Buford, GA (PRWEB) August 10, 2016
The face of homelessness has changed. Families make up nearly 40 percent of all who are homeless. In Gwinnett County, the average age of a homeless child is just six years old. Georgia CALLS, a 501c3 organization that started as a life transformation ministry by serving the formerly incarcerated, has expanded into a family transformation ministry. The nonprofit has rebranded and announced an expanded mandate and services.
Now, in addition to their unique reentry program that serves the state of Georgia in its commitment to helping formerly incarcerated and state supervised individuals develop critical job and life skills while providing much-needed work opportunities, Georgia CALLS helps families in distress recover from homelessness and lack of employment.
With a new mission to help rebuild and reestablish families, Georgia CALLS helps families in the North Gwinnett/South Hall County area in a number of ways - from teaching job skills and helping to provide steady employment, to leading them through a unique personal development program; providing personalized case management and counseling, and helping to acquire stable housing. Georgia CALLS program consists of these key parts: Call Center Employment, Stable Housing, Social Services, Job/Life Skills, Reentry Program and Spiritual Growth (which is optional).
Stark Statistics
In 2014, Georgia had the fifth highest unemployment rating and sixth highest poverty rating in the U.S. and ranked as the eighth highest in food stamp use percentage.
According to State Corrections of Georgia, 60 percent of inmates in Georgia are parents, and a number of these parents have been incarcerated more than once. The Gwinnett Coalition estimates there are 6,000 homeless kids in Gwinnett County, and as of March 2016, the Gwinnett County School system was accommodating almost 2,000 known homeless students.
"As it turns out, homeless families are not as uncommon as one might think in our community," explained Mark Mobley, Georgia CALLS' Executive Director. "This is why Georgia CALLS exists. We've helped reunite 40 children with their parents just over the past year."
To learn more about Georgia CALLS' new mission and how they are working to build hope for generations to come, visit http://www.gacalls.org/about-us.
The Campus Dream Project
Georgia CALLS is currently fundraising for their Campus Dream Project, which is a new space to accommodate their expanding program, additional staff, and the costs to build-out that custom-designed, work/training facility. The Campus Dream Project is a comprehensive solution-focused model that will meet the needs of both individuals and families searching for hope and a second chance in society. Campus Dream is Georgia CALLS on a grand scale, with numerous work opportunities, job/life skills training, transitional housing, a food bank, tutoring, after school programs, and childcare.
Mobley continued, "Georgia CALLS is five years into building a brand new approach that helps solve the problem instead of just meeting short-term needs. Our goal is not just to meet needs but to change lives and restore families."
To learn more about Georgia CALLS Campus Dream Project, visit http://www.gacalls.org/give/campus-dream.
About Georgia CALLS
The mission of Georgia CALLS is to help families in distress in the Gwinnett and Hall County area recover from homelessness and lack of employment by providing intentional job and life skills training, steady employment, personalized case management and the procurement of stable housing. Georgia CALLS strives to transform mindsets, rebuild families, and build entrepreneurs by nurturing sustainable, positive habits that will radically change the lifestyle of individuals, children, and families in the community for the better. For more information about Georgia CALLS, visit http://www.gacalls.org.
