HomeAid Atlanta, a non-profit organization that builds new lives for homeless families and individuals through housing and community outreach, completed quite a few projects in July, while also kicking off several new ones! To end the month strong, HomeAid hosted a Care Day at the Anna Crawford Children’s Center (ACCC) in Woodstock, celebrated the completion of a renovation project at Making a Way Housing in Atlanta and broke ground on a new renovation project at House of Dawn in Jonesboro.
HomeAid Care Day
The HomeAid Care Day, a “done in a day” work day providing free of charge maintenance or repairs, brought together members of Denim Marketing and the Mortgage Bankers Association of Georgia (MBAG) on July 24 in Woodstock. Throughout the day, attendees completed much-needed tasks including landscaping around the building, pressure washing, installation of light bulbs throughout the facility, and removal of old furniture from space that will become an on-site clinic and counseling space, along with help from ACCC staff. Waste Pro USA provided support by donating a dumpster for the event.
Jean Hilyard, HomeAid Atlanta Director of Community Engagement, was thrilled with the day’s results. “The grounds of the facility looked so much better due to the volunteers’ work!” said Hilyard. “We love partnering with enthusiastic and hard-working volunteers like our friends from Denim Marketing and MBAG. ACCC’s staff worked just as hard as well. HomeAid is honored to assist groups like ACCC that are working to provide better lives to people in need. Thank you to everyone who made this event possible!”
ACCC provides mental health services, forensic interviewers, family advocates, and parent mentors and educators for thousands of Cherokee County children and family members impacted by child sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect and exposure to violence, allowing them to live healthier, fuller and happier lives. Often, children who are served through ACCC are removed from their homes and placed in foster care due to abuse. According to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ 2017 Point In Time Homeless Count, children under the age of 18 comprise 23 percent of the state’s homeless population. ACCC is a safe place for abuse victims at risk for homelessness. For more information on Anna Crawford Children’s Center, visit www.cherokeechildadvocates.org.
Renovation Completion
HomeAid is proud of the work done for Making a Way Housing, which provides emergency, transitional, and permanent supportive housing and case management to homeless adults, male and female, facing complex challenges associated with chronic homelessness, substance abuse, mental illness, and HIV and AIDS. On July 19, a ribbon cutting was held to mark the completion of a renovation project that added 16 new beds at this life-changing facility.
“When we saw the challenges facing families and individuals in this area of Atlanta, we knew we could make a difference and work together with some great partners to change the landscape of the area,” said Steve Brock, president of Brock Built Homes, who served as HomeAid’s volunteer Builder Captain for this project. “Our mission at Brock Built is to enrich the lives we touch, and we felt this project helped accomplish our goal.”
The Brock Built team, in partnership with HomeAid, transformed the exterior of the building with fresh paint, new doors and windows, and new interior finishes including low maintenance laminate flooring and updated GE kitchen appliances. The project also included updated plumbing and light fixtures throughout, a new roof, and a new HVAC system. The apartment building is now known as The Gertrude Iraldo Thompson Memorial Building, in memory of Making A Way Housing Executive Director Liz Thompson’s mother.
Breaking Ground
On July 20, HomeAid Atlanta and House of Dawn supporters gathered to kick off a new renovation project at the facility in Jonesboro. The project, designed to help build new lives for young and expectant mothers experiencing homelessness, is a renovation of the Transitional Housing Program’s two duplexes. Once complete, the renovation will have added a new bathroom to four units, doubling the number of mothers and their children who will call House of Dawn home as they work toward the goal of self-sufficiency.
House of Dawn (HOD) provides a stable, loving home for young mothers and their children at risk for homelessness and abuse, as well as educational opportunities and the life training skills to become independent, self-supporting women. Doug Cotter, in partnership with Silverstone Communities, will serve as HomeAid Atlanta’s volunteer Builder Captain. The Transitional Housing program serves young mothers ages 18-24 and their children, who need supportive housing assistance for up to two years.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Builder Captain Doug Cotter remarked, “Silverstone Communities and I are very honored and proud to be participating with HomeAid and House of Dawn on this project. Our passion is to provide housing for families, and this project allows us to do it at a different level, providing housing for mothers and children in need. I think being a single mother is the hardest job in the world, and we’re here to make it easier. It’s a great honor to follow my passion and give back to the community to help these young mothers and their children.”
Dawn Murray, House of Dawn Founder and CEO said, “HomeAid has been awesome to work with to help us get to the point that we are ready to break ground, and we are excited to start building with them with the help of Doug Cotter and Silverstone Communities.”
HomeAid Atlanta, founded in 2001, is a nonprofit organization that builds new lives for homeless families and individuals through housing and community outreach. HomeAid works in partnership with the building industry, as well as community organizations, to assist people experiencing homelessness. To date, HomeAid Atlanta has completed over 100 housing, remodel and care day projects at locations serving victims of domestic violence, teen mothers, veterans and more. HomeAid is the designated charity of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association. Learn more at www.homeaidatlanta.org.