Our House: Caring for Families During a Pandemic

It’s safe to say that during 2020 we’ve all faced unexpected challenges: canceled plans, job difficulties, or homeschooling. We have all faced the unexpected.

Our nonprofit partner, Our House, is not immune to the unexpected challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused. As we began to shelter in place, Our House faced the unprecedented situation of caring for 18 families with newborns at their Atlanta shelter in the midst of a pandemic.

They’ve continued to create a safe, positive environment for families experiencing homelessness, but not without costs. The shelter is typically empty during the day with parents at work and kids at school or in Our House’s world-class, early childhood education center. But during the spring and summer of 2020, the shelter was full 24/7. That created a need to provide more meals and programs, increased utility costs, and greater demands on the staff with the additional cleaning and sanitizing required to keep everyone safe.

But thanks to you, Our House was ready for the unexpected.

Because of your generosity through 2020’s Be Rich campaign, we were able to help Our House fund their ongoing housing programs. While coping with the unexpected, they had the flexibility to use those funds to keep their shelter operational.

Eighteen families, all with an infant less than six months of age, had a safe place to call home when they needed it most. Eighteen families can now seek more stable housing thanks to Our House’s housing transition program and job-training services. That’s just one more example of how your ongoing generosity is making our community better.