Goodwill Opportunity Campus coming to Savannah

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Goodwill Southeast Georgia announced today that an Opportunity Campus is coming to Savannah.

President and CEO Jason Marshall made the announcement at this year’s annual regional meeting. The framework for bringing an Opportunity Campus to Savannah was first laid out last year. Marshall said plans have been in the works for several years and that being able to make it official was surreal.

What the campus will offer

The Opportunity Campus will act as a hub for personal development. The facility will offer streamlined access to health care, child care and education services.

Goodwill is joining forces with 13 permanent partners who will have office space in the campus. Partners include Savannah Technical College, the Y, J.C. Lewis Primary Health Care and more. There are upwards of 30 drop-in partners as well ready to provide services for the community.

The goal is to give Savannah residents everything they need to become self-sufficient. Marshall said creating a central hub removes limitations such as child care and transportation.

“Because together works better, we will get a far greater impact that will transcend not just the individual that we’re serving today, but the families of those individuals that are taking part in those systems and those processes,” Marshall said.

Community involvement

Marshall said the community itself has a role to play.

“This isn’t just for the 13 providers to come together, we want the community to reach out and say ‘how can I help, how can I invest, how can I be a part,’ because that’s what creates change, that is what will get us where we want to be,” Marshall said.

Kimberly Waller with United Way said they are always looking for community response.

“Be part of the conversation, learn about what the opportunity campus is and is going to be, there’s so many opportunities to just get engaged, get involved, and support,” Waller said.

Timeline and location

The opportunity campus will take over the Department of Family and Children Services building on Wheaton Street in Savannah. Renovations are set to begin in September. The facility hopes to open its doors to the public in 2027.

The announcement was followed by a panel discussion and Q&A. Partners were able to ask about what is to come in the project and how they can lend a hand.