Gateway Center Blog

Archive for August, 2011

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The Journey Home

Aug. 24th 2011

 

It is 5:00 p.m. and Pryor Street in downtown Atlanta is filled with cars, filled with employees, exiting businesses and offices in downtown Atlanta. For thousands, the workday is over. The bumper-to-bumper traffic on the connector is evidence of this fact. Yet, the sidewalks of Pryor Street are filled, too. Filled with homeless individuals making their way to the Gateway Center to begin or continue their journey out of homelessness.

Homeless women and children are making their way to the Gateway Center. The need for emergency shelter outstrips its availability. The main lobby of the Gateway Center has become a default emergency shelter for as many as 150 women and children since spring 2009. The nightly numbers hover at 110, with almost half being children.

If it were not for the Gateway Center, these women and children would be on the streets of metropolitan Atlanta. They would face many risks. They would be vulnerable in ways that our community does not want to even imagine. On the edge of hopelessness, these families make their way to the Gateway Center clinging to hope and promise for a new beginning.

A mother with three children walks through the door. They join scores of others already in the Client Engagement Center. Children are invited to share with volunteers in an activity time or study hall. Homework assignments are completed. Little ones play with a few toys or games that have been donated. An assessment is completed with the mother. Volunteers and case managers begin the conversation with the client on how to end their homelessness. Housing options are discussed. The Reunification Program is explored. Health services are offered, as needed. Plans are made to access the Georgia Department of Labor on-site Career Center. Case management is solidified. The journey out of homelessness begins.

Dinner is served. Chairs are moved. The room cleaned. Mats are placed on the floor. Linens are distributed. Showers are taken. Laundry is done. Lights are dimmed. Quietness settles over the room. Sleep comes. Hope and promise grow as the night progresses. Another family begins the journey out of homelessness. Tomorrow is wrapped in opportunity, rather than a shroud of despair. The Gateway Center is a gateway to new beginnings.

9/11 National Day of Service

Aug. 22nd 2011

 

This year will be the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks and, in honor of all those who were affected by the tragedy and the thousands who rose to service, 9/11 has been federally designated as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.  Visit the Hands on Atlanta websiteto see volunteer opportunities in Atlanta for the upcoming weekend of service!  You can join in an organized project or even start your own- the Gateway Center would love to host a volunteer event that you plan!  Just get in touch with out volunteer coordinator at 404.215.6686

Shahieb’s Story

Aug. 11th 2011



Shahieb Stokes had been clean before. He had passed through programs and come out drug free, but it never seemed to last. He would put on fresh clothes, dress himself up, and look great, but he was still the same within. Before long he would relapse to drug use and homelessness. Then, in May 2010, Shahieb came to the Gateway Center.

Now, Shahieb has transformed his habits and his life. “I used to always be about getting high. I lived to get high,” says Shahieb. But when he arrived at Gateway, things were different. “I was tired,” remembers Shahieb. “Tired of my life, tired of pain. I was willing for the first time, willing to change.”

At the Gateway Center, he has had the opportunity to do so. The programs at Gateway have allowed him to focus on himself, and to make the changes necessary end his cycle of drug abuse. By not having to worry about things like where he would sleep or eat each night, Shahieb had the time to work with his sponsor and case manager to transform his life.  “Anything I needed, I could get here,” says Shahieb. The staff and other clients provided support, the free clinic operated by St. Joseph’s Mercy Care served his medical needs, and Gateway provided food, shelter, and basic services.

“Gateway has given me a place where I don’t have to worry, and so I can work on myself,” says Shahieb. “No other place worked like this one did. It helped me, and I want the same for others.”

Shahieb entered Gateway through the pretreatment program and transitioned into a collaborative, in-house program run by the Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency (ACSS).

Over the last fourteen months, Shahieb has changed a lot. Looking back, he can see many of the differences in himself, and those around Shahieb recognize how differently he carries himself now—with more confidence, dignity, and self-respect.

For Shahieb, one of the biggest changes in his life has been his relationship with his children. “My kids call me,” Shahieb says, pointing out pictures he keeps of them in his room. “My son texts me every day.”

Shahieb is now a Resident Assistant (RA) at the Gateway Center, where he serves in a support role for staff and as a mentor to other clients in Gateway’s programs. When he first arrived, Shahieb benefited from the guidance of several staff members and clients. He then started giving back to others in return. “My job is helping other people out,” says Shahieb. “Watching them, knowing where they’ve been, looking out for them.” He started sharing his story with the other clients, encouraging them through experiences similar to his own. He became the leader of the ACSS group council, and then was invited by the program director to serve as an RA. Being an RA gave Shahieb not only the opportunity to help others, but also a level of responsibility that has furthered his transformation. “It helped me be accountable; it made me grow up more.”

“I spent all my life trying to be a part of something, to be accepted on the corners,” Shahieb says. But the satisfaction he couldn’t find on the street, he found here at Gateway. “I’m a part of Gateway,” he says with pride. “I’ll always be a part.”

Project Homeless Connect

Aug. 5th 2011

 

On July 24, the Gateway Center, in collaboration with the Department of Community Affairs, successfuly held our first annual Project Homeless Connect!  Project Homeless Connect is an information fair- the goal of which is to connect homeless individuals with programs and services available in the community.  We would like to thank Community Friendships, Inc, Saint Joseph’s Mercy Care, Project Community Connect, Inc, The Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency, Central Outreach and Advocacy Center, City of Refuge, Let Your Life Shine Community Ministries, and Quest 35 for participating and connecting clients with wonderful information.  We were able to educate and feed over 300 homeless individuals- great job to all involved!





























Volunteer Magic Power

Aug. 4th 2011

 

It was a Monday night at the Gateway Center, following a fortnight of growing overflow of woman and children. The numbers soared like a jet leaving Dobbins. Mats on the floor are rule of the day. More than 90 women and children on the mats, on the floor. We are now seeing scores of new women and their children come through the doors seeking services, employment, housing, escape from abusers, and new starts. They share two things in common: they are all homeless and they are all seeking a path out of homelessness. For most, hope has dimmed; almost vanished.

There are not limitless resources in the community and the overflow of women and children has become part of daily life at the Gateway Center. The national economic meltdown has contributed significantly to the growing numbers. Evictions are common place. New stresses ultimately fracture families. The persons that come to the Gateway Center are the first to feel the impact of the nation’s financial crisis, and sadly, will be the last the experience its recovery. These are tenuous days! These are stretched days, and not only for the Gateway Center but for many nonprofits in our community.

But, in the midst of the community crisis and tsunami of humanity that comes through the gates every day, there was a glimmer of normalcy and subtle ray of hope on this Monday night. It was a bit like seeing magic. Four volunteers arrived with their bags of magic tricks — books, art supplies, flashcards, worksheets … and large smiles and open hearts. They had spent the day working at their school. They all had experienced a long, long day already. They all had family responsibilities waiting for them. But, for a moment 25 school-age children experienced normalcy in the midst of the chaos that accompanies homelessness.

The volunteers did their magic. The children gathered around tables. Volunteers called the children by their own name. Artwork emerged. Flashcard drills in math and English popped like Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn in a microwave! Children from first grade through tenth grade were laughing, smiling, working, cooperating, and sharing. For a moment, these were not homeless children, they were simply children. Children having fun. Children experiencing the personal impact that comes when experiencing the feeling of value and having worth.

How did it happen, this transformation? It was volunteer magic power! It was the result of someone caring to share their most valuable of possessions … time, energy, and self. It was caring hearts reaching into fractured hearts and bringing wholeness and healing. What a different world we would have if everyday we experienced just a fraction of the magic of that Monday night. It truly was a holy moment! Some called it a Monday night. I called it Magicday night!

Thank you Kathy, Wendy, Karen, and Beth! You make magic! You have volunteer magic power!I am grateful. The children are grateful. The Gateway Center is grateful. Hey, friends, come make some magic at the Gateway Center, like these four magicians!

Welcome to the Gateway Center Blog

Aug. 1st 2011

 

Welcome to our blog! Check back weekly for updates about what is going on at Gateway including special events, volunteer activities, and client success stories.

Volunteer Magic Power »