when it is lying on the sidewalk or sitting in the bus terminal — the problem, that is. It has been customary to take people’s pain and lessen our own participation in it by turning it into an issue, not a collection of human beings. 

Among the wise and compassionate Augustans who do not treat homelessness as an academic “issue” is the founder and CEO of Bridge Builder Communities (BBC), Dr. Jackson Drumgoole II. Drumgoole’s work targets a tragically underrepresented and, therefore, an at-risk subsection of the homeless population: young adults who have aged-out of the foster care system. I met with Drumgoole at Toaste downtown to learn a bit more about him and the vision of his project.

The Plan

The project, from inception to fruition, is the result of a team effort. Drumgoole is an incredibly gifted man, but he readily admits his dependency on his team. And the team’s work is getting noticed: the number of BBC’s partners is growing weekly and runs the gamut of businesses and organizations, from those involved in education, hospitality, healthcare and home construction, to others working directly with the homeless population. 

If you bought cookies at Chick-fil-A this February, you may remember hearing about the promotion “Cookies for a Cause,” where all Chick-fil-A restaurants in the Augusta-Aiken area supported BBC by donating a portion of their cookie sales for that month. In mid-March, the owner-operators, together, handed Drumgoole a check for $18,000. And several plan to give more than money — they pledge to hire the youths who are part of BBC.

The plan is simple: On three acres in the Harrisburg neighborhood, where the old Central Park used to be, to build a gated village of 25 tiny homes that, by virtue of being stable, safe and affordable, will help 18- to 25-year-olds who’ve been “emancipated” from the foster system to transition to adulthood successfully. As the BBC name implies, the place is dedicated to bridging its residents to various tangible and intangible resources that normally come from a family, one key idea guiding the project. Or, as Drumgoole puts it, “At the end of the day, behind all the metrics and studies and performance indicators, what we’re really talking about is creating a family environment for a young adult who never had a family.”

The design of the space is intended to reinforce this sense of family in a few ways. The tiny homes will be arranged in five “pods” of five houses each. A community building will be at the center of the village, where many of the life-skills classes will be taught. A clothing closet and food pantry will be housed in it, as well as administrative spaces. The building will also have an open back porch for community gatherings and events. 

Yet another way is to have a married couple live in an on-site cottage even if only for a time, rotating out for another couple to come in and be the “community shepherds,” as it were. The fact that the homes are tiny (320 square feet each) dignifies the residents since each unit is large enough for them to feel “free,” yet small enough not to feel overwhelmed with responsibility. Every unit is equipped with the necessary (dorm room-sized) appliances and furniture, and residents may take their unit’s furnishings with them to ease their transition to independent living.

The Answers

Two topics that Drumgoole addressed assure me that the entire undertaking will run smoothly: the onboarding process and the terms of staying. 

How do youths come to be residents of the BBC village? 

They are selected. 

How are they selected? 

Since they are coming from the state foster care system, the Department of Family and Child Services (DFACS) already has in-depth files on each youth. So the most important step in onboarding is the careful collaboration between DFACS and BBC representatives. 

“After DFACS recommends some kids to us,” Drumgoole explains, “our team of counselors and other crisis-trained individuals will sit down with their reps and, [by] studying the kids’ files, [they will]determine which ones will have the greatest chance of success in this program. Not every young adult will want to be a part of this; some who age-out are doing well, [and] already know what they need to do and how to do it.” 

After youths move into the BBC village, they will meet with their “care manager” to devise an Individual Success Plan. Their “resource manager” will help them identify and acquire the various tangibles for their plan to succeed. The requirement of such steps by the residents allows them to quickly connect that success usually follows a well-conceived plan, sticking to it and having a support team in the process. 

“What we’ve learned,” said Drumgoole, “from others in this type of service — for example, Pivot, Inc., in Oklahoma City, with whom we closely work — is that most kids leave the program within nine to 18 months (even though they’re allowed to stay until 25) because what they most need is a breathing space, a cushion, a chance to find out what opportunities and resources are available to them and who is there to help them, someone who’s got their back.”

The most telling aspect regarding the smooth operation of the project may be the terms of stay. Drumgoole enumerated several:

“Each person has to be employed (we will help them find work). They have to be in school (again, we will help them). Many simply don’t know what’s available to them, for example, a free education. So, we’ll help them with their educational pathway. We’ve partnered with Augusta Technical College to help us with that piece. Some may want to go to a four-year university, and, because of the Fostering Success Act of 2022, there are some ways to get financial aid for that pathway. They have to stay on the property at least four days a week. If they decide to go blow off some steam on Friday, Saturday and Sunday — maybe stay with a friend — then they’ll be drug-tested on Monday morning when they return. No drugs, no alcohol, no weapons, no pets are allowed on the property. They may have guests, but [guests] may not spend the night and must leave at a reasonable hour. They must meet with their care manager twice a week.”

City commissioners gave zoning approval in mid-April so now, after a bit more site engineering and design approval, Drumgoole hopes to break ground by summer’s end and, by this time next year, to have two “pods” filled, that is, 10 residents living in 10 homes, the first phase of the project. 

The Man Standing in the Gap

Who would be willing to co-labor with, reprove, guide, laugh with, encourage, expect much of, and by turns worry and pray over young adults with whom he has no biological affinity? He is a man who commands your attention as much as he gives you his, and listens more than he talks; a man who exudes a passion that soars as much as it is moored to precision of thought; a man who is no starry-eyed dreamer but whose vision is achievable. He is a man whose personal motto is “Live full, leave empty,” and whose biggest fear is a broken heart — at having to turn away a child for lack of space. This man should have the last word here:

“Growing up in Augusta, I witnessed firsthand the struggles my family members faced in the foster care system. The layers of trauma they endured through displacement and abuse left deep scars, impacting them well into adulthood. Seeing their pain and feeling their struggles, I knew I had to do something. I was convinced as early as 16 years old, especially after reading James 1:27 (caring for widows and orphans), to find a better way to help children and young adults in similar situations. I firmly believe that with the right support and guidance, foster youth can overcome adversity and thrive. My vision for Bridge Builder Communities is rooted in the belief that every young person deserves the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their past circumstances. Our mission is clear: to bridge the gap and create brighter futures for Augusta’s foster youth.”

“‘If you extend your soul to the hungry

And satisfy the afflicted soul,

Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,

And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

…

You shall be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

…

And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,

The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.’”

God, through the prophet (Isaiah 54:10-12)

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Seen in the May 2024 issue of Augusta magazine

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