COLUMBIA, S.C. — Providence Home, a faith-based, Christian transitional home for men, dedicated a new dorm recently opened to house more men as a part of their ministry.
The organization is a Christ-centered ministry that's been around since 1963. They help men who have recently left prison, those struggling with addictions and other hardships.
"With basic needs met, residents commit to holistic services and goal-setting constructed to help them gain meaningful employment and progress in the areas of economic sustainability and physical, emotional, spiritual and relational well-being," the ministry said in a press release.
Executive director Rob Settle says the new dorm has been almost five-years in the making.
"God has blessed it and we're finally here, and now we're going to have 26 additional men coming to live here. And hopefully they'll receive the help of Jesus Christ," Settle said.
The ministry will now be able house more than 60 men at their facility, located off North Main Street.
The need for more space has been evident for a while. Settle says they get calls every day but don't have enough space for everyone.
"We could probably use six more places like this all over the Columbia area, and we'd probably still would fill those," Settle explained.
"We can help them to get clean. We can provide meals for them, provide beds for them,"Settle said. "But we want them to be transformed by the power of Jesus Christ."
Providence Home's program director, Mike Byars, went through the program himself before becoming the director.
"There's such a need for a ministry like this. It's more important than people realize," Byars said. "Some people never knew that Providence Home was here so we're thankful for the new signs we have, and people will know that this is here because it's a very, very prevalent need in our society."
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted how people are able to interact at the home. They used to meet for chapel five times a week but stopped at the beginning of the pandemic. Since then, they've transitioned to have chapel three times a week outside.
Their dining hall has also been moved around to space out individuals.
Providence Home has not had any cases of COVID-19 during the pandemic so far.
"Addiction and alcoholism can really take away everything that a man has. Over time it can get worse and worse and, before long, you don't have your job, you don't have your house, you don't have your family," Byars explained. "You're estranged from loved ones. A place like Providence Home serves a need like that for a man who's found himself in that situation."
"Guys may have made some bad choices but they're good men who want to be better men and want to be transformed," Byars said. "They want to be restored back with their families and back into the men they once were before and just had fallen a little bit. What a Savior we have that He makes that possible through a place like this."
Michael DelFrancia lives at the Providence Home. On Tuesday at the dedication ceremony, he gave his testimony on how the program has changed his life.
"It was really important for me to be able to share my story with the people that made it possible for this place to be what it is for me and everyone that lives here and works here," DelFrancia said.
The resident says he discovered the ministry after he was living in an abandoned home for a week following a concussion.
"In my addiction, I was at the point where I was using meth heavily. I never stopped wanting to communicate with God, and I think that's the most important thing, is no matter where you are in your addiction, is to still feel God will listen to you and and He wants to hear from you."
DelFrancia's mother, who lives in California, started helping him find places to get the help he needed. He was able to get in contact with Providence Home and set up an interview to be part of the their program.
"From that moment on, I knew that this place was where I could get the help spiritually, physically and emotionally that I needed," explained DelFrancia. "Everybody here, hearing their testimony has strengthened what I knew, who my relationship with Christ was. It brought me to the point where I'm ready to give my whole life over to Christ because the way I was running it wasn't ever working."
DelFrancia says Providence Home has given him the opportunity to read scripture, dive into his faith and connect with people who have dealt with the same things he has. He will be getting baptized in the Saluda River in a couple of weeks.
For the past couple of weeks, the residents have been living in the new building.
"It's a huge difference. It's nice, anything that's something new. It's like the new car smell. There's just a peace," said DelFrancia. "When they were building the place, everybody had written on the beams scriptures and their testimony. Inside the walls is filled with scripture and testimony from the people that were here and had helped to be a part of building it so you can feel that inside that building."
DelFrancia says if someone is struggling, they should pray and it will be amazing to see the opportunities God will open for you.