Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Executive Director of HomeAid Atlanta Mandy Crater is in studio for today’s episode of Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio. Joined by co-hosts Carol Morgan and Todd Schnick, the group discusses HomeAid Atlanta initiatives to help the homeless community, the mission that guides its community outreach the ongoing Essentials Drive ending soon.
Crater recently celebrated her fifth anniversary with HomeAid Atlanta in April and is excited to continue her important work with the organization. Crater has been in the homebuilding industry for most of her life, starting her career working with the Greater Atlanta Homebuilders Association and moving on to the construction industry after that. In addition to her role as Executive Director at HomeAid Atlanta, Crater is also a proud mom of two children.
HomeAid Atlanta’s mission is to build new lives for homeless families and individuals through housing and community outreach. The organization and its supporters achieve this through several different approaches. One of the main ways HomeAid Atlanta helps end homelessness in the area is partnering with professionals in the building industry to identify nonprofits that build houses and provide resources for homeless people in the greater Atlanta area.
“We put the builders together with the nonprofits that are helping people to get into stable housing,” said Crater. “We get discounts, donation and expertise to help those nonprofits build whatever they need to expand their capacity, do more outreach and more. We are all working together to get people into stable housing. It’s a great way for builders to give back to the community.”
Part of the HomeAid Atlanta mission focuses on community outreach. That is why every year before Mother’s Day, the organization hosts its annual Essentials Drive. The Essentials Drive is a community-wide drive to collect diapers and wipes. About 40% of individuals experiencing homelessness in the Atlanta area are mothers, many of whom have young babies. This drive is focused on helping these homeless mothers and babies who don’t have other safety nets or support organizations to fall back on in their time of need.
This year, the Essentials Drive is running a little different than normal in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. HomeAid Atlanta created individual shopping lists for all of its nonprofit partners who are ready to help moms and babies. It also recruited Amazon to help with the deliveries to continue practicing social distancing and self-isolation protocols. Everyone who wants to help can use Amazon Smile to donate essential supplies can do so online.
So far, eight out of 23 service providers have their needs met. This means there are several nonprofit partners with shopping lists uncomplete. To help ensure everything on the list gets purchased and delivered to the homeless moms in the Atlanta area in time for Mother’s Day, be sure to check out the full list of HomeAid’s service partners. Visit the link here to view the list and find their clickable links to individual shopping wish lists.
After selecting the items to put in the cart, visit smile.amazon.com and select HomeAid Atlanta, Inc. as the charity of choice. After paying for the items, be sure to invite others to donate and take part in providing mothers and babies with the items they need and deserve.
To find out more about any of the ways to help in the 2020 Essentials Drive, listen to the full interview above. You can also contact HomeAid Atlanta Director of Community Outreach Karen McLane at 678-775-1450 or karen@homeaidatlanta.org. You can also visit www.HomeAidAtlanta.org.
Never miss an episode of Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio! Subscribe to the podcast here. You can also get a recap of any past episodes on our Radio page.
Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee, License #22564. NMLS ID #6606. Subject to borrower and property qualifications. Not all applicants will qualify. New American Funding and HomeAid Atlanta are not associated. Click here to view the terms and conditions of products mentioned during the show. Corporate office 14511 Myford Rd., Suite 100, Tustin, CA 92780. Phone: (800) 450-2010. (May/2020)
New American Funding is a family-owned mortgage lender with a servicing portfolio of over 123,000 loans for $30.4 billion, 198 branches, and about 3,100 employees. The company offers several niche loan products and has made Inc. 5000’s list of Fastest-Growing Companies in America six times. It has a state-of-the-art career training facility and develops innovative technology, including the GoGo LO mobile application. For more information, visit www.branch.newamericanfunding.com/Atlanta.
The Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio “All About Real Estate” segment, presented by Denim Marketing, highlights the movers and shakers in the Atlanta real estate industry – the home builders, developers, Realtors and suppliers working to provide the American dream for Atlantans. For more information on how you can be featured as a guest, contact Denim Marketing at 770-383-3360 or fill out the Atlanta Real Estate Forum contact form. Subscribe to the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast on iTunes, and if you like this week’s show, be sure to rate it.
