Showing posts with label Clothing/Stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clothing/Stuff. Show all posts

Monday, November 10, 2008

MUST Ministries

http://www.mustministries.org/index.aspx

55 Elizabeth Church Road
Marietta, GA 30061

MUST Ministries is a faith-based organization which for thirty-seven years has been dedicated to providing services to persons and families in crisis while maintaining their dignity. MUST is a place where one's faith can be put into action and where we can minister to the poor, the brokenhearted and those who are in crisis - in a place where "your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." (Frederick Buechner)

Founded in 1971 and rooted in the Christian tradition, MUST addresses the basic needs of individuals, families, and children in the Marietta, Smyrna and Canton/Cherokee county communities. MUST brings people of many faiths together to respond to God's challenge to minister to others with compassion and love, without judgment of the beliefs, background or circumstances of those who serve or of those being served.

Mission
- Serving our neighbors in need … transforming lives and communities in response to Christ's call.

Vision
- To become Georgia's most respected Servant Leader - Restoring lives one person and one community at a time

Values
At MUST Ministries, we value…
- Our clients
- Our volunteers
- Our staff
- Our community

Today MUST has -

Service Centers in Marietta, Smyrna and Cherokee providing food, clothing, financial aid, education and employment assistance; interview, assessment and referral services, to families and individuals in crisis.
Integrated Housing Programs in Cobb, Cherokee, and Douglas Counties dedicated to helping 200+ residents break their own cycle of homelessness. Emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing and a host of wrap around services provide a healthy environment to foster whole life change.
Seasonal Programs including:
Summer Lunch program, serving 2,000+ lunches to children each day totaling nearly 100,000 lunches per summer
Back to School Supplies for 3,000 children
Holiday Meals to 8,000+ individuals
Christmas Toyshop – for 3,343 children who would otherwise not have gifts to open
Centralized 20,000 sq. ft. Operations Warehouse and Distribution Center in Marietta

The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta

http://www.furniturebankatlanta.org/

538 Permalume Place
Atlanta, GA 30318

About the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta

The Furniture Bank was founded in 1988 in response to the lack of furniture for families moving out of homeless shelters. Today the Furniture Bank provides essential household furniture to individuals and families moving out of homelessness, battling HIV/AIDS, and fleeing domestic violence.

Description of Services

The Furniture Distribution Program guarantees a bed for every member of a client's family and a sofa. Other items are provided such as dressers, lamps, dinette sets, bookshelves, loveseats, and coffee tables. On average each household receives 14 pieces of furniture. Also, the Furniture Bank works to provide basic household items to families and individuals through partnerships with local congregations and schools. Individual households, hotels, and furniture companies donate the majority of furniture.

The Furniture Distribution Program contributes to the self-sufficiency of Furniture Bank clients by reducing the costs associated with moving into housing, freeing additional income for housing, transportation, and medical needs.

The Eviction Protection Program (EPP) stores household furnishings of individuals and families who are being evicted. Often families are forced to give up their possessions including furniture and other keepsakes when they move into homeless shelters. The Furniture Bank's locked storage space is available for 90-day periods and allows clients to retrieve their furnishings and memorabilia upon moving into permanent housing.

Catholic Charities Atlanta, Inc.

http://www.catholiccharitiesatlanta.org/


680 W. Peachtree St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30308


About Catholic Charities Atlanta

Migration & Refugee Services Summer Campers

"I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."
- (Matthew 25:40)

Vision
We, at Catholic Charities Atlanta are caring, dedicated professionals who appreciate life and its value. We recognize the strength, dignity, possibilities and goodness of the individual as we work on behalf of the common good, both within our agency and in the communities we serve. We build bridges across racial cultural, religious, gender, age and socioeconomic groups. Our commitment to excellence and spirit of compassion encourages us to become better servant leaders in all that we do.
In our vision of Catholic Charities Atlanta, we are widely recognized throughout the Archdiocese of Atlanta and Georgia as being available to people in times of need and crisis. Through partnerships with public, private, educational and church organizations, our seamless services distinguish Catholic Charities Atlanta, Inc. as an outstanding integrated care provider which incorporates the values of the Gospel embodied in the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church.

Mission
Catholic Charities, a ministry rooted in the Gospel, partners with our community to move people facing adversity to wholeness and self sufficiency.

Philosophy of Service
In keeping with Catholic social teaching and Judaeo Christian principles, Catholic Charities Atlanta opens its doors to the most vulnerable and most in need from all walks of life. Regardless of race, creed, national origin, socio-economic status or educational background, empowering them to utilize their strengths and resources so as to meet the needs of their families and contribute to their community is a primary goal in social services today. In serving individuals and families, we will reach out with compassion and love.

Our Future
Catholic Charities Atlanta will continue to offer the professional, highly specialized services which are the cornerstones of our agency. We plan to offer more services associated with our current regional centers and all add more centers as we reach further into the other parts of the Archdiocese.

In addition to expanding our efforts as service provider, we will also act as convener, facilitator and trainer through exciting new partnerships with the parishes, the community of faith, the business community, other non-profits, and those of good will, from central to north Georgia. Catholic Charities Atlanta will play a vital role in these partnerships by educating, equipping, and empowering others to work together more closely as one human family. Once new projects begin, Catholic Charities Atlanta can manage them or move on to initiate projects in other areas of need.

Jars of Clay Outreach

http://www.jocatlanta.org/

937 Simms St. SW.
Atlanta, Georgia 30310


Mission & Vision....Dream With Us

Jars of Clay is a non-profit outreach dedicated to helping the inner city poor. Our ministry provided hope by meeting both spiritual and tangible needs. We provide food, clothing, shelter, life rehabilitation, education and job training, biblical training and much, much more. We reach thousands of hurting and needy children, families and adults across all races and cultures each month. Our outreach strives to help solve moral decay, crime, drug, gang, homelessness and poverty epidemics that exist in Atlanta’s inner-city. The vision to see thousands of hurting people come to know a new life through the efforts of our staff, volunteers, and recently rehabilitated individuals whose lives have been dramatically changed. Jars of Clay works to partner with people all around the state to help us reach the lost and help meet the most basic and greatest needs.

Made up of many races, nationalities, and cultures, the Clay has an open door policy, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Jars of Clay reaches young children, teenagers, and adults by providing for the physical needs. Jars of Clay presents the message of hope, provides clothing, food and on-campus shelter and restores broken families. It is imperative that our dynamic outreach continue to reach the hurting in Atlanta. Our plan is to eradicate poverty from our city by offering hope instead of despair, truth instead of lies, and provision instead of hunger, cold and nakedness. The vision can only be realized through the continued prayer and support and financial giving of caring individuals who by the spirit see the impeding need to help the hurting. Only with this support can Jars of Clay continue doing good works in our great city. Where there was once darkness, there will soon be light. Where there was once despair, there will soon be hope…watch us!

Belief Statement

At Jars of Clay Outreach we believe:

…Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He was crucified, died and was buried. On the third day, He rose from the dead and later ascended into heaven, where He remains at the right hand of God Almighty.

…after death, eternal life begins either in heaven or hell. Where you spend eternity is based on your decision to make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior.

…that when the Rapture occurs, the dead in Christ will rise first, and then those who are alive and remain (those have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior) will be caught up to meet Him in the air.

…the Bible was written and inspired by God.

…faith is acting on the Word of God.

…in water baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

…in the authority of Jesus' name.

…in the indwelling of, and baptism of, the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

…in divine healing—the restoration of health to those who believe and act on the truths written in God's Word. We further believe that Jesus is our Healer and that by His stripes we are already healed.

…tithes and offerings should be freely given to your local church. The local church is the place of membership where God has called you to receive His Word on a consistent basis and to grow spiritually.

…in giving alms to the poor, sick, homeless and others in despair.
As we proclaim Jesus, the Christ, as head of the church and the manifested Word of God, our goal is to teach the Word of God with simplicity and understanding so that it may be applied to our everyday lives in a practical and effective manner; thereby being transformed from a regular member of society to a beautiful Jar of Clay that is molded by the Word and gives honor to God, infecting all those with whom we come into contact, ultimately making a mark that cannot be erased.

Dress For Success - Atlanta

http://www.dressforsuccess.org


220 Spring Street NW Suite 102
Atlanta, GA 30303


In 2007, Dress for Success Atlanta helped more than 1,300 women take their first steps to success and offered continuing support to them as they made the transitions into their new lives. In 2008, we celebrated a milestone - we suited our 10,000th client since our founding in 1997.

The mission of Dress for Success Atlanta is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

Dress for Success Atlanta is a not-for-profit organization that offers services to help women enter the workforce, stay employed, advance in their careers and improve their lives. It was founded as Working Wardrobe in 1997 and affiliated with Dress for Success Worldwide in 1999.

To learn more about Dress for Success Atlanta, visit the pages listed on the blue band at the right, and, if you wish, join our e-mail list to receive our monthly newsletters, notices of upcoming events, and more. (After joining, you may opt out at any time.)

MedShare International

http://www.medshare.org/

3240 Clifton Springs Road
Decatur, GA 30034


MedShare International is a nonprofit organization headquartered in metro Atlanta, with an environmental and humanitarian impact of international scope.

Circle of Sharing

Starting point: Hospitals agree to donate surplus medical supplies and equipment.

Collection barrels are provided; hospital staff are educated on appropriate materials for recovery.

Materials are collected routinely from each site, and then are identified and evaluated.

Volunteers sort and repack materials. Staff enters descriptive information into the inventory database.

Approved recipient hospitals "order" what they need. The contents of each container are tailored to meet the "needs list" of the recipient organization.

Completing the circle, containers are shipped to recipient hospitals. There is follow up and accountability to ensure they arrive on time, undamaged, and are put to good use.

Our shipments of medical supplies and equipment have brought healing and the promise of better lives to 73 countries and countless patients.


What We Do

MedShare collects surplus medical supplies and used equipment from U.S. hospitals, manufacturers and distributors. We process these donated materials and make them available to underserved hospitals and clinics in two ways: 1) direct shipments to international applicant institutions and 2) supplying medical mission teams with commonly needed medical items.

Shipments

MedShare allows approved recipient hospitals to select medical supplies via our online inventory system. MedShare ships by forty-foot containers to maximize the value of goods offered unless special arrangements are made. The contents of a typical MedShare forty-foot container are valued at $150,000-$200,000. MedShare does not handle pharmaceuticals of any kind.

MedShare shipments are carefully tailored to meet the articulated needs of recipient organizations. Pending availability, biomedical equipment can be shipped to hospitals that have the technology, training and resources to use and maintain the equipment. MedShare has a biomedical department dedicated to evaluating and repairing equipment. MedShare’s biomedical engineer works with hospital staff to evaluate biomedical equipment needs and help with installation and maintenance training. In some instances, our biomedical engineer can travel to recipient hospitals.

Medical Mission Teams

Medical teams and others going on mission trips are encouraged to visit MedShare to obtain medical supplies to aid in their work. Team members can visit MedShare to select and pack supplies from the Medical Team Store, or request items if located outside the Atlanta area. Variety and quantities are limited by the types of donations that MedShare receives. Medical mission teams are asked for a nominal monetary donation.

To participate, please complete and return the appropriate application. Once approved, the team leader will be contacted about selecting supplies. If a medical professional is not part of the team, MedShare reserves the right to limit the variety of supplies available.

Samaritan House

http://www.samhouse.org/

458 Edgewood Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30312


Our Mission

Samaritan House of Atlanta transforms lives by helping homeless men and women gain self-sufficiency through personalized employment readiness and life-stabilization programs.

Our History

Founded in 1986, Samaritan House of Atlanta transforms lives by helping homeless men and women gain self-sufficiency through personalized employment readiness and life-stabilization programs. We fulfill our mission through two core programs: Café 458 and The EDGE.


Our Programs


The EDGE—Earning Dignity…Gaining Employment

Our Employment Readiness Program
A comprehensive daytime employment readiness program supporting approximately 500 homeless men and women a year in their search for permanent employment. Click here to learn more about The EDGE.

Café 458
Our Life-Stabilization Program
A case management and support service (including a restaurant-style lunch) to over 200 homeless men and women struggling with addiction issues, mental health concerns, and severe physical disabilities. Click here to learn more about Cafe 458.

Samaritan House Clean Street Team
Transitional Employment while Helping to Make Atlanta More Beautiful

Our sister program, Samaritan House Clean Street Team, is a transitional employment and training program with the City of Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Transportation engaging 30 homeless men and women working on beautification projects throughout the city. Click here for more information about the Clean Street Team.

In addition to our core programs, Samaritan House also operates the Café 458 Weekend Brunch and hosts Atlanta Community Voice Mail, a voicemail system that provides accessible and confidential communication for people in transition.

Café 458 Weekend Brunch

"Eat Well...Do Good!”

Check out our weekend brunch open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 458 Edgewood Avenue off Boulevard in the heart of the MLK Historical District. All proceeds, including tips, support our programs. Click here for more information about the brunch including menu.


Atlanta Community Voice Mail

Empowering People in Transition
Samaritan House of Atlanta hosts Atlanta Community Voice Mail which provides accessible, stable, and confidential communication for people who otherwise would not have access to phone service. Click here for more information about Community Voice Mail.

City of Refuge

http://www.cityofrefugeinc.com

1300 Joseph E. Boone Blvd. (Formerly Simpson Road)
Atlanta, Ga 30314

Our Mission

City of Refuge offers both life saving resources and life building tools to individuals and families in Atlanta who are living on the margin. We understand the need for programs that span multiple areas of need – from food, clothing, and shelter, to job training, placement, housing, life skills, and transportation. Our goal is to provide the best possible opportunities for success to those who are willing to work hard to change their lives.

Our Vision

Using the City of Refuge warehouse as a base, we are committed to deploying men, women, and resources into environments where difficulty resides, bringing hope to those living there. The promise of a better life, along with the tools to build that life, is the passion of City of Refuge.

Programs

Our programs are broken into two main divisions; The "LifeLine" and Resource & Training.

The “Lifeline” is the initial entry point for exposure to the programs of City of Refuge. Our mission is to meet the initial needs of the last, the lost and the least of the city of Atlanta. This entry point gives the greatest opportunity for both volunteerism and charitable support. Our purpose is to take literally the words of Christ in Luke 14:23 to “go into the highways and byways and compel them to come in” to the Master’s banquet.

The Resource and Training Department of City of Refuge has been established to provide tools and provisions that will enable individuals and families to make positive, long term changes in their lives. While the outreach programs of the “Lifeline” provide immediate, short term assistance in times of crisis, and service delivery is based purely upon need; “Resource and Training” are provided over months, even years, and service delivery is based upon a demonstrated commitment, and capacity, to change.


Volunteer Opportunities:

Sunday

Community Meals
Location/Description: In the Community/Preparing and handing out food
Time: 7:30am-9:30am
Contact: Jeff Gray - Contact

Nursery
Location/Description: Nursery/Child Care (Infant-2 yrs)
Time: 9:30am-10:15am/10:30am-12pm
Contact: Angie Johns 678-908-8110-Contact

Van Drivers
Location/Description: In the Community/Pick up friends and kids from the community
Time: 9:30am-10:30am
Contact: Brad Hanks 404-564-7744-Contact

Monday

Community Meals
Location/Description: In the Community/Preparing and handing out food
Time: 4:00pm-6:00pm
Contact: Jeff Gray - Contact

Compassion Atlanta
Location/Description: Our Warehouse/Cleaning warehouse, sorting and distributing food
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Contact: Steve Grimes 404-564-7753-Contact

Resource Center
Location/Description: Resource Center/Copies, paperwork, random odd jobs
Time: 9:00am-3:00am
Contact: Brandy Clark 404-874-2241-Contact

Tuesday

Resource Center
Location/Description: Resource Center/Copies, paperwork, random odd jobs
Time: 9:00am-3:00am
Contact: Brandy Clark 404-874-2241-Contact

Compassion Atlanta
Location/Description: Our Warehouse/Cleaning warehouse, sorting and distributing food
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Contact: Steve Grimes 404-564-7753-Contact

Ground Zero-Youth
Location/Description: Youth Room/Mentor, Chaperone, Visitation
Time: 4:00pm-6:00pm
Contact: Brad Hanks 404-564-7744-Contact

Safe Haven-
Location/Description: 180 Degree Kitchen/Food servers, clean up, cooking, laundry
Time: 10:00am-2:00pm
Contact: Seth Lingenfelter 404-564-7743-Contact

Wednesday

Resource Center
Location/Description: Resource Center/Copies, paperwork, random odd jobs
Time: 9:00am-3:00am
Contact: Brandy Clark 404-874-2241-Contact

Compassion Atlanta
Location/Description: Our Warehouse/Cleaning warehouse, sorting and distributing food
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Contact: Steve Grimes 404-564-7753-Contact

Community Meals
Location/Description: In the Community/Preparing and handing out food
Time: 4:00pm-6:00pm
Contact: Jeff Gray - Contact

Van Drivers
Location/Description: In the Community/Pick up friends and kids from the community
Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm
Contact: Brad Hanks 404-564-7744-Contact

Nursery
Location/Description: Nursery/Child Care (Infant-2 yrs)
Time: 6:45pm-8:15pm
Contact: Angie Johns 678-908-8110-Contact



Thursday

Resource Center
Location/Description: Resource Center/Copies, paperwork, random odd jobs
Time: 9:00am-3:00am
Contact: Brandy Clark 404-874-2241-Contact

Compassion Atlanta
Location/Description: Our Warehouse/Cleaning warehouse, sorting and distributing food
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Contact: Steve Grimes 404-564-7753-Contact

Ground Zero-Youth
Location/Description: Youth Room/Mentor, Chaperone, Visitation
Time: 4:00am-6:00am
Contact: Brad Hanks 404-564-7744-Contact



Friday

Resource Center
Location/Description: Resource Center/Copies, paperwork, random odd jobs
Time: 9:00am-3:00am
Contact: Brandy Clark 404-874-2241-Contact

Compassion Atlanta
Location/Description: Our Warehouse/Cleaning warehouse, sorting and distributing food
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Contact: Steve Grimes 404-564-7753-Contact

Community Meals
Location/Description: In the Community/Preparing and handing out food
Time: 11:00am-1:00pm
Contact: Jeff Gray - Contact

KidMix
Location/Description: Gym/Site Pastors, side walk workers
Time: 3:30pm-5:30pm
Contact: Austin King-404-564-7756-Contact



Saturday

KidMix
Location/Description: In the Community/Mentoring and building relationships with children set up, cleanup, food preparation, serving, etc.
Time: 10:00am-1:00pm; Every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month
Contact: Austin King-404-564-7756-Contact

Adopt-A-Block
Location/Description: In the Community/Build relatioinships, pass out food, asks community members about needs
Time: 10:00am-12:00pm
Contact: Seth Lingenfelter 404-564-7743-Contact

Hope Lodge

http://atlantahopelodge.org

American Cancer Society
Winn-Dixie Hope Lodge
1552 Shoup Court
Decatur, GA 30033

Mission

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service.

The Atlanta Hope Lodge is a tangible reflection of the American Cancer Society's commitment to improving the quality of life for cancer patients and their loved ones. Hope Lodges are a "home away from home" made available at no cost to patients undergoing active outpatient treatment for cancer.


The Atlanta Hope Lodge offers:

• 34 guest suites with private baths
• A common kitchen area with six ovens, sinks, and stovetops
• A living room with piano, a game room, and a television room
• Computer work stations and a library
• Private sitting areas and a courtyard garden
• Washers and dryers on each floor
• Transportation to and from treatment
• Cancer support programs and services

While the facility offers many of the comforts of home, the true magic of the Hope Lodge is the inviting atmosphere. Other guests, facing similar circumstances, rally around each other, offering strength and support. The volunteers and staff, many of whom are cancer survivors, strive to create an environment where guests can relax and concentrate on getting well.


Services provided:
The Atlanta Hope Lodge offers free transportation to and from treatment, free laundry facilities including soap, kitchen facilities, and complimentary dinners at least once a week.

In addition to these practical services, the Atlanta Hope Lodge offers programs to help you learn how to manage the physical, emotional and practical challenges cancer brings.

The following are some of the programs regularly held in the Atlanta Hope Lodge. Unless otherwise stated, all programs are open at no cost to all cancer patients, their families and friends, and to cancer survivors as well.

Look Good...Feel Better (for women only)
Learn how to overcome the physical side effects of cancer treatment. A professional cosmetologist will show you on how to enhance your appearance with make-up lessons, skin care, and wigs and scarves.

Caregiver Support Group (for caregivers only)
Led by a professional therapist, this group discusses many common issues. This is a safe environment for caregivers to share openly and receive encouragement to care for their loved one.

Men's Support Group
Each week we hold a support group for men hosted by the guests of the Hope Lodge. The group is a place where male cancer patients, survivors, or caregivers can get support from other men who understand what they are going through.

Yoga
Yoga is a great way to renew the body, lower stress, and bring an inner calm and sense of well-being. It can also be an important aid to your body in its fight for recovery. Please wear comfortable clothing.

Community-hosted Dinners
Volunteer groups regularly provide dinners for all Hope Lodge guests. Join us for good food, friendship, and fun.

Graduation Ceremonies
We have one ceremony per week for all of the guests who will finish their cancer treatment that week. There is hope of life with no cancer and we want to celebrate the beginning of it with you!




The Atlanta Hope Lodge is available for adults receiving outpatient cancer treatment who live more than 40 miles away from their treatment center. Their treatment must require a three-day or longer stay in that area. Patients must be able to care for themselves, and are allowed one adult guest to stay with them in their room.

Atlanta Children's Shelter

http://www.atlantachildrensshelter.com/

607 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30308-0322

Imagine That You are a Homeless Child

Your day begins early — the night shelter where you and your mother are staying wakes you up, feeds you breakfast — then you are out the door, carrying all that your family owns. Perhaps your mother has found a part-time job, but can't afford childcare. You are scared to death when she goes off to work, for there's no place to go. There's little money for food, no place to wash your hands, no clean clothes. You spend your day wandering the streets until one of the night shelters opens again. If there is room, you and your mom will have a place to sleep one more night.

It is no wonder that homeless children are seriously at risk for an array of physical and emotional problems. The Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless estimates that there are 13,000 homeless people in metro Atlanta, 25% of which are homeless families — and they especially need the services of shelters.

Making a Difference in a Child's Life
Our loving, professional child care workers, social workers and volunteers believe in the vulnerability of the child and the hope for their future. We provide comfort, safety, love, reassurance . . . and a hug when needed. We also provide the more tangible life threads:

Daily nutritional meals and snacks, served piping hot with a smile,
Clean clothing and large doses of individual attention to make each child feel special,
Biweekly, on-site well-child checks, plus immunizations and referrals for primary health care,
Cultural and enrichment activities, including weekly field trips to Fernback, the Atlanta Zoo and other fun places children love and thrive on, and
Educational opportunities that are customized to the particular needs of homeless children.
Ours is a safe haven, completely free of charge, for as long as a child needs us!

Comprehensive Social Services for the Family
The Atlanta Children's Shelter recognizes that breaking the cycle of homelessness requires an intensive, whole family approach. Our professional social workers are skilled at working with homeless families and their unique situations and needs. Families who come to our Shelter are assisted in finding jobs, locating affordable housing, interacting with other social service agencies, and dealing with personal, legal or domestic difficulties. We provide a full range of social services for our families, including:

Housing Aid
Job Search Help
Parenting Classes
Legal Aid
Self Esteem Classes
Medical Attention
Personal Counseling
Financial Management Counseling
Our goal is to help families achieve long term self sufficiency - to break the cycle of homelessness permanently, so they never again need to turn to Atlanta homeless shelters.


Service to Atlanta Homeless Children Since 1986

Since 1986, the Atlanta Children's Shelter, Inc. has provided loving day shelter for Atlanta homeless children and support for their family's efforts to be self-sufficient. As the first year-round childcare program for homeless families in the state, the Shelter is a model program whose programs are oriented around: 1) the care of children, 2) support of families, and 3) advocacy and networking. The Shelter's child care staff, social workers, and volunteers provide hope, love and reassurance along with daily meals, nutritional snacks, clothing, medical attention, enrichment activities, field trips and educational activities for up to 40 children a day. The goal is to help families achieve long term self-sufficiency - to break the cycle of homelessness permanently. The comprehensive range of services offered by the Atlanta Children's Shelter includes the following:

Early Child Care
Our Early Childcare Program is for the children of homeless families aged one month to five years old. This program was accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children in March of 2000. Less than 7% of all early child care programs in the United States have received this accreditation. Our developmentally-appropriate program focuses on the four developmental domains, good nutrition and preparing the children for school. For many of our children, it is the first stable and loving place they can go each day.

Counseling
The Shelter provides counseling to homeless parents on issues that include but is not limited to loss of employment, housing, relationships with a child or a significant other, setting goals, substance abuse, and self-esteem. Counseling sessions also center on health maintenance, legal issues and budget implementation.

Parent Support Group
The Parent Support Group helps parents deal with the overwhelming anxiety and frustration caused by homelessness, and focuses on developing coping skills related to good parenting techniques, such as effective parent-child communication, or what to expect from the ages and stages of child development. The support group strengthens the entire family and increases positive functioning.

Children's Nurturing Group
All children, especially the homeless, need to express feelings that result from an often confusing and stressful environment. The Nurturing Group allows Atlanta homeless children to explore and discuss their feelings. Puppets, paper dolls, songs, stories, role play, and other fun activities generate group interaction and appropriate responses. Nurturing Group activities help:

Increase awareness of feelings in self and others
Increase children's awareness of self and self within family
Reinforce appropriate child/adult interactions
Increase children's knowledge of the concepts of praise and criticism
Identify feelings associated with praise and criticism
Increase children's ability to give and receive praise
Increase the awareness of children to exercise personal power to manage their own lives.
Medical Services
Medical staff from CAPN visit the Shelter weekly to provide well-child checks, immunizations, and referrals.

Information and Referral Services
At times, ACS social service staff find that a client's needs are best addressed by another agency. In this case, staff members provide information and referral to the most appropriate organization. The staff has developed extensive resource files and established networks and agency contacts that are helpful to ACS families.

Job Track
Job skills development is an essential component of the Shelter's overall plan to help homeless families become and remain self-sufficient. Job Track provides a centralized location where parents can achieve job readiness by gaining the essential pre-training components of skill assessment, job counseling and education. The program gives homeless parents access to employment counselors, job search materials, resume help, and a voice mail box to follow up on job leads. Job Track also provides clothing for interviews, transportation to and from interviews, and meals while the parents are seeking jobs.

Furniture Bank
The Metro Atlanta Furniture Bank, a separate organization, distributes furniture to families who have previously been homeless. The Atlanta Children's Shelter relies on funds donated specifically to help families to pay the modest Furniture Bank fees for its clients.

Home Starter Kit
Each family that secures housing receives a "Home Starter Kit" containing linens, lamps, iron, dishes, eating utensils, toaster, and cleaning supplies. The Shelter also accepts donations of household goods from individuals and groups in the community.

Education and Training
After a family establishes stable living arrangements, the social service staff helps parents clarify and focus their educational plans. Community support programs, especially those offering free or low-cost child care, are essential for these parents. ACS provides information and resource lists, and parents are referred to community organizations for services.

The Sunshine Fund
The Sunshine Fund, a discretionary cash account for necessary client-related expenses, provides help for homeless families facing critical financial needs. Funded by private donations, the fund covers rent and utility deposits, MARTA cards/tokens, shoes and emergency clothing needs for children, work-related clothing for parents (such as uniforms), medicines, and emergency food.

Transitional Child Care
To ensure post-homeless stability for families who have found work and housing, the Shelter offers a Transitional Child Care Program. Designed to provide free child care and social support during a family's transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency, the service is available to families for up to five months following eligibility determination.

Interagency Collaboration Activities
Homeless families with children have a number of needs that our program alone cannot meet. To ensure that these diverse needs are met, the Shelter embraces a strategy that promotes family strength and integrity. Through collaboration and partnerships with other service providers, we are able to respond to the depth of the problems our clients have. It is common practice for the executive director, social worker, and other professional staff to communicate frequently with other groups serving homeless families and to coordinate services with other "mainstream" programs not specifically targeted to homeless families. The intent is to avoid the pitfall of further segregating and stigmatizing families through separate systems for the homeless or formerly homeless.

Our collaboration activities and partnerships have helped improve the effectiveness and efficiency of services to our families in the following areas:

Integrated client support (such as transportation, employment, or health care)
Case consultation or conferencing
Information exchange
Joint proposal development
Staff training
Student internship/practicum
Alliances for advocacy and legislation
Shared resources
Volunteers


List of current volunteer opportunities

Gateway Center

http://www.gatewayctr.org

275 Pryor Street SW
Atlanta, GA 30303-3638

Vision
The 24/7 Gateway Center is committed to bringing together the entire community to end homelessness. We strive to provide a supportive and compassionate setting where individuals can end their homelessness and maximize their self-sufficiency.

Mission
To end homelessness through a collaborative effort, providing basic therapeutic services that stabilize individual conditions and promote self-sufficiency.

Core Values
We value:
• The worth and dignity of every person in our community
• Providers, partners, volunteers, donors, and staff
• Hospitality
• Self-determination
• Respect
• Integrity
* Spirituality
• Accountability and transparency
• Efficient use of resources
• Approaching solutions with an objective and open point of view
• Achieving measurable, lasting impact

Essential Elements of Effective Collaboration
• Respect
• Partnership
• Cohesiveness
• Communication
• Planning
• Flexibility
• Compromise
• Shared Leadership
• Selflessness
• Inclusion
• Diversity

Drop-in services are available on the first floor of the Gateway Center and are encouraged for all individuals in need. The first floor is seen as a low-impact, safe, and trusting place for engagement. In many ways this point of entry will be a “triage center”for homelessness. The first floor of the building will include toilets, showers, a laundry, food and water, a place to come in from the elements and rest, limited temporary storage for personal belongings, telephones, general information and referral resources.

What services are available on the other floors of the Center?

Specialized services include:
•chapel
•outreach, intake, and assessment
•assistance in accessing mainstream benefits
•a separate, safe, and secure area for women and children
•referrals for internal and external homeless services, including housing and jobs
•counseling to promote reunification with family/friends and support community
•a full-service production kitchen with galleys on each residential floor with capacity to serve all residents in the building and produce meals for outside agencies

The second and third floors have:
•45 transition beds for men, designed to reach out to the chronic homeless, especially those with dual diagnosis, special needs, and frequent incarceration
•23 beds reserved for respite care
•a medical clinic for primary care
•22 assigned emergency beds (7 to 14 days) with a stated goal of the Housing First model
•22 beds of housing for men in job training programs, including a food service training program run in connection with the kitchen; participants in other employment or training programs may also be housed here
23 beds reserved for Re-Entry referrals for short-term stays for homeless men discharged for misdemeanors
45 beds for men with full-time employment in transition to permanent housing

The fourth floor have:
•46 beds of transitional housing for homeless veterans (in collaboration with Atlanta VA)
•45 pretreatment beds for men awaiting entry into substance abuse treatment programs, with access to support services such as AA meetings and drug/alcohol education classes
•a gymnasium which can be utilized for additional beds during a weather emergency

Why are 270 beds provided for men and only 30 beds provided for women and children?

Prior to obtaining the Gateway Center facility, the earliest design concepts provided for only a drop-in center for both men and women. Housing for men, women, and families was expected to be in separate and secure facilities away from the drop-in center. However, the Gateway Center site design was altered by the need to adapt renovations to the current building layout. The renovation costs of separate men’s and women’s facilities on the upper floors of the building were prohibitive in the development process.

The 30 beds reserved for women and children in the separate and secure Women and Children’s Center are neither transitional beds nor residential program beds. These beds are accessible to women and children for the duration of the time necessary to refer them to the appropriate partner agencies. This period will be brief but can possibly last more than 24 hours in certain situations. The Gateway Center works to ensure that women and children are secure in its facilities throughout that time period.

Atlanta Union Mission

http://www.atlantaunionmission.org/


Atlanta Union Mission is a Christian ministry that provides a continuum of services to as many as 1,070 men, women and children every day of the year. Atlanta Union Mission was established in 1938 as a refuge for hungry and homeless individuals displaced by the Great Depression. Over the years, the Mission has grown from a single shelter in downtown Atlanta to six centers, which provide emergency food and shelter, residential recovery programs and transitional housing.

Emergency Food and Shelter
Atlanta Union Mission provides emergency shelter to as many as 354 men, women and children at two separate campuses. Guests of the shelters are provided hot showers, clean clothes, nutritious food and a safe place to sleep.

Emergency Shelter is provided at:
Downtown Atlanta Shelter (The Shepherd's Inn) 156 Mills St., NW Atlanta 30313
Howell Mill Road Campus (My Sister's House) 921 Howell Mill Rd., NW Atlanta, GA 30318

Residential Recovery Program
Atlanta Union Mission's residential recovery program helps men and women overcome life-controlling issues such as addiction and abuse. The program is composed of a six to 12-month Christian curriculum featuring individual and group counseling, life skills training, work therapy and spiritual guidance.

Residential Recovery is provided at:
Bolton Road Campus (The Carpenter's House)
Northeast Georgia Campus (The Potter's House)
Howell Mill Road Campus (My Sister's House)

Transitional Housing
Atlanta Union Mission's 18-month transitional housing program continues recovery and healing process for graduates of the residential recovery program. Men and women in the transitional housing program live in a supportive, drug-free environment while working or pursuing further education to begin the transition to independent living.

Transitional Housing is provided at:
Bolton Road Campus (The Carpenter's House)
Northeast Georgia Campus (The Potter's House)
Downtown Transitional Facility (Fuqua Hall)
College Park Campus (Village Atlanta)

WorkNet Services
Men and women who are nearing their graduation from the residential recovery program may participate in the WorkNet Services program as part of the residential recovery program. The two-week seminar seeks to match the clients in career oriented positions that mirror their interests and skills.

Children's Services
Children of the women participating in the Mission's programs who benefit from the Mission's children's services. The Mission provides age-appropriate facilities and staff in both after-school and preschool programs.

Thrift Ministry
Atlanta Union Mission's Thrift Ministry collects donated goods to sell in the Mission's six thrift stores at a low cost to the community. All of the sale proceeds go directly into the Mission's programs, and the thrift ministry provides job training to men in recovery at the Mission's Northeast Georgia Campus. Additionally, the Thrift Ministry gave $79,016 of merchandise directly to needy families during FY 2005.

Partnership Against Domestic Violence

http://www.padv.org/

619 Edgewood Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30312

Mission

- Supporting women and their children in their efforts to live violence free.

History

- For more than 30 years, PADV, the largest nonprofit domestic violence organization in Georgia, has provided professional, compassionate, and empowering support to battered women and their children in metro Atlanta.
- PADV began as an all-volunteer agency in 1975 and incorporated in 1977. Today, the agency has more than 40 full- and part-time staff with an administrative office and two 24-hour emergency shelters in Fulton and Gwinnett counties.
- PADV works to end domestic violence by:
- offering safety and shelter for battered women and their children;
- restoring power, self-sufficiency and control to domestic violence survivors; and
- educating the public on the dynamics of domestic violence.

Values

- Always do the right thing.
- Provide programs built on best practice.
- Embrace diversity as an essential component of all we do.
- Create a work environment built on trust and mutual respect.


Our Vision

- A community free of domestic violence.


Programs

24-Hour Crisis Line
The crisis line is often times the only link to safety available for battered women and their children. The crisis line provides safety planning, information, and support to callers in immediate danger, and to those with questions about people who may be battered. Additionally, the crisis line offers referrals to community resources available throughout Georgia.

Emergency Shelters
Two emergency shelters provide a safe haven for women and their children during crisis. During their stay, the shelters are home to battered women and their children, providing them with legal advocacy, support groups, clothing, food, and referrals for housing, childcare, and jobs opportunities.

Parenting Groups
A series of programs are offered to help women in the shelters improve communication and to exchange ideas on effective parenting and nonviolent disciplinary techniques.

Children and Youth Program
PADV provides a comprehensive program to help children deal with their feelings about domestic violence. It becomes a safe place where young people can share their feelings individually and with each other. Through an outstanding curriculum, the program emphasizes education and recreational activities.

Community-Based Services
PADV provides an array of community-based services as described. These services are available for survivors who may not need shelter-based services but do need one or all of the resources listed below, which help them in their quest to live violence free.

The Transitional Program is designed to assist battered women in their efforts to gain independence from their abusers. Specifically, the program offers rental, utility, childcare, employment, legal and educational financial assistance as well as transitional housing to battered women working to live independently.

Legal Advocacy
These services include preparing TPOs (temporary protection orders), assisting clients in completing necessary paperwork, and advocating for the domestic violence survivor in the intimidating and complex judicial system.
Support groups provide assistance to women who have left violent relationships or continue to live with their abuser. These groups provide a safe place for survivors to come together and share experiences, offer encouragement, support, and generate ideas on ways to live violence free.

Public Benefits Assistance
TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) is Georgia’s welfare program. PADV interviews and assesses welfare applicants who show signs of being victims of domestic violence, and provides them with service coordination and referrals for community services, employment, and housing opportunities. Domestic violence survivors receive a temporary waiver from certain TANF requirements without losing financial assistance.

Teen Dating Violence Program
Partnering with local schools, PADV is implementing a teen dating violence curriculum that increases their knowledge of nonviolence conflict resolution, communication, and problem-solving skills.

FACE TO FACE®
A life-altering program for domestic violence survivors, FACE TO FACE® surgically repairs facial and dental injuries that are a result of domestic abuse. In conjunction with counseling, domestic violence survivors who need facial plastic and reconstructive surgery will receive treatment at no cost helping to heal their psychological and physical scars. FACE TO FACE® can help women rebuild their lives by eliminating the constant reminders of their painful past.

Outreach to the Community at Large
Education is the key to ending domestic violence. Battering is a serious crime and should not be ignored. Towards this end, PADV offers programs to educate police officers, judges, hospitals, businesses, legislators, child protection agencies, clergy, schools, the business community, and media about the issue of domestic violence and the toll it exacts on society. Call today to schedule a presentation for your group.