Accounting for a quarter of Georgia’s unhoused population, the Atlanta metro community has more than 2,600 men, women, and children experiencing homelessness. Atlanta Mission aims to meet the basic needs of these individuals, including shelter, meals, showers, and laundry facilities, while working with them to address the underlying causes of their homelessness.
According to a 2023 report released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), homelessness in the United States reached a record high, finding more than 650,000 people were forced to become unhoused. This complex issue is rooted in several factors, including economic disparities, lack of available affordable housing, and the termination of government housing subsidies. With the rising cost of living and inadequate safety nets in place, individuals and families find difficulty in securing stable housing requiring a multifaceted approach to address.
Many people facing homelessness have suffered extreme trauma, either earlier in life or from the experience of homelessness. Through building relationships and trust with clients, Atlanta Mission’s care team of advocates, social workers, and mental health counselors complete a comprehensive needs assessment to determine the next steps that can help individuals overcome the underlying cause of being unhoused, including resources to address mental health and trauma.
With the Make Progress program, the Atlanta Mission’s care team ensures that each client’s unique physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and vocational needs are met in a trusted and safe environment. To address the needs of a diverse population, the care team provides each client with a personalized service program based on their needs assessment. The goal is for clients to become a part of the community, retain employment, and become eligible for housing.
Atlanta Mission supports its clients with programs that provide various wraparound services, including Make Progress, Find Hope, Choose Help, and Sustain & Growth programs. Their dedicated efforts are helping hundreds of Atlantans change their lives. During their 2022 fiscal year, Atlanta Mission served more than 1,700 people, including 426 children, through these programs.
With a grant from the Maximus Foundation, Atlanta Mission provided more than 450 men, women, and children facing homelessness with a full day of services, giving them hope and transforming their lives through physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and vocational development.
Visit atlantamission.org to learn more about how Atlanta Mission is helping its clients find their future homes.
