If someone in the community is struggling to put food on the table, or to stay in their home, where can they go for help?
Starkville Strong has been working to answer that question through its programs and services since the nonprofit began as a community action group in 2020. But now, Starkville Strong Executive Director Brandi Herrington has announced the organization’s plans to build a centralized headquarters, The Stronghold, over the next three years.
“It’s a one-door one stop, where our clients or any neighbor in need can come to get assistance in one place,” Herrington said. “The idea is to make sure that we’re providing the services that we provide along the way with case management, and be able to provide all our programs from one place.”
Currently, Herrington said, the organization is in phase one of its three year plan to create The Stronghold, which she envisions being a 6,000-10,000 square foot facility on 5-10 acres of land. The organization has not yet secured a location for the headquarters, as Herrington said she is currently considering a few options.
Herrington said the goal for The Stronghold would be to create a “comprehensive and holistic” approach to serving those in need as they regain stability and independence.
“The goal is a life rehabilitation center, where we literally are the navigators from the moment of intake to graduation from the program and then supporting them after that,” Herrington said.
For those in need of food, The Stronghold would include the nonprofit’s current food pantry and hygiene supplies. It would also hold programs like Second Servings, which takes food from local restaurants and other donors and redistributes it to those that are hungry, and Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a monthly program that gives participants a chance to “shop” for food and hygiene items every fourth Sunday.
The headquarters could also offer temporary shelter with sleeping pods, along accessible sanitation facilities and communal spaces. In the long term, the facility could also include tiny homes as transitional housing and a community garden, Herrington said.
Herrington also hopes The Stronghold will offer educational workshops, access to health care and behavioral support resources, life skills training and a work program, all of which would allow clients to regain their independence.
Herrington said she also hopes to maintain office spaces for other nonprofits, organizations and service agencies to interact with clients on-site, rather than their clients having to do the “scavenger hunt” of finding resources scattered across the city.
Making The Stronghold happen
Herrington said the project will most likely move in phases which will change slightly depending on if it builds from scratch or retrofits a currently existing facility. In a pitch for The Stronghold shared through Starkville Strong’s website, the organization anticipates spending about $250,000 for land acquisition and pre-construction, another $330,000 on construction, $270,000 on operations and $150,000 on sustainability and expansion.
Currently, Herrington said, she is still working on fundraising for phase one in a variety of ways, including grants and private fundraising, though she thinks that fundraising to purchase the land may already be close to completion thanks to a private donor.
“(We’re) raising $100,000 to acquire land, but we might already have that part taken care of,” Herrington said. “But we’re gaining momentum in this time, and we think that this is a good time for us to scale and move toward what our dream has been.”
Herrington said the organization would prefer to create The Stronghold within city limits, especially near public transportation, but other factors like availability of land may push the facility closer to the county line. Herrington said she has not yet gone to the city or the county with plans for The Stronghold, though she hopes to “open dialogue” with each.
Mayor Lynn Spruill said she’s very supportive of Starkville Strong, and she regularly refers those who contact the city in need to the organization, though she is not privy to the organization’s plans for its new facility. Spruill said finding 10 acres within the city that will allow the organization to do all the things it is planning may come with challenges, but if the nonprofit does decide to locate within city limits, the city planner’s office will be ready.
“If it’s going to be inside the city, they’re obviously going to need to come visit with our city planning director and make sure that they are following the regulations and the rules that come with construction and building and zoning and all of that,” Spruill said. “But I certainly wish them the very best as they work their way through this.”
Those who want to donate to the creation of The Stronghold can send a check made out to Starkville Strong to 109 South Lafayette St. Other information is available at starkvillestrong.org/donate.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 42 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
