Georgia CALLS Dream Campus Project

Georgia CALLS: Restoring People, Rebuilding Families - Every Family Deserves a CHANCE
 
Georgia CALLS ’ mission is to help rebuild and reestablish families in distress. Homelessness comes in many forms and for many reasons - lack of employment, incarceration, economy, health problems, etc. We believe that "Every Family Deserves a CHANCE". Through providing Childcare, Housing, A job, Needs Assessment, Counseling, and Education, we do not just meet needs but we are  changing lives and restoring families.


Facts:

1. We're busting at the seams with participants and office staff. The growth rate of Georgia CALLS has surpassed 600% since February 2015.

2. Due to the substantial growth and the immediate needs of our participants, we have to find stable housing for almost 90% of our current participants. Our goal for 2016 is to have 20 families placed in stable, permanent housing.

3. The call center has reached capacity with 20 seats and there's no more room to expand, thereby capping the number of participants we can accept. With a total of 63 participants that have received training and employment since October 2014, we need more room to expand and open the doorway to help more families.

4. We don't have room to hire any more staff to support the participants in the program. Along with the staff, we need more room for our community volunteers to help and assist us.

5. Most importantly, after 1 year,  91 children have been directly impacted by our program, many reunited with their families, but there are so many more that need help.



Where It Started
The vision for Georgia CALLS started back in 2009 when a group of friends, community members, and business leaders came together to serve and help the homeless community in Downtown Atlanta. Their goal was to help turn their lives around by not just feeding, supplying clothing to them, and helping meet their needs, but their goal was to help change the overall situation and worldview that got the individuals and families into their current situation of homelessness.

Where we are 
Today, Georgia CALLS is an innovative program unlike any other. After spending years developing and refining the unique one-year personal development curriculum that is used in conjunction with spiritual growth classes, mentoring, counseling, and case management to help the participants shift to the right mindset and be prepared to rebuild their families. The custom built social enterprise that is the employment core of the program was designed intentionally not just give a handout but to create an opportunity where people can learn to work and provide for themselves. All of this leads to being able to find and acquire stable housing for each individual and family.

How Can You Help?In the immediate, we need to find a new space and build out the interactive work and learning space as soon as possible. We're looking to raise funds to get the office space rented and built out with office furniture, supplies, and functional learning space. 

Donate today and be a part of the solution!

Long-term Vision: The Campus Dream Project
In the long term, we'll be looking to expand into a campus-style environment that will enable our organization to address all barriers that prevent families from achieving self-sustainability within the community. Our revolutionary systematic approach to social issues is demonstrated in a model with multi-faceted components, including important work opportunities, stable housing, job/vocational/technical/life skills training, childcare, counseling, mentoring for at-risk adults, and community outreach initiatives.

We believe our integrated approach to creating and sustaining a thriving community is possible through our Campus Dream. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states that in order for people to live a productive lifestyle within society, these basic needs must be met – Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, Esteem, and Self-actualization. By focusing on the most fundamental needs, our Georgia CALLS Campus will support and lead families in their journey towards being restored and rebuilt.

CHANCE:

Childcare:
Our goal is to have a full childcare program on site to provide education and care for all participants children. We will work to offer a proactive after-school tutoring program where students are exposed to academic material such as Mathematics, English, Science and Language, before they are taught in school.

Housing:
Georgia CALLS will assist our participants in obtaining clean, affordable, stable residential housing to be able to provide a safe environment for their families. This is one of the most essential, basic needs that any family has to have to be able to rebuild and find solid footing in any other area of their lives.

A Job - The Work Opportunity Center:
Immediate employment opportunities will help individuals and families become and stay self-sufficient by enabling them to earn livable wages to support their families and contribute to their communities. At the Georgia CALLS Campus, individuals will be given the opportunity to work as customer service representatives in the on-site, inbound call center, or gain experience in other areas/industries of interest. This work experience will help to overcome systemic issues in order to make the greatest community-level impact.

Needs Assessment:
Georgia CALLS, through our tested system, will evaluate and help design a personalized roadmap for each family in crisis.

Counseling:
Georgia CALLS offers in-depth, certified mental health and case management services to help individuals and families through the pathways laid out through the Needs Assessment.

Education:
Part of a successful job/life skills training program is the development of both technical skills (horizontal development) and the expansion of one’s worldview (vertical development). Our job/life skills training is designed to engage participants to increase personal independence and self-esteem, promote self-advocacy, and improve activities of daily living, resulting in economic growth. The Georgia CALLS Job/Life Skills Program (JLS) focuses on five areas of development: basic skills, thinking skills, people skills, personal qualities, as well as executive functioning and self-advocacy skills.

Donate today to be a part of something BIG for our community!

Your donation will help us change lives in a way that will affect entire communities! Every Family Deserves a CHANCE! Help give that chance today!