By Lejla Prljaca
CEO, Gwinnett Housing Corporation
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Gwinnett Housing Corporation (GHC) is partnering with another nonprofit organization, Positive Impact International, to provide emergency and transitional housing for unaccompanied minors in Gwinnett.
Prljaca
GHC received a $160,000 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant provided by Gwinnett County to local nonprofits and administered by United Way. Funds are being used to rent three homes and support daily operations. Positive Impact estimates that by the end of the year, they will have served over 60 minors with this grant.
We are thrilled to support a nonprofit with such a significant mission. Our children deserve to be raised in a caring and safe environment so they can focus on their education and extracurricular activities without having to worry where they will spend the next night.
Positive Impact International is the only agency in Gwinnett with a Safe Place license. Safe Place is a national program that provides over 300 emergency youth shelters across the United States and over 5,000 Safe Place Sites where youth can go in the community to receive immediate assistance if they feel unsafe. Safe Place sites are available 24/7 and include Quick Trips, Kroger, Publix, Chick-fil-A, Fire Stations, YMCA, and public schools.
Positive Impact Executive Director Tami Wilder says: “We receive over 300 calls annually from children, teen mothers, DCFS, and school social workers about youth in unsafe situations and needing emergency shelters. Unfortunately, our limited resources often mean that those youth, some in imminent danger, are turned away because we do not have the beds to provide them shelter and support. Turning children away is heartbreaking, and this grant allows us to scale our work.”
The partnership is already reporting an immediate impact due to the additional funding. Wilder also says “This week alone, four teen mothers were able to receive shelter, food, clothing, and additional services that kept them and their children housed together. The ability to say yes to these calls meant these teen moms were able to receive skills and support that minimize the risk of separating them from their children.”
In addition to emergency shelter, Positive Impact provides food, clothing, access to therapy, independent living skills, ensures high school completion, assists with employment, and offers financial literacy classes.
“With this holistic approach, we are decreasing future adult homelessness in Gwinnett by ensuring our children are equipped to become self-sufficient adults. The youth that we have in our program are committed to making the most of their lives, regardless of the hardships that have been handed to them”, adds Wilder.
About Gwinnett Housing Corporation (GHC) was established in 1997 because of the overwhelming need for affordable housing in the area. GHC (formerly known as the Lawrenceville Housing Corporation) is a private, non-profit 501(c)3 development organization with a focus on creation, revitalization, and preservation of housing stock in targeted neighborhoods with physical and economic reinvestment needs. GHC, along with its partners, is in the process of developing 296 rental and 60 homeownership units.
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