Andrea Williams, director of 305 8th Street, says this group home gets by on faith, paper towels and a generous community.

Seventeen people, ages 21-80, call the 6,000-square-foot structure home. Some have lived there a few months, but most have been there 20 years or more.

What they have in common is their obvious affection for each other and the category they share: They are the "fall through the cracks" people who don't meet the criteria for group home living but need help with meals or medication or structuring their lives. Some are mentally ill, autistic, brain-injured or have other disabilities.

They are "residents," but to Williams, they are family. Her grandparents ran the home when Williams was a child, and she spent hours playing Bingo in one of the four living rooms. She never thought about running the place herself, but after her grandparents died, she began to do just that. Her own children, ages 7 and 11, shoot pool there and play board games. They've learned what "special needs" means, and Williams considers this a good lesson.

This large brick home, built in 1949, is grand in scale and houses everybody comfortably, but the 8th Street home has a waiting list. They are expanding across the street to make room for more residents who can live without supervision.

"They might need a little glue to hold their lives together," Williams said. The two new homes were donated, and one has been renovated and houses two men. The program is called "MOMS," and it's for those who need help with medication, observation and meals.

"Nora's House" next door will be handicapped accessible and big enough for four women. The house is named in memory of the woman who used to live there, a fiesty 4-foot-tall lady who wanted to make sure things were run properly.

Williams sees to it that things are. What does it take to run the houses, the doctor visits and weekly outings? It takes cooks, house managers, activity directors, drivers, medication managers. While the residents are expected to clean up their rooms and make their beds, the staff sometimes acts as "reminders" for the young residents. "Kind of like mothers do," Williams said.

The residents planted a raised box vegetable garden and like to show it off to visitors. A few like to cook their favorite vegetables, but "Mama Kay," who has worked at 8th Street for 12 years, shoos them out when it's time to make a meal for everyone.

Williams says she's learned how to run this large group home by "jumping in and trying things out." Since the home does not get state or federal funding, the staff swaps goods with other nonprofits. Businesses donate furniture. Churches donate paper products. Volunteers attend outings. It's a community effort.

"We're the only home in North Alabama that serves this kind of diverse population," Williams said. "Some residents don't have anybody else but us."

One of those residents ended up at 8th Street after his mother died and he had no one to care for him. Camping out on some land "back in the woods," Darrell built a hut out of trees and rubber roofing material. His loneliness led him to create what he calls "tree people," 20 sculptures nailed on tree trunks and dressed in clothes Darrell brought with him from home. "They were like my family," he said.

Now he's found a new family. His art hangs on the trees in the back yard of 8th Street. He's still proud of the people he made, but he's found real people at 8th Street, he says. He's not lonely now.

The people at 8th Street welcome visitors and no appointment is necessary.

Williams encourages people to drop by. "See who we are and what we're doing." Volunteer or just visit. Meet our residents.

About these residents, Williams adds a final comment: "They've tied a string to my heart."

For more information, go to www.3058thstreet.org or call 256-489-2997.