ST. LOUIS — Hundreds of St. Louis area families now have gifts under the tree thanks to one local nonprofit.
Beyond Housing helps low-income families find a home, but the giving doesn't stop there.
Over a year ago, Mia Bailey didn't know if she'd have a place to call her own.
"I was in a bad relationship, left everything behind. I went to stay with my mom, so I was looking for a different housing," she said.
At the time, Bailey had no idea where her next paycheck would come from — but thankfully, the mother-to-be got connected to Beyond Housing and everything changed.
"I was always in a town home or an apartment, so now I have my three-bedroom home. We have a big backyard. We love it there, so it's been a blessing," she said.
The blessings didn't stop with the roof over Bailey's head though: she was one of the hundreds of families the nonprofit helped through their annual holiday gift-giving program.
"It helps me out financially because now I can focus more on making sure my bills are paid, making sure my rent is still paid up, making sure I can give my children exactly what they need so they help to provide them with their wants while I help provide them with their needs," she said.
Since its inception in 2022, 'Holiday Friends' has helped thousands of families across the St. Louis area. Beyond Housing President and CEO Chris Krehmeyer said each year the need continues to grow.
"Times are hard and our worry is, is it going to get any better anytime soon? We want to keep standing in the places that we could support the families. This is wonderful and this will be great, but we're going to be with our families the day after Christmas and the beginning of the year and all throughout 2025," he said.
Thanks to donations from the community, according to Krehmeyer, they provided gifts to over 300 families and close to 600 kids this year.
"We want to recognize the family's hard work and say 'yeah, people in this region and this community care about you and we're going to make your holidays just a little bit brighter,'" he said.
Krehmeyer said the families' reactions are priceless because they have no idea what they're going to get.
"All of a sudden we walk out with bikes and bags and all of a sudden you just see their faces light up. You can see, 'Oh my God, my kids' Christmas morning is just going to be fantastic.' That's why we do it," he said.
It's a mission that doesn't stop when the holidays are over and one that's changing lives daily.
"Without Beyond Housing, I don't know where I would be today. It's a blessing," Bailey said.
According to Krehmeyer, Beyond Housing has 36 homes under construction while rehabbing another 100 homes. The nonprofit not only focuses on getting low-income families into affordable homes, but helps them with education, jobs and more. You can donate here.