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NATCHEZ — Carolyn Myers, Ph.D., the CEO and founder of Seeds of Change, said her foundation has been working towards the goal of opening a group home in Natchez for more than a year.

After going through the legal steps of having it approved, first with the Natchez Preservation Commission up the chain to Washington, D.C., Myers said she got permitted to use a house at 6 Claiborne St. last month. Seeds of Change closed on the purchase of the building last week and on Friday hosted a groundbreaking for its renovation into a shelter for those with nowhere else to turn.

“It was worth the wait,” Myers said while turning to face the house Friday afternoon. Then she held her hands up facing the sky and said, “Thank you, Jesus.”

Happy tears glistened in her eyes.

For years, Seeds of Change has helped feed and shelter the homeless in the Miss-Lou without bias. Myers said she couldn’t count how many times she has personally put someone up in a hotel room with nowhere else to go. Entities like the Guardian Shelter will temporarily house certain groups, such as battered women and their children, but Myers said there is little help in the Miss-Lou region for many of the communities’ homeless persons, particularly men.

Myers said her goal is to open the group home by late Spring or early summer of 2022 to men and women and their children who have nowhere to live. The house can hold six to eight people, she said.

“I’ve had a couple who’ve already called me,” she said. “They will go through a screening process. They can’t be addicted to drugs, alcohol or anything of that nature. … After six months, we hope to find substantial housing for them. I’m working with Section 8 for that and we’re going to help them find jobs. We’re also going to have spiritual counseling and job training and we’re going to feed them here.”

Myers said funds to purchase the house were raised with the community’s donations to Seeds of Change, particularly at the annual “Biker’s on the Bluff,” which is the foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year.

Several church pastors and community supporters of the project came to Friday’s groundbreaking.

“I want to thank everyone who came and supported the project,” Myers said.

Both monetary and physical help is needed to restore the house to livable condition.

To inquire about volunteering or for assistance, Myers can be reached at 601-870-6343. Monetary donations can also be mailed to P.O. Box 714, Natchez, MS 39121.