Our History

Over 40 Years of Care

Palmetto Place was founded in 1977 by the members of the Junior Woman’s Club of Columbia (JWC). In the early 1970s they became aware of the unique needs and tragic stories of abused and neglected children who needed support and created a plan to help. In June 1976, a special meeting of the club was called, and the membership voted unanimously for its new project, Youth Resources. By January 1977, a home was purchased in Columbia, South Carolina and Palmetto Place Children’s Emergency Shelter was born in April 1977. Since the shelter was founded, more than 7,500 of the Midlands abused, neglected and abandoned children have found a safe, nurturing home at Palmetto Place.

Support For Homeless Teens

In 2012 there was another population who needed support, homeless teens who were not in any system such as foster care. That year we created South Carolina’s first Unaccompanied Youth Program with one teen and shortly after reserved four beds for homeless youth with nowhere else to go.

Expanding Our Reach

After too many months of turning kids away due to lack of space we were able to renovate and expand our shelter in 2016. Now, our original house has space for 30 kids and teens who have faced copious amounts of trauma. We also purchased a second location and expanded our unaccompanied youth programs. We now have an additional 25 beds for teens experiencing homelessness in our Unaccompanied Youth and Basic Center Programs.