How To Feed A Family For $15 A Day

The average family of four spends upwards of $1,200 a month on food, or roughly $40 a day. But with smart planning and key ingredients, you can learn to bring that expense down to less than $15 a day.   Click here to read more

A Foolish Time to Cut Housing Aid

After years of increased unemployment, joblessness and poverty continue to persist.  The families we serve would not be able to leave homelessness behind without the aid of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  We are one program, among many, that HUD supports nationwide.  Programs, like ours, are a worthy HUD investment as we serve the families hit hardest by the economy.  Click here to read the NY Times editorial that argues this is not the time to abandon needy families.  

Affordable Housing Saves on McKinney-Vento Transportation Costs

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, passed in 1987, provided children without a “fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence” some stability in the form of school.


Thanks to McKinney-Vento, children have the right to stay in their school of origin, despite the upheaval of homelessness. This means that even if kids have to move out of their original school district (because, for example, assistance is not available in that original district), students experiencing homelessness are able to continue attending their school. Because research has shown that students perform better when their school environment is stable, McKinney-Vento requires that school districts must provide transportation for the homeless student to the school of origin.  Click here to read more

Behind the Poverty Numbers: Real Lives, Real Pain

At a food pantry in a Chicago suburb, a 38-year-old mother of two breaks into tears.

She and her husband have been out of work for nearly two years. Their house and car are gone. So is their foothold in the middle class and, at times, their self-esteem.

"It's like there is no way out," says Kris Fallon.

She is trapped like so many others, destitute in the midst of America's abundance. Last week, the Census Bureau released new figures showing that nearly one in six Americans lives in poverty — a record 46.2 million people. The poverty rate, pegged at 15.1 percent, is the highest of any major industrialized nation, and many experts believe it could get worse before it abates.

The numbers are daunting — but they also can seem abstract and numbing without names and faces.

Associated Press reporters around the country went looking for the people behind the numbers. They were not hard to find.  Click here to read more.

Welcome Friendship Baptist Church!

We are excited to welcome Friendship Baptist Church in Cartersville to the Transitional Housing family!  Thank you for helping us end homelessness for Georgia families.  If you are interested in partnering with Transitional Housing to support a house, contact us today!

Profiles of Risk: Family Structure

"Profiles of Risk: Family Structure" is the third research brief in this ICPH series, which draws on data from the nationwide Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to highlight characteristics of those families at greatest risk of experiencing homelessness. The brief explores differences in family structure between homeless mothers and those who maintain stable housing, finding that stably housed families are characterized by higher rates of marriage and greater relationship stability when compared to housing-unstable households. Families at risk of homelessness experience higher family instability and rates of cohabitation, while homeless families tend to be headed by a single mother.

Click here to read more.

Welcome Cohutta Presbyterian!

We are excited to welcome Cohutta Presbyterian as our newest partner in ending homelessness for Georgia families!  They have been working hard to get their house ready for a homeless family.  Thank you for all your hard work!  If you are interested in partnering with Transitional Housing to support a house, contact us today!

Profiles of Risk: Education

"Profiles of Risk: Education" is the second research brief in an ICPH research series, which draws on data from the nationwide Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to highlight characteristics of those families at greatest risk of experiencing homelessness. The brief explores the differences in educational attainment between poor mothers and those mothers who maintain stable housing, finding that, while poor mothers benefit from high school completion, the benefits of post-secondary education are less certain.  Click the link below to read the article.

ICPH Profiles of Risk: Education

Support Group Spotlight!

Watch this uplifting interview with Northside UMC support group members, Helen and Nancy.  If you would like to learn more about becoming a part of a support group, please visit our website.  Make sure you sign up for our e-newsletter while you are there!

Thank you Peachtree Road UMC!

A big "Thank You" to Peachtree Road UMC for providing backpacks and school supplies for all of Transitional Housing's homeless families. We've seen happy and grateful parents and kids across North Georgia as we've handed them out this week. To learn more about how your church can host a donation drive or event to benefit Transitional Housing, please contact Jannan at jthomas@actionministries.net.

Characterizing Housing Instability

Do you ever wonder if there is a difference between low income families who maintain stable housing and those who become homeless? ICPH is asking this very question. Click here to read about what their research has uncovered.

Meet Our Staff: Shon Brown, Case Manager

“This is not a job for me, it is a mission.”  These are the words Shon Brown, our case manager who works with our Pickens, Bartow and Gordon county houses, closed our interview with.  The stories she told me one afternoon are both touching and illustrate how committed Shon is to helping her families become self sufficient. 

Shon joined the Action Ministries Transitional Housing team after working for DFACS.  She made the change because her passion is working with people, not numbers.  So her answer to the question “What is the best part of being a case manager?” is no surprise.  It is working with her families and seeing them change right before her eyes.  Her favorite story of change was working with Vanessa and her family.  She described Vanessa as “tough”.  She had tattoos and her English was laced with curse words.  Vanessa’s dad was in prison and her mom was in a gang.  When she entered the program she had not graduated from high school, she had no job, she had no car, she had no furniture and she brought a lot of drama from her “baby daddy”.  Vanessa’s grandma was trying to support all of her grandkids, but there wasn’t room for everyone in her two bedroom apartment.  Vanessa became homeless with her three kids. 

Vanessa’s journey towards self sufficiency was long.  Shon remembers that when Vanessa first entered the program, Vanessa even resisted getting on TANF because she didn’t want her children’s father to have to pay child support.  Nothing seemed to be getting through to her. So Shon told her the truth:  “You’re broke; you’ve got no place to go; no job; no GED.  Your mom is in a gang and your dad is in prison.  Are your three kids important to you?  Do you love them?  Because you are going to have to turn things around.  Having your ex-boyfriend pay child support is just the first step.”  Vanessa listened to Shon and began to make changes.

At first, Vanessa had no transportation.  Shon remembers Vanessa putting all three kids in the stroller and walking to “do what she needed to do”.  She got a job at DFACS and began to study for her GED.  Shon remembers that Vanessa was the first person in her family to receive her GED. “There had been other family members who tried, but Vanessa was the first to succeed.”  After she got her GED, Vanessa even started at Dalton College.  When she graduated from our program, she used her savings to move into her own place and Action Ministries was able to get her a donated car. Shon still keeps up with Vanessa and is proud to report that she is still working and is now engaged.  Shon remarked, “I saw the whole change and it was beautiful.  Mom was there to do homework with her kids.  Mom had a schedule, a job, her relationships improved.  She flipped it around.” 

Sometimes it is hard to get a sense of how much our case managers do.  Vanessa’s first language was not English.  Shon knows how important good communication skills are, so Shon had Vanessa write her letters every week so that she could practice her English. Shon would then correct them so that Vanessa would learn from her mistakes.  Vanessa also didn’t have conflict resolution skills. Shon remembers practicing with her how to deal with conflict at her job.  Shon taught her to “think with her brain” and not let her emotion get out of hand.  These skills have enabled Vanessa to stay employed.

Thank you River of Life!

River of Life painted and repaired two houses in Augusta and now the houses are ready for a family in need!  Thank you so much for your hard work!

Georgia Brief on Homlessness

Georgia had an estimated 1,812 homeless families on a single night in 2010, with providers serving nearly three times their bed capacity over the course of the year.  This brief summarizes some of the state’s public and private initiatives to assist these families.  Click here to read further.

Thank you Dunwoody UMC!

Thank you to Dunwoody United Methodist Church for putting together a donation drive for household items for our families.  We and our families appreciate it!

Homeless Students Find Hope in their Principal

At a Las Vegas school where 85% of students are homeless, the principal works to line up donations of clothes, food and haircuts.

Click here to read more

Augusta House Project Update!

Transitional Housing is THRILLED to welcome the River of Life volunteers to our Augusta houses today. Action Ministries owns two houses in Augusta that are in desperate need of some TLC in order for two homeless families to move into them. Our River of Life volunteers are sanding and painting the floors, painting cabinets, putting lattice work on the bottom of the houses to keep out critters, painting the porch steps, and cleaning the two houses. These young people and the adults who are working with them are serving for the next three days to help us move closer to getting these houses ready to open in the fall. Yesterday, we realized that sometime between 9 p.m. the night before and 3 p.m. the following day, the copper piping under one of our houses was stolen. In addition to the expense of replacing this piping, this also meant that our River of Life volunteers would have to work in 90 degree weather without any air conditioning. We called Kent, super volunteer and our River of Life project leader, and gave him the news. He took it all in stride and we rounded up a bunch of box fans from Action Ministries – Augusta to help keep the heat at bay. We are so grateful for the work that these volunteers will do over the next three days and their desire to put their faith into action through service. We are also grateful for their flexibility and good spirits in the midst of stolen piping! Stay tuned for before and after pictures.

The renovation of these houses is the first step towards adding two more transitional houses in Augusta. But without financial support of $16,000 we will not be able to open as scheduled in the fall. Funds designated to our Augusta houses will provide for utilities and other house expenses, case management, and supportive services such as transportation and child care. Our Augusta area case manager works with each family to create a self-sufficiency plan. She then helps the parent(s) address all of their barriers to self sufficiency (such as obtaining and maintaining employment, paying down debt, addressing health issues, learning how to budget, etc.) and helps them leave homelessness… permanently. Please consider donating today to support our two new Augusta houses. Together, we can end homelessness…one family at a time.

What does "homeless" mean?

Here’s a link to an interview with the author of “A Girls Guide to Homelessness”. 

(http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/112801/fight-to-rejoin-middle-class-usnews)

It’s a great story that highlights the fact that people who are homeless all have a different story. We also don’t always see the folks who are homeless in our midst. Brianna says in the interview “There's also a misconception about what "homeless" means. Do you have to be panhandling? Or sleeping on a park bench? A lot of people think it doesn't count if you're living out of a vehicle, but if they were living out of a vehicle, they might think otherwise.” Do you think someone who is living out of their car is homeless? What about someone who is living in a motel? Share your thoughts!

Monthly Round Up- New Beginnings

• Many of you will be receiving Transitional Housing’s first e-newsletter this afternoon. We hope that this newsletter is filled with the stories, ideas and information that will help you feel better connected to our ministry. Please take a minute and forward this e-newsletter to five of your friends who may not know about our program. All new subscribers to the e-newsletter will get a series of e-mails that will introduce them to the struggles of homeless families in our area and the strategies we use to help those families reach self-sufficiency. It would not be possible for us to do this critical work without your support. So, THANK YOU!
• Although summer doesn’t begin officially until June 21, this week for many of us in Georgia represents the beginning of summer. Temperatures have steadily been in the 90’s, kids are finishing up with school, and summer vacation is beginning. The youth in our program are also taking advantage of some great summer opportunities. Camp Glisson worked with us to get youth enrolled in their program. We also have many youth enrolled in YMCA summer camps and Boys and Girls Club summer programs. In addition, both children and youth are planning to attend Vacation Bible School and summer youth programs at our partner churches. We are so grateful for the many partial scholarships that were awarded to our families from our partner organizations. If you would like to contribute to our summer camp fund, please click here to make a donation.
• And finally our Case Manager, Danielle, had her baby on Friday. A big “Congratulations” to the Meyer family on their newest addition.

Help us open ten new houses in the Mountains of North Georgia!

We just got the good news that we received a grant from HUD to open 10 new houses in North Georgia, but we cannot access these federal funds until we have community support pledged!

How you can help:

Help us find 10 faithful landlords who have an empty house, a heart for mission, and are willing to donate $8000 of the rent we pay them back to the program. Our grant allows us to start houses in any of the following counties: Banks, Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Elbert, Fannin, Floyd, Franklin, Gilmer, Gordon, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hart, Jackson, Lincoln, Lumpkin, Madison, Murray, Oglethorpe, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, White and Whitfield Counties.

Housing is the first step towards ending homelessness for a family. There was a 9% increase in the number of homeless families in 2010. Help us address this growing need! We know that there are homeowners who are being called to this ministry. Help us connect with them and together, we will end homelessness…one family at a time.

For more information, please contact Jannan Thomas, Executive Director, Transitional Housing; jthomas@actionministries.net or 404-881-1991 ext. 5615.

Is this the beginning of the end for Transitional Housing?

On Friday I got sent a policy brief from the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness asking:  Is this the beginning of the end for Transitional Housing?  As the Executive Director of Transitional Housing at Action Ministries this question is troubling to me.  I get the privilege every day of seeing the difference our program, and programs like it, make in the lives of homeless families. I can rattle off countless stories of families in our program that have gone on to become self sufficient and leave homelessness behind forever.  It’s certainly not the lack of homeless families that is prompting this question.  The number of homeless families keeps rising as we continue to weather the effects of the great recession (the numbers are between 5.5 and 9% higher than last year).  Here in Georgia, we are experiencing unemployment rates higher than the national average.  This lack of employment is one of the major factors that lead families to lose their housing.  In addition, north Georgia has just experienced devastating tornadoes.  So even more families who were barely holding on are already homeless or in danger of becoming homeless.   So, why would the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness ask this question?  They certainly are aware of the difference Transitional Housing makes for families.  Why are they worried that Transitional Housing is in danger?  The answer is:  Federal Funding.
   

It is clear that the federal government has shifted its funding priorities to ending chronic homelessness and to a program called “Rapid Re-housing”.   And not surprisingly, when funding shifts, programs begin to shift as well.  The first priority of ending chronic homelessness does not really address the needs of homeless families.  Folks that are chronically homeless are often who we think of as “homeless”.  Many chronically homeless have a serious mental illness, like schizophrenia and/or an alcohol or drug addiction. Most people who experience chronic homelessness have been in treatment programs in the past and have still found themselves repeatedly homeless.  They are often the “face” of homelessness in downtown Atlanta.  I’m not debating that these efforts are not needed; I am noting that addressing chronic homelessness does not really address the needs of homeless families.
 

The second priority – Rapid Re-housing – does a better job of addressing families who find themselves homeless. However, it concentrates on families whose situation will be greatly improved by providing housing assistance for a couple of months.  It is not a program that focuses on addressing the underlying causes of homelessness.  This aspect of our Transitional Housing program is vital for moving families to true self sufficiency.  Addressing the underlying causes of homelessness, in my opinion, is the best way to ensure that families do not become homeless again and has the best chance of preventing generational poverty.  I agree with the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness when they say “this approach overlooks a majority of families that require more time and supportive services to overcome barriers to financial independence, such as low educational attainment and lack of sufficient employment skills. Only time will tell if this policy shift away from transitional housing will ultimately benefit and reduce the number of homeless families.”  As for me, I am proud to be a part of a Transitional Housing program that helps families thrive and with our network of compassionate individuals and churches, I see us continuing this ministry for the long haul. 

~Jannan Thomas

Executive Director, Transitional Housing

Action Ministries

What does Transitional Housing do?

Our clients tell the story of our ministry best. 

“Action Ministries has the unique job of not only finding those in need but those people who are willing to take a chance and change their lives. I understand that there is no way that you can save the world, but in essence that is exactly what you are doing: one family at a time. For the individuals and families that are able to complete this program, their lives are forever changed.  No one deserves to be homeless or in a domestic violence situation. I am thankful that Action Ministries has given me the opportunity to start with a soft place to land so I could find my very unique foundation.”

                                                                                                                ~Former Transitional Housing Client

“I can’t say enough wonderful things about Action Ministries’ Transitional Housing program and what they have done for my children and me.  There is no greater feeling than to have a warm, safe home to bring your children to every night.  I have only been in the program a few months and they have already helped me with earning my GED and I started college in January!  I feel like I am finally working towards a better life for myself and my children.”    

                                                                                                  --Former Transitional Housing Client

Click here to hear the story of one of our current clients who was featured on 11 Alive news.