Effects of the pandemic are evident at the Nicholas House, a nonprofit that serves metro Atlanta homeless families and those on the brink.
The 12-bedroom Grant Park house is typically full of those needing shelter. Caseloads have soared: 700 individuals have been helped since March, compared with 100 in a typical year. More adult clients say they are experiencing domestic violence, job losses and childcare difficulties caused by pandemic restrictions.
While the Nicholas House responds as quickly as possible, the community also is pitching in to help. And that has been a wonderful surprise, said Director of Development Terrisita Terry.
In Acworth, a second-grader is selling her paintings with proceeds going to help the Nicholas House families. Sadie Berman has raised about $1,200 so far.
In Decatur, a young teen started a GoFundMe page for homeless families served by the organization. He set a goal of $13,000 as part of his “rights of passage” initiatives as he turned 13. Qudus Morris celebrated his birthday on Oct. 10, then presented a check to the nonprofit for more than half of his goal. He’s decided to keep the fundraiser going after raising almost $8,000.
His initial goal was $250, but his father encouraged him to think big. “It’s sort of surreal,” Qudus said of his fundraising efforts. “I didn’t know how far it could spread.”
The Nicholas House, founded in 1982 as a ministry of Atlanta’s St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church, is now a 501c3 nonprofit with funding from federal and state agencies, corporate and private foundations, as well as individuals.
Priorities are keeping families in their homes and addressing the root causes of homelessness. Help is available to those at risk of foreclosure or eviction and to those needing help with power bills and groceries.
Families who have a brief stay at the Nicholas House receive help finding employment and other resources so they can become independent. Once a family leaves, caseworkers will follow-up for two years to preserve home stability.
“We want to ensure that family homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring,” Terry said.
Credit: Picasa
Credit: Picasa
Pandemic restrictions hit hard. Three major fundraisers – which made up 25% of the nonprofit’s annual budget – were canceled. To compensate for the loss, the Nicholas House held panel discussions with several celebrities about the causes of homelessness, then posted them on social media with requests for donations.
Help began pouring in from all over the country. People donated their stimulus money, and some gave gifts from postponed weddings or birthday celebrations. Others dipped into their 401K; one family donated cash from an insurance policy settlement following a death.
“This had such a domino effect. We were getting checks from California and Colorado,” Terry said. “A lot of our donors are parents, and they get it.”
Terry said acts of kindness by the young, like Sadie and Qudus, have been especially meaningful.
Sadie Berman has always had a heart for the homeless, said her mother, Rebecca Berman.
“Whenever we would see the homeless in the streets, she would ask: ‘Why is this happening? This isn’t okay.’”
The family initially started giving donations to the organization, then Sadie came up with her plan to raise money by creating paintings to sell and donating the proceeds.
Credit: Picasa
Credit: Picasa
Sadie says painting is something she does for fun, and, in the past, she’s painted a lot for friends. This time she’s doing it for families who need help. She was happy to meet some of the children living at the Nicholas House during a recent Zoom call.
“It feels really good because you know it’s going to make a change in the earth,” Sadie said about her art project fundraiser.
Qudus Morris came across the Nicholas House as he was searching the internet for a community service organization to help. He said he liked its focus on children.
His parents, Manual and Makeda Morris, surprised Qudus with a trip to the Nicholas House just after his birthday, where he presented the check.
Credit: Family2
Credit: Family2
The family never told the organization about the GoFundMe page, and, when board members found out, “they were fairly surprised that people would be raising money for them,” Manual Morris said.
Nicholas House executive director Dennis Bowman said, “the special acts of kindness from Sadie and Qudus are amazing,” and the organization is “honored by their desire to help less fortunate children and their parents.”
What is inspiring about Nicholas House
- For over 38 years, Nicholas House has provided comprehensive housing and case management services to more than 13,000 homeless parents and children.
- Each night, Nicholas House serves more than 300 homeless children and their parents.
- Families are held accountable to meet specific goals, action steps and evaluations. After they leave the program, there is a two-year follow-up to ensure long-term impact.
- 90% of families maintain their own permanent housing a year or more after leaving the program.
For more information, visit www.nicholashouse.org
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