Lawrenceville approves new homeless shelter for families

Lawrenceville City Council approved a new homeless shelter that will house families on a short-term basis.

The shelter will be run by Family Promise Gwinnett, an organization that partners with churches in the county to help families find places to stay when they are faced with homelessness. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, families would stay in church facilities while working with Family Promise to find permanent housing and employment. But when the pandemic forced churches and nearly all other public spaces to close, Family Promise had few options left. They put one family in “one of the nicer” extended-stay hotels in the Lawrenceville area, but the setting and cost were not ideal, said Carol Love, executive director of Family Promise.

St. Edward’s Episcopal Church had a vacant home on its property that needed minimal renovations, and offered it up to Family Promise Gwinnett. The renovations were done in six days and the family in the extended-stay hotel, a single mother with multiple children, moved in and soon “graduated” from the program."

The shelter can now house up to four families or 15 individual people, according to plans submitted to the city. The organization will keep the original character of the building, a two-story brick colonial-style house on Moon Road, and will have to come before the Lawrenceville Planning Commission every two years to renew its zoning authorization.

The pandemic’s economic impact, including a spike in unemployment, makes the shelter more necessary than ever, Love said. Most evictions are halted through the end of the year under a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order, but once they are allowed to proceed, Love expects there will be many families in need of help and a place to stay.

“We are here to help our communities during this time of crisis,” Love said. “When the eviction moratoriums are over, we will be here to help.”

The shelter is only for stays up to 90 days, and Family Promise Gwinnett generally does not handle cases involving addiction or severe mental health issues, according to its website. Love described it as a “high barrier” program.

Parents in the program can get services including financial counseling and help finding a long-term job. People who get assistance from the organization must pass a drug screening and a background check and undergo multiple interviews before being offered assistance.

The zoning change required to operate the shelter was unanimously approved, receiving an extended round of applause from Family Promise Gwinnett supporters in the room.

“Thank you, that doesn’t happen very often” said Mayor David Still with a laugh.

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