The fastest growing segment of poverty is in the suburbs. With nearly 10,200 Georgians living in homelessness, many have given up on city resources and fled to the suburbs in hopes of more opportunity.

Unfortunately, affordable housing and transportation access are very limited in the suburbs, making poverty a difficult barrier to overcome. In addition, 38 percent have at least one disability and many experiencing homelessness are children.

So how do we help?

Today, we provide 72 beds in the Elizabeth Inn Shelter … a far cry from filling the actual need.

Sadly, we are turning away 200-300 people a month because our beds are full and 70 percent of those we cannot serve are women and children. Our team of dedicated staff and volunteers are heartbroken daily as they have no choice but to turn away families, single moms and their children and others so desperate for help.

Our hope is to build a fully-furnished home with twice the current capacity in a living space designed for dignity, comfort and safety as a centerpiece to a unified campus.

The tailored client environment will feature areas for families, veterans, individuals, kitchen and dining hall, a playground and learning. Our experienced case managers will continue to offer guidance and support while our workforce development professionals provide training and career opportunities.

In addition, we will provide a centralized campus with comprehensive support services such as a medical clinic, food pantry, the Donation Center and courtyard.