Board agrees to sell property to continue providing services

The Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina on St. Margaret Street in Charleston won't have to close the doors at the end of the month, but changes are going to be made for the organization to survive.

A financial crisis that threatened to close the home that has been serving young, unwed pregnant women for 111 years recently led the board to make the difficult decision to sell the property, Interim Executive Director Lisa Belton said.

"The board struggled for a long time with the idea of selling the property, but we all agree the most important thing is to provide the services in the community," Belton said.

The property includes the main brick home, which is more than 13,000 square feet, and a chapel next door. It's a beautiful house, but its age and high ceilings make it costly to cool and heat, Belton said. A local Realtor and former board member plans to handle the sale at no fee as a donation, Belton said.

If the property sells, Florence Crittenton is considering joining with a couple of local nonprofits to lease space, Belton said. A merger is also a possibility.

Florence Crittenton has been struggling since 2005. The Department of Health and Human Services severely capped the organization's ability to bill under its Medicaid contract, which resulted in an annual $350,000 loss, Belton said.

The organization took out a line of credit using the house as collateral to pay the bills. The staff was streamlined. But the financial strain worsened this year when the line of credit was maxed out and some small grants and donations didn't come through.

"The board felt like they were at a loss and maybe the best thing to do is close because we had this debt and we weren't making payroll," Belton said.

Belton went public with the dire financial situation and has been reaching out to the organization's supporters. Donations of money and goods have been coming in.

Lisa Moorer, owner of the vintage clothing store The Culture Vultures, decided to help sponsor a fundraiser for Florence Crittenton after she received a postcard explaining that the home might have to close.

"I started crying. I said, 'Oh, no,' " Moorer said.

It hit home with Moorer because she was pregnant and unwed at 17. She ended up not keeping the child.

"If we don't help these girls, they're going to end up on welfare, that child is going to end up on the poverty level. Now is the time to start helping these girls," Moorer said.

Florence Crittenton serves ages 10-21 at the home at 19 St. Margaret St. It is licensed for 30 residents although Belton said it tends to get crowded at that number. Other girls come just for day instruction. The organization is not licensed for infants, so girls have to leave after they deliver.

Young women usually come to the home because their families don't know how to help them.

Ivana Bligen, 15, said she came to the home because her mother was a resident there in 1988 at 17.

"They try to encourage us to be better parents," Bligen said.

Dai-yah Bryant, 17, said her family knew about Florence Crittenton because one of her mother's friends was once a client.

"It was a good idea, me coming here," Bryant said.

She attends class and learns life skills such as infant CPR.

Medical care is provided through a full-time nurse and the Medical University of South Carolina department of family medicine.

"We saved the community $1.5 million last year in kids born here who didn't need neonatal care," Belton said.

There's also an emphasis on pregnancy prevention because statistics show teen mothers have a much higher chance of a second pregnancy. Every young woman who leaves the home must have birth control, Belton said.

The organization also has a family development program for women ages 18-25 who have children. The program includes housing assistance and support services for up to two years.