March 23, 2022
State of ‘Grace’
The Grace Period helps move people in St. Charles County who can’t yet afford stable housing into selfsufficiency by utilizing transitional housing
Community Voices LaTonya Thomas. Pg. 2 Sunset Fridays debuts at the Cultural Arts Theatre, featuring the Vince Martin Trio. Pg.4
School
By Brett Auten Three years ago, Sara Chandler and Amie Littrell were walking alongside the vulnerable and unsheltered. The pair were volunteering at SunRise Church in 2019 when the inspiration struck to move adults and families who can’t yet afford stable housing into self-sufficiency by utilizing transitional housing. There were no organizations in St. Charles County dedicated solely to transitional housing for adults and families over age 21. In addition, the waiting list for Section 8 was months, even years. The Grace Period was born out of this gap, and provides expense-free, transitional living and case management for these people so that each family will be able to afford the life they are searching for. The vision is to work closely with families on development goals and successfully move them from being unsheltered into stable, permanent, safe, and affordable housing. Permanent housing changes the trajectory of their lives and the lives of their children. Chandler is the co-founder and Executive Director and drives the organization forward. “As a kid, I had two hard-working parents who struggled financially,” she said. “We didn’t know how to access available resources. As I grew up, I realized that we weren’t the only ones going through this. I want no one to feel like I did, which was very lonely and very scared.” Chandler helped launch The Grace Period for parents like hers and for families like her friends’ families who just needed a little help
Around Town
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Ballot. Pg. 9
Features
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The Grace Period founders, Amie Latrill (left) and Sara Chandler.
to get through a hard time in order to get to a more stable place. The Grace Period aids in creating self-sufficiency in a society that doesn’t always understand the impact of circumstances that are beyond one’s control. The Grace Period could have helped my parents get their family to a more stable place.”
Submitted photo
Littrell is the spiritual director and provides spiritual guidance and leads a 12-week course on spiritual faith. She has a master of divinity degree and is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. The program has already had five graduates in its short time, which inSee ‘GRACE‘ page 6
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