A new facility in south DeKalb County will allow Atlanta-based nonprofit CHRIS 180 to more than double the number of clients served each year.
A grand opening was held late last month at the Center of Excellence for Training, Education and Connections, located at 1030 Fayetteville Road Southeast. The 20,000 square-foot facility will have multiple uses for CHRIS 180, an organization that focuses on providing mental health services for children and families who have experienced various forms of trauma.
“We believe every person should be treated with dignity and respect and that each individual should have access to high quality trauma informed services, so being able to more than double our capacity and extend our services to those with need is a huge achievement and very exciting.,” CEO Kathy Colbenson said in a news release. “We are so very grateful to the philanthropic community for their investment in our mission.”
DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond and Carmen Chubb, chief of staff for Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, were among more than 150 guests at the grand opening.
The new building will contain the CHRIS Training Institute, Adoptions and Keeping Families Together programs, a ropes course for therapeutic activities, corporate team building and administrative offices. The organization expect its reach will increase from serving 6,500 people in 2016 to over 14,000 in 2020.
The building was funded through the organization’s Turning Point Capital campaign, which raised over $15 million. The money was also used to purchase homes nearby that will be used for children in foster care and young adults aging out of the foster care system.
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“I am very proud to have worked with CHRIS 180 to support this initiative,” said Cyril Turner, co-chairman of the capital campaign. “The Center of Excellence and CHRIS 180’s programs will continue to provide fundamental services for children, young adults, families, and even corporations. Together, we’re working to improve our communities and our neighborhoods by investing in the lives of residents.”
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